horrorgirlyfilm

Blake (David Lenik) and his alcoholic mother Margot (Tessa Wood) are forced to move into the mysterious Clemonte Hall, a vast isolated manor house, to care for his dying Grandfather, Aubrey (Barrington De La Roche) who resides in the attic room. Soon, ghostly goings-on fill the house with dread, as it becomes apparent Audrey's illness may have a supernatural cause.

An English Haunting was enjoyable and I imagine will be popular amongst a more mainstream audience looking for a classical approach to horror.

The location and cinematography are stunning and whilst the blurb states it is set in the 1960's - the film has a distinctly timeless feel to it. The film is well paced and both the story and each of the characters follow distinctive arcs. As a writer and reviewer, my biggest bugbear is poorly written characters. I am always going to champion a film that has believable characters brought to life by strong performances from the cast. Take Margot, who is resentful of reprising her role as her fathers carer due to their previously tumultuous relationship. It is a believable contrast to Blake whose loyalties are torn in several directions.

As the story unfolds, we are shown glimpses of a grotesque human-like monster on and Aubrey's involvement in its origins. In a subversive take on the feminine Gothic archetype - An English Haunting has us explore relationships between mother and son. Leading to a plot twist that was a genuine surprise. My only criticism was the portrayal of the three kings purely because I felt they did not contribute to the suspense of the film.

Audiences may be divided on An English Haunting. Genre audiences generally enjoy using their imagination - whilst mainstream audiences tend to expect all nuances to be made obvious for easier enjoyment.

Sea Fever premiered at Starburst International Film Festival and hotly anticipated as Ireland has produced quality horror rich in folklore. Sea Fever features the crew of a West of Ireland trawler, marooned at sea, as they struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply. It was refreshing to see a film that featured men and women as crew where most seafaring films seem to still have a predominately male cast - a positive influence of having a female director/writer. There was several nods towards Irish folklore -the superstition of having a redhead aboard a ship and the use of the tale behind the ships tale as a clever use of foreshadowing. The special effects including the creature itself and the gore of its parasitic young made for some good scares and were subtle enough to be believable. As other reviews suggest, it plays homage to similar sea monster films and bares a startling resemblance to Harbinger Down.

However, this film really lacked character insight and development. I found I was not invested in the characters so barely raised an eyebrow when they died - and nor did I care who survived. Judging from the rest of the audience comments - I was not alone in finding Sea Fever tedious. Disappointing.

Samantha (Jessica McCloud) is a troubled teen who is trying to fit in with her new foster family. Reluctant to be a responsible big sister, their young daughter - Olivia (Hannah Chemary)- disappears after Samantha leaves her to walk home alone. Their parents are distraught and therefore are obviously relieved when Olivia shows up again. Overlooking the fact she starts to demonstrate some disturbing behaviour. This leads to a simply beautiful Pans Labyrinth style story of love and sacrifice as Samantha searches for the truth.

Apart from the gorgeous cinematography and great direction - the entire cast deliver superb performances. The characters and their relationships are multi-dimensional, relatable and entirely believable which immerse you into this deeply moving horror. Credit must be given to child-actress Hannah who delivered a complex performance without falling into the trap of of the 'creepy child' trope.

The Hollow Child is sadly understated despite receiving a awards on its release, probably due to poor reviews which in my opinion are not warranted. Each to their own, but I love folklore -inspired horror and this is a real gem.