Agnes is a complicated character with emotional depth and rich development. Ashley Judd does a remarkable job of making Agnes pitiful and strong; sane and insane. Agnes easily, under a lesser actress, could have become a wayward bunglement of emotions. Judd makes her a perfect mess. Near the end of the movie I wanted to hug her to comfort her and slap the sense back into here.

Michael Shannon can best be described as innocent and creepy as Peter. During the entire length of the movie you can tell he isn’t a bad man, but you wonder if he is badly designed. He is so scary without being malicious that the two sides of your brain have a hard time rectifying the dichotomy; in a good way.

The other three cast members are perfect seasoning for the incredibly delicious dish Judd and Shannon created. R.C. (Lynn Collins) is softness, wildness and sanity. Collins’ short performance is incredibly controlled. Jerry Goss (Harry Connick Jr.) is crazy, abusive and loving, in a demented way. Connick’s performance is frightening because he only almost loses control. Dr. Sweet (Brian F. O’Byrne) lends credence to either of the theories of the characters and highlights the mental misfiring of the characters. O’Byrne made a chill run up my spine because he never, ever, gets rattled.

My hat goes off to the writer and the director for understanding the speech patterns of people in Oklahoma. Usually when a movie takes place in a region outside of California the screenwriters don’t bother to make the dialogue regionally appropriate. Letts and Friedkin do not overlook this important detail.

The end of the movie has visually distinctive scenes that create deeply haunting moods. The use of light is the most unique and imaginative I have seen in years. The lighting alone is enough to tell us we should be in a state of paralyzing dismay. Not only does it lend exactly the emotion necessary for the scene, it doubles the effectiveness whenever another character enters the room.

This movie snuck up, lulled me into a false security, kept moving so I never got my footing and then broadsided me with a Mac truck. I was astonished, bewildered and the more I think about the movie, the more I love it. Don’t miss this movie if you love to be scared.