The Cleansing

I enjoyed this film, it was never boring for me. It's definitely better than most low-budget movies.

The settings in the forest and small village were nicely chosen for this type of movie, and the costumes are realistic for the historical time setting. And there is nothing seriously wrong with the plot, the direction, the acting or the screenwriting.

The Cleansing is a very neat looking film (on the DVD cover), the plot's basically about a plague and obviously the first suspect is a witch, people back then didn't have any idea of germs or how disease was spread so the plot in that sense is at least a bit feasible.

Unfortunately despite its decent enough premise the film fails in the fun department instead going for a more serious and therefore corny story. However, the acting whilst not the best wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and just about holds together.

Many missed opportunities for horror elements and decides to go for a more mystery based plot, with a lot of unnecessary character building scenes (especially when we find out who her new friend is) but I actually didn't mind the twist and at least it made the film a bit more memorable than perhaps it would be.

3/10: Technically a bad film but I didn't feel like I wasted my time watching this

This movie is far better than an average rating of mere 4.4. It's a pleasant coincidence that I stumbled upon this movie today. Someone expecting malevolent spirits haunting the village or a teenage witch chanting mantras in the middle of a forest with a candle burning next to a human skull, will be sorely disappointed. It is as much about science and religious dogma as much as it is about not turning the other cheek and let go the perpetrators of evil scot-free.

The movie is a waste of time, boring, absolutely no sense plot, not even a horror film.

I had not heard about the 2019 movie titled "The Cleansing" prior to getting a chance in 2020 to sit down and watch it. I didn't know what the movie was about, all I knew was that it was sort of a horror movie.

And that was actually all that was needed to have me sit down and watch it. However, I must say that the movie was fairly weak in aspect of being a horror movie, but it fared much better on being a historical drama with a hint of susperstition and thriller to it.

Now, you might actually debate whether or not writer David Shillitoe was on to something profound with his storyline and script. I assume that it is something that will not appeal broadly to everyone in the audience, given the movie's sort of low rating. However, I found the storyline to be interesting, especially since it had roots in something that felt like something that might very well actually have happened if you take a look at mankinds history.

I must say that the atmosphere in the movie was phenomenal. I really liked what director Antony Smith did here with the assistance of the cinematographer and the film crew. The whole movie had a very realistic and foreboding atmosphere to it, that sort of crept under the skin and sticks with you for a while.

The movie's pacing might be considered slow to some, and yeah I will admit to it too. There were aspects and parts of the movie that were just too monotonous and too slowed down, weighing the movie unnecessarily down.

As for the acting in "The Cleansing", well it was a movie with a relatively small cast ensemble, so the performers had to be more on constantly and had to carry the movie significantly more with their individual performances. Now, I am not familiar with the previous work of actress Rebecca Acock (playing Alice), but she really had a nice on-screen charisma and carried the lead role quite well.

If you have any interest in witchcraft, superstition and historical aspects of what happened in the older times, then "The Cleansing" is definitely well worth a watch. I enjoyed the movie, and I am rating it a six out of ten stars.