Rating: B-
Dir: Andy Crane, Nathan Shepka
Star: Michaela Longden, Amber Doig-Thorne, Maryam d’Abo, Nathan Shepka
This is another zig in direction from Shepka, whose Dead Before They Wake, reviewed less than a month ago, was a gritty urban thriller. Here, we get something totally different again. It’s a Gothic horror period piece, which takes place during World War II in a convent on an island off the coast of Scotland. I half-expect his next film to be a musical. Probably set in outer space. St Augustine’s is a rather troubled religious establishment, with a mere handful of nuns present under their Mother Superior (d’Abo). You get the feeling some don’t particularly want to be there, especially Eleanor (Longden), who barely seems to believe in Jesus Christ, never mind being his bride.
Things come to a head during a storm which has cut the island off from the mainland, when somebody still manages to leave the titular infant on the convent’s doorstep. One of the nuns, Agnes (Doig-Thorne), is almost immediately convinced of the infant’s malicious intent, which seems ludicrous to everyone else, and she believes the child must be destroyed. I guess that makes her a Sister of No Mercy, hohoho. Anyway, she’s locked up to keep her away from the baby. However, the escalating strange occurrences which follow, including the suicide of one sister, gradually convince the other nuns that Agnes might have a point. Except, the voices in her head have now made her very convinced that the infant needs to be protected, at any cost.
This feels like a throwback to those Satanic horrors which surged in popularity during the seventies, after the massive success of The Exorcist. This is far more understated, relying on largely successful efforts at generating brooding and oppressive atmosphere by the boatload. These are helped by some great locations, particularly St. Conan’s Kirk in Loch Awe, which really enhance the production value. In general though, the wartime setting doesn’t feel particularly significant. I kept expecting the PTSD suffered by young caretaker Daniel (Shepka), as a result of his previous military service, to prove more significant than it ended up being. More relevant is his lust, which provides an impetus for the film’ foray into nunsploitation, though outside of one scene, it’s relatively restrained in that department as well.
The performances are solid, with well-defined characters among the nuns – which is particularly important since they tend to look alike, in their penguin suits. Longden is reunited with her co-star from When Darkness Falls, Elle O’Hara, playing another nun. Eleanor is likely the best role, although we never do find out why she’s there. It felt like this may be related to the past of the Mother Superior, but I’d not worry about it. It’s interesting how Eleanor’s lack of faith might be her biggest strength. A bigger misstep might be a reveal towards the end, which I didn’t feel was necessary. The film was doing perfectly well with whispered voices and shadowy glimpses. As such, it might be closer to the spirit of Hammer. than anything Hammer have recently made.
The film is released in the US on February 3rd.