"Secrets in the Walls": An old-fashioned boo-fest

If you prefer your scary movies deliver its chills the old-fashioned way, you might enjoy "Secrets in the Walls" (8 tonight, Lifetime Movie Network).

There's no gore or slashing here, just creepy music, surprises behind doors, and things that go bump in the night.

It's the story of Rachel Easton (Jeri Ryan), a new divorcee with two daughters Lizzy (Kay Panabaker) and sensitive Molly (Peyton Roi List), who has an uncanny knack for knowing the phone is about to ring, just before it does. Rachel is starting over, going back to work with the support of her brother Marty (Ian Kahn), a contractor, but she's worried she may be pushing her girls too quickly into a new life. At her new job she meets Belle (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a nurse and psychic. Yes, a psychic.

On her way home, Rachel passes a Realtor who persuades her to take a look at a house built around the 1950s that the absent owner really wants to sell. When the price drops, Rachel buys it. After they settle in, creepy stuff starts to happen.

It's that straightforward, and in a way, that's what makes it kind of charming while not exactly groundbreaking. The story behind the ghost story is heartbreaking and could have been turned into something really intriguing, I think. The screenwriters, instead, toss that opportunity and make a hokey choice.

There's an odd thread involving "Pride and Prejudice" (Lizzy is named after the main character, we learn), and a lot of talk about being strong, independent women. I don't know exactly what the screenwriter was attempting to do by adding those elements, but unless my feminist radar is out of whack, it left an impression that there's a price to pay for women being independent and strong. Like, don't get too big for your britches, girls or a ghost will come after you.

At any rate, the performances in the film are fine and "Secrets in the Walls" is too. Curl up on the couch in the dark and have some fun. It's benign enough to not haunt you later.