The point if this film is the music, Jake and Jena, Swayze, the family interaction, small town USA politics and the 80's. The supernatural elements must be overlooked. The theatrical cut was infinitely superior. I would go so far as to say that the theatrical cut was a small masterpiece, yet the director's cut was really bad. Strange how it can change like that.
Just finished it, and I have to say I liked it a lot. Like some odd mix of classic Bergman, the Third Man and Eyes Wide Shut. The analysis at the end is spot on. Michael Mann spent ten years in libraries… read review