I HAVE to confess to knowing next to nothing about the DC Vertigo Hellblazer series of comic so can't comment on whether Constantine the movie measures up.

And as someone who's cup of tea is more thriller than horror, I can't speak with any authority on how the film compares with other supernatural offerings.

Having said that, Constantine was surprisingly entertaining. The storyline was intriguing and the 'scary bits' didn't exactly leave me reaching for the sofa pillars in fact, some were quite corny. I suppose that would put some horror fans off.

The film is about chain-smoking John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) who is caught between two worlds.

He has the gift to spot 'angels' and 'demons' among us and uses his unique powers to rid people of their evil spirits, thus enabling them to go to heaven rather than hell.

Life takes an unexpected turn for Constantine when he is approached by an LAPD detective (Rachel Weisz) to help get to the bottom of her sister's apparent suicide.

They literally go to hell and back and their quest, meeting the angel Gabriel (Tilda Swinton) and Lucifer himself (Peter Stomare) on the way.

Apparently, the comic series was set in London but for Hollywood purposes, the venue here is Los Angeles. It's a dark, atmospheric movie which has some good special effects.

Carla Flynn