The Moor

The Moor isn't a bad movie but I see there are reviewers on here rating it with a ten and that's just ridiculous. A ten means it's one of the best movies you ever watched, one that you could watch over and over again, and sorry to say this one is far from that. It's a slow burner so do not expect fast action, but there is a nice mysterious vibe to it what keeps you interested. Unfortunately the ending is just not good at all which brings some serious damage to the ratings. The acting was good though, the cinematography simple but not bad. There are also some flaws in the story, bad decision making or annoying moments where they can't decide whether they would continue to investigate or not whilst they get serious clues, which in my opinion was just ridiculous. It's still worth watching if you don't mind a slow pace.

This is one to put on the radar for horror fans. It's creepy as hell in parts with some stand-out moments in particular one in the tent towards the end. I imagine this is inspired by the Brady/Hindley murders (horrific enough without a supernatural element). If you've ever visited a moor in England it can be unnerving, easy to get lost and a sense of something old and ancient which is conveyed brilliantly in this film. There's a subtle element of paganism with strange carvings and statues, a part of British history that is still relatively unknown but often pops up in horror novels (Phil Rickman being one), and a faceless serial killer that ups the horror ante. It's slow-plodding in places and if had been a tad tighter it would have been stand-out. The cast are relatively unknown but the two female leads are ones to watch. All in all this was a great find.

It's Yorkshire in the 90s. It says so on the screen, but the accents and streets give it away. It's a gripping start as a young boy goes missing in a corner shop. I've got instant chills as the jumps and bumps sync with some lovely camera work. As the titles roll, so do the 'missing' headlines, multiple children, a "Summer of Fear". 25 years later. Desolate windswept moors, ominous church bells, quiet streets. In a cafe, Claire (Sophia La Porta) now grown up, is trying to move on from her guilt over what happened to her friend Danny (Dexter Sol Ansell). But the child killer that's suspected took him, is facing release after a botched investigation and Danny's father, Bill (David Edward-Robertson) wants Claire to help him stop it, by finding evidence on The Moor. It plays to a genuine chilling fear. Missing children. Never found. Thought now to be on the moors. No closure. If you're a certain age in Britain, you'll recall the Moors Murders, a horror story that played out in real time. This is why the first act of this hits so hard. When Claire realises the scale of the possible search area, it's unfathomable and even stranger that Bill has deemed now to only search a specific region. There's more to this than first meets the eye. Enter Alex (Mark Peachy) who's helping Bill make these choices based on something beyond. The shots on the moors are fantastic, wide open, the camera laps up the brutal landscape, but as Claire goes searching with Bill and a ranger called Liz (Vicki Hackett), it's her GoPro footage that gets the heart pumping. This first person shot puts you right in the heart of it and gives a real sense of just how dangerous this terrain is in its own right, before adding any sinister layers. We also get interview clips with locals that fill in not only what happened in the Summer of Fear, but how they all feel about its legacy. It's here we meet Thornley (Bernard Hill) and Becky (Mia Vore) a child at the time when Danny went missing. These scenes fill in the space wonderfully and give it real weight. It's Claire's perspective that brings the chills though and it is chilling, terrifyingly so. There's something supernatural at play and this is where Alex and his daughter Eleanor (Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips) come in. They help pinpoint a spot thought to be where Danny is, but it's deep into the moor. Things are going to get dark, very very dark. Honestly I'm going to struggle to sleep tonight. It all starts to take a toll on Claire too. They make some progress, but this only digs them further into the nightmare. The spooky stuff is very effective, but mix it with that natural eeriness of the landscape and the real life horror of missing children and you've got a stone cold thriller. The acting across the board is punchy and powerful, the score is wild and scrungy, the production reaches way beyond its budget. It looks fantastic and it's perfectly paced and really keeps you on your toes. This may well have ruined any future wild camping trips I had planned, it's just as well we're heading in to winter, I need a good six months before I think about spending the night alone in a tent in the middle of nowhere. This is director Chris Cronin's feature length debut. It's a hell of a start.

I'm usually let down by modern horror, but The Moor had me hooked from the start. It's creepy, thoughtful, beautifully shot, and way smarter than most of what's out there. The performances are solid across the board, the mood is tense without relying on cheap jumps, and the folklore elements feel grounded and original.

But just when I thought we were heading for a haunting, earned payoff...it pivots. One BAFFLING creative choice near the end nearly derails the whole thing. Not enough to ruin it, but enough to knock it down a peg or two.

Still, 90% of this movie is genuinely excellent. If they'd just trusted the story they were already telling, it could've been a classic.

I see others pan this movie because it doesn't have much action. Now, I'm not sure where in the description, the trailer, the synopsis, or promotions, did it infer this would be an action thriller horror. Before reviewing a movie, be sure you are a fan of the genre. Or at least somewhat interested. You shouldn't watch Maverick and think "C'mon, where's the gore?! Why didn't Tom Cruise get into any fights? It sucks, don't see it. Or pop on the original Predator and say "What a terrible idea, E. T. was way better! Or Schindler's List and post on here "that's not nearly as funny as I thought it would be." The Moor is a Horror, Mystery, Drama film. Turn off the lights, crank up the home theater, enjoy. It did well at the film festivals for a reason. I can't tell you how many movies people on IMDB will rate low and leave a review as if they watched a completely different movie. Sometimes, it's right. But lately, reviews on here make me question our educational system, the impact of information access and overload, and the complete disregard for nuance when ranking a film. Same goes for music, food, museums, and anything we view as entertainment.