Remember how 1408 demonstrated all you need for a successful horror film is a room, a guy, a few supernatural shenanigans, and just the right artistic touch to bring them all together? Well, the low-budget chiller P2 takes a similar bare-bones approach, but it also throws out some brains with the bathwater.  1408 worked a good part of the time because John Cusack played a sympathetic guy trying to survive an onslaught of both physical and mental anguish. P2, on the other hand, evokes little, if any, emotional attachment.  

Christmas Eve has arrived, and busy career woman Angela (Rachel Nichols) starts to head home for a family party after a late night at the office when she finds that her car will not start, the doors are locked, and she's trapped inside the building. What seem to be a series of unfortunate events soon reveal themselves to be part of a sinister plan devised by Thomas (Wes Bentley), a parking garage guard with a dangerous obsession for Angela. After drugging her and chaining her to a table in his office, Thomas reveals more of his demented scheme, which includes showing Angela how much he "cares" about her by getting back at an office creep in the bloodiest of ways. But as Thomas grows more angry and unstable, Angela soon realizes she has to fight back and think on her toes in order to evade Thomas and his vicious attack dog.

Captivity, released last July, kept popping into my head as I watched P2. Both films purport to be thrillers, yet fail to deliver that kind of exciting experience. Rather than keeping you on the edge of your seat, the fairly basic plot structure of P2 doesn't allow for much action to occur, aside from Bentley screaming and maybe unleashing some bloodshed. P2 may not be as gross as Captivity, but it features the same tendency to drag out its already thin premise. Frankly, I could get more excitement by staring at my watch.

The characters in P2 come across as painfully one-dimensional. Nichols displays this sort of "deer in a headlights" look to her and ends up being out-acted by her cleavage. To be fair, she handles the transition from helpless victim to determined woman well.  As for Bentley, he turns in a performance which could position him as the best candidate to play Howard Dean in a future film. His role boils down to a little bit of sniveling and a whole lot of screaming; he's your garden-variety thriller villain who incites more indifference than fear. 

Still, I have to give the makers of P2 credit on two fronts. First, the parking garage setting is pretty spooky. It captures the right sort of claustrophobic atmosphere for a tale like this one. Second, and best of all, the movie doesn't set the stage for a sequel. P2 isn't a smart movie, but its creators were wise enough to realize P2 2 would be just too silly.

MY RATING: ** (out of ****)

(Released by Summit Entertainment and rated "R" for strong violence/gore, terror and language.)