Under The Radar – “The Awakening” 2011

Victor –

8 out of 10

“The Awakening” is a British gothic ghost story directed by Nick Murphy and is easily the best ghostly tale since Juame Balguero’s “Fragile” which I enjoyed for it’s conviction and story. There is very simply much to like in Murphy’s tale of a paranormal debunker in post WW1 England played by the beautifully talented Rebecca Hall. The film also stars Dominic West (300, The Phantom Menace) as a WW1 vet who becomes an assistant dean at an all boys boarding school in the country which used to be a private home. Rest assured in proper gothic manner the house is imposing, eerie and menacing solely due to the fantastic camera work by DP Eduard Grau (Buried)

At the film’s start it is established that Florence (Hall) has a passion for debunking charlatans during seances. She is manically insistent that they be arrested and put away for fooling gullible persons who have lost loved ones. Though she is tough she has a vulnerable interior and has a frail personality. Hall does a commendable job at showing us both sides as they grow into conflict as the story progresses. After Robert (West) visits her to ask for her help to tackle a mystery at the boarding school is when the film takes a very interesting and engaging turn. Florence with the help of the mysterious house lady Maud, incorporates herself into the populace of the school which includes several scared boys and one in particular named Tom who is taken with Florence and her investigation into the “ghost boy” who is said to be lurking the cold and remote mansion. Imelda Stauton (Dr Who, Harry Potter) gives a very terse and proper performance as Maud that is earnest and sad. She knows many things about the house and the boys that could change what the outcome of Florence’s investigation may reveal. She watches on as Florence utilizes the techniques of the day for “ghostbusting” (which is wildly interesting) and she observes how Florence becomes obsessed with finding this strange boy even after she has debunked some bad behaviors from some of the schoolboys who had taken a prank too far. Robert also is witness to her behavior and starts to protect her from herself.

Suffice it to say, apart from the great cinematography and eerie music that is haunting and simplistic, the film is a slow burn that reveals twist upon twist that is satisfying and believable. Especially as the complex association between the mysterious Tom, Flo and Maud is revealed. And the revelations come slowly and without warning. There is a off center and distracting sub plot involving a maintenance worker that is useless and goes nowhere but that is nitpicking. I was reminded very much of “The Others” and some other eerie British productions like the 1989 TV mini-series “The Woman in Black” and Del Toro’s “The Devil’s Backbone”. This film is quite enjoyable and not at all flashy and loud much like some US productions about ghosts. With the exception of Ti West’s “The Innkeepers.” So get comfy and pull up your blanket on a rainy night and get ready to dig “The Awakening” Recommended!

 

 

Vic’s Classic’s – Robert Wise’s “The Haunting” (1963)

Three people are recruited by a paranormal investigator to help uncover the secrets of Hill House, a mansion overwhelmed by spirits of its former residents in this classic horror flick based on The Haunting of Hill House, a novel by Shirley Jackson. As the guests delve deeper into the home’s past, they are seduced further into its sinister web. Julie Harris, Ronald Adam, Claire Bloom, Lois Maxwell and Russ Tamblyn star.

Victor – 9 out of 10

The dark and cavernous Hill House, in Robert Wise’s brilliant film, The Haunting, is a brooding, beastly menace. It is a character all on it’s own. It is a living, breathing horror that completely devours the protagonists in this nerve tingling classic horror film.

Based on the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Robert Wise’s film actually improves on the actual source material. Wise made a very smart decision to have the large Hill mansion come alive in an evil and bleak way.

The film stars Julie Harris as a repressed and suffering woman named Eleanor, who is called to Hill House to participate in an experiment by Richard Johnson who plays Dr Markway. She accepts and is immediately pulled in by the history and dark nature of the House. There she meets others who were invited. One being Claire Bloom who plays the worldly and free spirited psychic, Theodora. The woman bond but not so much at first. There is a repressed sexual tension between them that Wise hints at. Meanwhile when they have all gathered and get settled in by the lanky and spooky Mrs Dudley its from that point onwards that we become involved and immersed in the wicked spell of the house.

Dr Markway proceeds to tell them the history of the house and all of the deaths and suicides that have occurred. He hopes to provoke responses from those gathered. One being a nephew of the current owner of Hill House played by Russ Tamblyn (West Side Story). In the prologue of the film there is a brilliant introduction to the many bizarre happenings that involved the Crane family.

It is in this history that we become witnesses to terror. As the film moves along and unfolds, our protagonists are subjected to the whims of Hill House. Here is where Robert Wise and Cinematographer Davis Boulton really shine. There are deep shadows, unsettling angles and stark and soft focus within shots of the hallways, stairs and rooms of the house. The interior of the house is forbidding and alive. Wise, using his actors remarkably, uses sounds, light and shadow to provoke fear from them. Particularly in the bedroom sequence where Eleanor and Theo are trying to console each other as a loud, evil presence proceeds to scare them and approaches their door. It is what we do not see that scares and unnerves us. Wise makes sure of this.

Make no mistakes, this is a horror film and it does frighten and holds up very well to this day. There is the dread that permeates the very walls of the house and Bloom and Harris excel at showing us their very frightful and vulnerable sides. They cower, yell, scream and unravel during the Haunting. We indeed find out what the real mystery is but not before being subjected to a fearful experience in fantastic black and white photography that completely chills us to the bone.

This film is a marvel to behold. It is creepy. It is classy and elegant. It is well acted and very terrifying. I hold it in very high regard. The score by Humphrey Searle is chilling and effective. The screenplay by Nelson Gidding is pitch perfect capturing and excelling upon the source material wonderfully. I cannot recommend this film any higher. It has a simple and horrific set up and menacing execution. Not since “The Innocents” before it has a film about a very haunted House been this beautifully done. One of Robert Wise’s best films and he has done films in just about every genre. Enjoy!