I first saw this in 2007 on a dvd which I own.

Revisited it recently.

I liked the movie cos it has plenty of atmosphere, few spooky scenes n a decent twist.

The movie's settings will remind us of The Shining, The Woman in Black, etc.

The performances are good but the end is a bit convenient.

I have enjoyed Jaume Balagueró's Rec series n Sleep Tight.

Fragile (AKA: Fragiles) is directed by Juame Balaguero who also co- writes the screenplay with Jordi Galceran. It stars Calista Flockhart, Elena Anaya, Yasmin Murphy, Richard Roxburgh and Colin McFarlane. Music is by Roque Banos and cinematography by Xavi Gimenez.

Mercy Falls Children's Hospital, Isle of White, soon to be closed down and currently only housing the last few child patients and a skeleton crew of staff.. It is also home to something else, something sinister up on the second floor…apparently.

Supernatural spooker involving kids in peril, Fragile is quintessentially a ghost story movie for the undemanding like minded film fan looking for chills, jumps and atmosphere abound. Those in search of something new thrown on to the haunted building table are advised to steer clear, for in spite of a somewhat bonkers finale, where hospital apocalypse is the order of the day, this stays safely on the well trodden path.

Yet when done well enough clichés are not a problem, such is the case here. Flockhart's nurse has mental anguish in her past which she inevitably has to exorcise, and naturally she's going to be the heroine in some shape or form, we know this as she's the American come to the Isle of White to work, a new start. However, it's a nicely drawn characterisation that engages when the bond between nurse and one particularly troubled child is fully born.

With the back drop that of a Gothic hospital (exteriors really Bearwood College in Berkshire, England),complete with a closed ward straight out of Session 9, atmosphere is well maintained by Balaguero, and of course whenever there are sick and dying kids involved there's always a deep sadness dripped into film. The scares range from standard things that go clang in the night, lifts and beds that come to life, and edge of the seat inducing walks around dead silent parts of the hospital. Then there's that ending…

The story involving the reason for the haunting is a neat one, unfortunately the entity in its realisation is not. We are introduced to something monstrous, but it belongs in a different movie, perhaps a Clive Barker inspired one in fact. Some will (and already do) find it very freaky, but I feel it goes a bit away from the traditional ghost movie flavours previously sprinkled throughout the picture. However, there's a genuine surprise at film's closure, where not reverting to formula type is a major bonus.

Derivative? Yes more often than not. Good time assured for fans of haunted house like mysteries? Absolutely! 7/10

Troubled American nurse Amy (a fine, credible, and affecting performance by Calista Flockhart) gets a job working the night shift at the crumbling Mercy Falls Children's Hospital in Britain. The place is being closed down. Amy discovers that there's a dangerous and possessive spirit known as Charlotte the mechanical girl (a genuinely creepy portrayal by Karmeta Cervera) on a disused floor who refuses to let the child patients leave the hospital. Director Jaume Balaguero, who also co-wrote the thoughtful script with Jordi Galceran, relates the compelling story at a deliberate pace, does an expert job of creating and sustaining an eerie and unsettling atmosphere of pure dread and unease, makes wisely judicious use of both excessive graphic gore and flashy special effects, and pulls out all the harrowing stops for the thrilling climax. Moreover, Balaguero brings a classy and subtle sensibility and sensitivity to the material that kicks the overall quality of the movie up a few extra notches. The excellent acting from the tip-top cast rates as another substantial asset: Flockhart brings a touching and appealing vulnerability to her sympathetic character, with sterling support from Richard Roxburgh as the skeptical Dr. Robert Marcus, Elena Anaya as stern nurse Helen Perez, Gemma Jones as hard-nosed head administrator Mrs. Folder, Colin McFarlane as amiable handyman Roy, and, most impressive of all, the adorable Yasmin Murphy as frightened and precocious little girl Maggie. Xavi Gimenez's shadowy cinematography gives the picture an appropriately gloomy look. Roque Banos' shivery score does the elegantly uncanny trick. A real sleeper.