Period horror still has a lot to bring to the genre, but only given the creators work hard to avoid clichés and boldly commit to polishing a new idea and to taking it to completion.
When Inquisitor Mateho and his friend Johnny are secretly summoned to an abbey in a village terrorized by the plague, they find a dead body and a strange prisoner waiting for them. Tension builds as the villagers outside demand to see the witch burn, and the abbot seems very anxious to appease them. But the inquisitor is not convinced.
Will the accused girl talk before it's too late? What is the connection between the mysterious death and the inquisitor's own past? Can either science or the cross help the monks cope?
This film has the atmosphere, acting, and clever twist to make it an excellent horror flick. It definitely provides the scares and gives the viewer a constant feeling of doom and uncertainty, especially with the low light in many scenes and the excellent use of the fact that they didn't have electricity in the Middle Ages. However, it falls short of greatness due to the many plot holes and somewhat clumsy delivery of the big reveal in the third act.
It reminds me a lot of The Autopsy of Jane Doe, it's like a cross between that and The Name of the Rose, with which it's being constantly compared (but apart from the medieval setting, monks dying, and a detective figure, I see nothing else they share).
Overall, it needs stronger connections in the first two thirds of the film to the big reveal (even though I realise they probably wanted to keep the ending a surprise), a bit more research to make the setting more credible, and slightly more fleshed out characters with more background.
As it is, it's still a very enjoyable experience that showcases the potential of period horror. I can't help but wonder how it could have been different had it been written/directed by a woman, having that great twist to work with.
Spoiler alert: Kristian Nairn's character gets to hold a door!
