31 Days of Horror- Day 1: The Awakening (2011)

(dir. Nick Murphy)

StudioCanal UK

*First-time viewing

Welcome back horror fiends and Halloween friends to year 4 of 31 Days of Horror! Continuing the format from last year, I’ll be alternating between a week of 21^st century horror movies and a week of pre-2000s horror and mixing it up with first-viewing and revisiting old favorites. First up, a post-WWI ghost story set in England.

In 1921, Florence Cathcart, a Hoax Exposer, supernatural nonbeliever, and atheist, is hired explain the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a child at a boarding school. Claims of ghost sightings by the boys, and mysterious behavior from the faculty awakens Florence to a tragic truth.

The Awakening fulfills all expectations of period-set British horror. With an impressive cast of British talents (Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, and Isaac Hempstead Wright) roaming an old manor on the English countryside, Murphy’s film perfectly sets the tone for the Halloween season. All the gray tones, and damp dreariness sink right into your bones, creating a chilly viewing experience from the onset. The post-WWI setting gives the film a unique perspective. There’s an inescapable sense of grief that permeates the film, punctuated by the orphans, widows, and childless parents that populate the film. Every character in the film is dealing with their own version of PTSD, ghosts equally as frightening as the visage of the disfigured boy who walks the halls of the manor.

In classic British fashion The Awakening really takes the time to cement these characters for the audience, placing characterization above shock value. This ultimately gives the scares greater impact because we feel like we know these characters on a nearly novelistic level. And because of that, we also know how their fragile states will be affected by the appearance of the supernatural. Rebecca Hall’s Florence is fascinating in her convictions, but becomes even more so when those convictions begin to crack and she is forced to look at who she is and why she has chosen this life of a nonbeliever. While the character work is certainly what makes The Awakening a standout, there’s a scene involving a dollhouse that could sit beside the clapping-game scene from The Conjuring as one of this decade’s most frightening moments.

Scare Factor: 3/5 The Awakening is a haunting experience, driven by the emotional vulnerability of its characters, and perfect for those looking for a new ghost story to start off their holiday season. The Awakening would also make quite the triple feature alongside The Others and The Orphanage.

*Available to watch on Netflix Instant.