For the third time in 2010 a psychological thriller/horror film starts with an eerie ferry journey to an isolated island where the protagonist isnt sure who they can trust. Martin Scorsese took us to Shutter Island, whilst Roman Polanksi took Ewan McGregors writer to a similar place in The Ghost. Both films were full of cinematic references - not least of all to the work of Alfred Hitchcock - and Gabe Ibáñezs Spanish effort Hierro(from the producers of Pans Labyrinth and The Orphanage) is no different, with Hitchcockian motifs galore: notably a flock of ever-present birds and more than one shower scene. Hierro stars Elena Anaya as Maria, a mother who falls asleep on the aforementioned ferry crossing and awakens to find her son is missing without a trace. The sparsely populated ferry (made to seem even emptier with wide-angle lenses) is reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining as Maria searches the boat in absolute silence. The decision to remove the sound from these moments is unnerving and creates a decent tension. However, this tension is rather let down by the fact that the film subscribes rather too readily to modern horror cliché, including scary children (who now raise a laugh more readily than a scream) and the fast cutting of random (seemingly unconnected) images which leave the viewer more confused and disengaged than frightened or intrigued. Add to that the fact that the main character is never really depicted as showing too much grief at the loss of her child (aside from adopting a phobia of water). The fact that she readily leaves the boy unattended prior to his disappearance also means that we never afford her too much sympathy. It is also the case that Maria makes baffling, almost infuriating choices during the film as she attempts to get to the bottom of her sons disappearance. Why does this character constantly rummage through other peoples homes? Why is she constantly fainting or having strange visions? Why doesnt she ever report her findings to the helpful local lawman? Maybe these are tropes of the genre, but if they are: I guess I dont care for the genre especially. Ultimately Maria is a frustrating and unsympathetic protagonist. Near the climax of the film comes something like an action scene but youll be too busy asking yourself why is this happening? that you will hardly care what is taking place on screen. The film (the underwater scenes especially) is admittedly beautifully shot by cinematographer Alejandro Martínez, whose filmography up to this point is dominated by straight-to-DVD horror movies, and there are also a few nice touches (in one scene an air conditioner turns off during one tense moment, as if the very room has paused to take breath) but overall the film fails to really register either as scary, suspenseful or exciting. It certainly never impacted upon me on an emotional level. I dont wish to give anything away, but it would be remiss of me not to point out that the films ending is also totally unsatisfying. The twist (now compulsory for this type of film) is disappointing rather than fulfilling and leads you to feel as though you have wasted your time with the preceding 90 minutes. What we are left with is a polished, if unspectacular, film with a decent central performance (albeit in a thankless role) from Elena Anaya and some splendid photography. Otherwise it is a retread of old ground - and not a very fulfilling one at that. A film which is somewhere between Hitchcock and J-horror, but a hollow imitation without the originality expected of either. If you are a sucker for the genre and loved The Orphanage then maybe this film will hold some interest for you. However, the majority of audiences will surely find this tale lacking of anything really iconic that would make it stick in their minds as an experience. Hierro is rated '12A' by the BBFC and is out in selected cinemas from the 18th of June across the UK.