ALL of the omens are good for this well-crafted psychological chiller. It has an excellent cast, led by the peerless Robert De Niro, a great set-up and an unsettling air of menace.

But, as happens all too often, the plot falls apart like an kit wardrobe at the end as the film dissolves into hammy horror.

De Niro is excellent as a widowed husband coming to terms with the death of his wife, Amy Irving. He moves to a new house with traumatised daughter Dakota Fanning and sets about rebuilding their lives.

When they move in to their new home Fanning begins talking to a imaginary friend, called Charlie, which De Niro puts down to her own grieving process.

But when her conversations get longer and she begins to blame Charlie for a series of disturbing incidents, De Niro begins to wonder if it is not so innocent.

She blames Charlie for angry graffiti on the bathroom wall and a series of increasingly disturbing acts that contribute to a creeping sense of impending doom. When De Niro invites new friend and potential love interest Elisabeth Shue home for dinner Fanning acts up, refusing to eat her favourite food and making threats against the newcomer.

As De Niro struggles to make sense of his predicament, Polson throws in every horror cliche he can think of (oddball small town locals, a suspicious sheriff, hissing cats and so on) but still De Niro and Fanning raise it above the norm.

It is only at the end, having built up a good head of suspense, that the film collapses under all that expectation and wimps out with a gory, twist ending that leaves you wondering why anyone bothered.

Fanning, who single-handedly rescued Denzil Washington's Man On Fire from an explosion and bullets farce, is superb as the angelic child who becomes a monster. De Niro too is top quality.

They both deserve something better.

Hide And Seek (15): Thriller, directed by John Polson. Running time: 101 minutes.