Sarah Michelle Gellar

Buffy’s return, with a whisper, not a scream

Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar,

Peter O’Brien, Sam Shepard

Directed by Asif Kapadia

Written by Adam Sussman

Classification: 14A

Rating: *½

Sarah Michelle Gellar is not faring well as a horror-movie scream queen. Gone are the attitude, wit and verve she used to routinely display in the title role of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Entirely lacking Buffy’s spunk, her characters in a recent series of supernatural thrillers — starting with the 2004 hit The Grudge — are gaunt, glum and all too easily spooked. Of course, young women who are plagued by vengeful spirits or mysterious visions tend not to be the most upbeat people, but Gellar’s thousand-yard stare and somnambulant screen presence have become a serious drag.