The Banishing

Last updated

The Banishing
The Banishing (2021).jpg
Directed by Christopher Smith
Written by
  • David Beton
  • Ray Lines
  • Dean Bogdanovich
Produced by
  • Laurie Cook
  • Jason Newmark
  • Maya Amsellem
  • Sharon Harel
Starring
CinematographySarah Cunningham
Edited byRichard Smither
Music by Toydrum
Production
companies
  • WestEnd Films
  • Bigscope
  • Umedia
Distributed by
Release dates
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
Box office$563,672 [3]

The Banishing is a 2020 British gothic horror film directed by Christopher Smith, starring Jessica Brown Findlay, John Heffernan, John Lynch and Sean Harris. It premiered at the Sitges Film Festival and London FrightFest Film Festival in October 2020, before being released digitally in the United Kingdom on 26 March 2021. The movie revolves around a haunted-house horror set in the lead up to World War II. [4]

Contents

Plot

In 1935 England, a vicar living in Morley Hall murders his wife in a fit of jealousy and then takes his own life. Bishop Malachi asks the town physician to cover up the crime. Three years later, the new vicar, Linus Forster, moves into Morley Hall with his new wife Marianne and her young daughter Adelaide, who was born out of wedlock and masquerades as her niece. The couple's relationship becomes strained due Linus's struggle with intimacy, which he perceives as a sin. Meanwhile, Adelaide starts experiencing supernatural occurrences in the house. She's seen playing with strange dolls in the shape of monks and talking to invisible people. The mirrors in the house give delayed reflections, and soon Marianne starts to have unsettling hallucinations of shadowy figures, as well as premonitions, including the violent death of their deaf housekeeper Betsy. Marianne also relives traumatic memories of a time when she was institutionalized in a mental asylum during her pregnancy.

Occultist Harry Reed, who has extensively investigated the house's sinister history, warns Linus about it. The site originally hosted a monastery of the Minassian Order, which performed dark rituals and used torture to punish those who were deemed sinners. Bishop Malachi strongly objects to Harry's interference and openly threatens him. Harry answers denouncing Malachi's Nazi sympathies in public. Malachi arranges for Harry to be assaulted by two thugs under his service.

Marianne is encouraged by Betsy to meet with Harry, who's wounded but still refuses to leave. Harry warns Marianne that the house will turn its residents against one another, so the family should leave for their own safety. Back at the house, Linus is investigating his predecessor's death and discovers Malachi had lied to him, claiming the previous vicar and his family had moved to Australia. He also experiences a supernatural vision of Marianne committing adultery. This prompts a jealous argument between him and Marianne, particularly after he discovers that she has met with Harry. The following day, Marianne receives a visit from Malachi. He reveals to have been the one who returned Adelaide to her, after Adelaide was sent to an orphanage as a baby while Marianne was in the mental hospital. He also orchestrated Marianne's meeting with Linus and his current posting at Morley Hall. Malachi threatens to use his power to again take Adelaide away from Marianne if she were to try to leave the house.

Marianne's relationship with Adelaide grows increasingly sour, as the child has begun to talk to an unseen figure she claims is her real mother. The child then goes missing after walking into a mirror. Marianne unsuccessfully tries to seek help from a drunk Linus before approaching Harry, who agrees to help her. When they return to the house, they find that Betsy has been murdered by the now-possessed Linus, who is now in a trance. The murder scene is the same from Marianne's vision. Harry is able to pull Linus back to lucidity and explains that Adelaide has been abducted by the spirit of a pregnant woman who was murdered by the Minassian monks, as she was carrying their child. Linus performs a ritual from a book he retrieved among the previous vicar's possessions, to help Marianne retrieve Adelaide and confront the spirits haunting the house. Marianne is forced to experience nightmarish visions, some of which are related to her past, during which she proclaims that she is unashamed of what she has done. She manages to find and retrieve Adelaide, promising the murdered woman that they will give her and the unborn child a proper burial. They make good on their promise, however Bishop Malachi is shown at some later point digging up the bodies and delivering them to Nazi officials in Stuttgart.

Cast

Production

The Banishing was announced in September 2017, with UK-based The Fyzz Facility revealed to be financing it and WestEnd Films to produce. It was introduced at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. [5] Jessica Brown Findlay and Sean Harris were revealed to be starring in October 2018, and principal photography began on 5 November 2018. [6]

Release

The film premiered at the 2020 Sitges Film Festival in Spain on 12 October 2020, [2] and then in the United Kingdom at the London FrightFest Film Festival on 22 October, [7] [8] where it impressed critics. [9] It was then released across the United Kingdom on premium video-on-demand services by Vertigo Releasing, on 26 March 2021. [10] [11]

Reception

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 62% based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Banishing never truly taps into its full potential, although this gothic haunted house story still exudes a certain stately chill." [12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 48 out of 100 based on nine critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [13]

RogerEbert.com gave it a rating of two stars. In summary, it said that while it has the potential to be a terrifying, surreal experience, the film falls short due to poor character development, weak storytelling and lackluster cinematography. Despite a few strong performances, including Sean Harris as a local psychic, the movie fails to capture the audience's attention and instead leaves them wondering what else is on Shudder. [14]

The IndieWire gave it a rating of 2.5 stars. It said: "Sean Harris steals the show as occultist Harry Price, but Christopher Smith's gothic horror film isn't scary enough to subvert its clichés." [15]

The Guardian gave it a rating of three stars. In summary, it said that although the scares are standard for a gothic horror film, the director manages to create an unnerving atmosphere, and Jessica Brown Findlay's performance as Marianne holds the film together. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wes Craven</span> American filmmaker (1939–2015)

Wesley Earl Craven was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Amongst his prolific filmography, Craven was best known for his pioneering work in the horror genre, particularly slasher films, where he mixed horror cliches with humor and satire. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural impact and influence of his work.

<i>I Walked with a Zombie</i> 1943 film by Jacques Tourneur

I Walked with a Zombie is a 1943 American horror film directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton for RKO Pictures. It stars James Ellison, Frances Dee, and Tom Conway, and follows a Canadian nurse who travels to care for the ailing wife of a sugar plantation owner in the Caribbean, where she witnesses Vodou rituals and possibly encounters the walking dead. The screenplay, written by Curt Siodmak and Ardel Wray, is based on an article of the same title by Inez Wallace, and also partly reinterprets the narrative of the 1847 novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Harris</span> British actor

Sean Harris is an English actor. He played Ian Curtis in 24 Hour Party People (2002), Micheletto Corella in The Borgias (2011–2013), Fifield in Prometheus (2012), Solomon Lane in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015) and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), Philip in Possum (2018), William Gascoigne in The King (2019) and Henry Peter Teague / Peter Morley in The Stranger (2022).

<i>Rec</i> (film) 2007 film by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza

Rec is a 2007 Spanish found footage horror film co-written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza. The film stars Manuela Velasco as a reporter who, with her cameraman, accompany a group of firefighters on an emergency call to an apartment building to discover an infection spreading inside, with the building being sealed up and all occupants ordered to follow a strict quarantine.

<i>Family Demons</i> 2009 Australian film

Family Demons is a 2009 Australian horror film written and directed by Ursula Dabrowsky and starring Cassandra Kane, Kerry Reid, and Alex Rafalowicz.

Axelle Carolyn is a Belgian filmmaker and former actress and journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taissa Farmiga</span> American actress (born 1994)

Taissa Farmiga is an American actress. Her numerous appearances in horror films have established her as a scream queen, alongside her older sister Vera Farmiga.

<i>Jamaica Inn</i> (2014 TV series) British TV series or programme

Jamaica Inn is a British drama television series that was first broadcast on BBC One for three consecutive nights from 21 to 23 April 2014. The three-part series, written by Emma Frost, is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1936 gothic novel Jamaica Inn. It was poorly received, becoming a subject of controversy and making national news over its mumbling cast and other sound problems.

<i>Crawl</i> (2011 film) 2011 Australian film

Crawl is a 2011 Australian suspense-thriller written and directed by Paul China and produced by Benjamin China. The film stars George Shevtsov, Georgina Haig and Paul Holmes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RackaRacka</span> Australian filmmakers and YouTubers

Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, known together online as RackaRacka, are Australian twin filmmakers, YouTubers, and stunt performers. They are known for their horror comedy YouTube videos. They won numerous awards, including the Best International Channel Streamy Award, Best Overall at the Online Video Awards, and the AACTA Award for the Best Web Show.

Camilla Eve Brady is an English actress and model. She is best known for portraying Æthelflæd in the Netflix drama series The Last Kingdom (2017–2022). She also appeared in the film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) and the Apple TV+ series Surface (2022–).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Rothe</span> American actress (born 1987)

Jessica Ann Rothenberg, better known as Jessica Rothe, is an American actress. After appearing in independent films and on stage, her breakthrough came with playing Tree Gelbman in the comedy slasher film Happy Death Day (2017) and its 2019 sequel, which established her as a scream queen.

<i>Carmilla</i> (film) 2019 British film

Carmilla is a 2019 British romantic vampire horror film written and directed by Emily Harris in her feature directorial debut. Based on the 1871 novella of the same name by Sheridan Le Fanu, it stars Jessica Raine, Hannah Rae, Devrim Lingnau, Tobias Menzies, and Greg Wise. The film follows a lonely woman preyed upon by the titular vampire.

<i>Possum</i> (film) 2018 film by Matthew Holness

Possum is a 2018 British psychological horror film written and directed by Matthew Holness in his feature film debut, starring Sean Harris and Alun Armstrong. It centres on a disgraced children's puppeteer who returns to his childhood home and is forced to confront trauma he suffered there.

<i>Fried Barry</i> 2020 horror film

Fried Barry is a 2020 South African black comedy science fiction horror film written and directed by Ryan Kruger. The film has its world premiere at the 2020 Cinequest Film Festival. The film stars Gary Green, Bianka Hartenstein, Sean Cameron Michael, Chanelle de Jager, Joey Cramer, and Jonathan Pienaar. The story follows a drug addict whose body is taken over by an alien, who goes on a joyride through Cape Town, South Africa.

<i>Guest</i> (2020 film) 2020 British film

Guest is a 2020 British psychological horror short film directed and written by Finn Callan. It stars Melania Crisan as a disturbed young woman who wakes up in a stranger's house with several injuries after encountering a creature called The Guest. The film also stars Jessica Munna and Anna Fraser. The film premiered on 27 August 2020 at FrightFest and, on 24 December 2020, was uploaded to YouTube.

<i>Monolith</i> (2022 film) 2022 Australian film

Monolith is a 2022 Australian science-fiction thriller film directed by Matt Vesely from a script written by Lucy Campbell, and produced by Bettina Hamilton. Described as high-concept science fiction, it stars Lily Sullivan, the only on-screen actor in the film, as a journalist uncovering a mystery.

<i>Baby</i> (2020 film) 2020 Spanish film

Baby is a 2020 Spanish psychological thriller film with gothic tale themes directed by Juanma Bajo Ulloa. It features no lines of spoken dialogue. It stars Rosie Day, Harriet Sansom Harris, and Natalia Tena.

Carnifex is a 2022 Australian horror film directed by Sean Lahiff and written by Shanti Gudgeon and starring Alexandra Park, Sisi Stringer and Harry Greenwood. Its plot concerns an aspiring documentarian and two conservationists who venture into the Australian outback to record the animals displaced by bushfires where they discover a terrifying new species.

References

  1. ↑ Grater, Tom (8 October 2020). "Shudder Buys Major Territories On Sitges Horror 'The Banishing'; Watch Debut Trailer". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 Grater, Tom (8 October 2020). "Shudder Buys Major Territories On Sitges Horror 'The Banishing'; Watch Debut Trailer". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  3. ↑ "The Banishing (2020)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  4. 1 2 Clarke, Cath (24 March 2021). "The Banishing review – Jessica Brown Findlay shines in standard spooker". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  5. ↑ Grater, Tom (7 September 2017). "Fyzz Facility to produce, finance haunted-house horror 'The Banishing' (exclusive)". Screen Daily . Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  6. ↑ Grater, Tom (31 October 2018). "Jessica Brown Findlay, Sean Harris to lead horror 'The Banishing' for WestEnd (exclusive)". Screen Daily . Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "ARROW VIDEO FRIGHTFEST ANNOUNCES BUMPER LINE-UP FOR ITS OCTOBER 2020 DIGITAL EDITION". FrightFest . Archived from the original on 17 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Bitel, Anton (20 October 2020). "British domestic horrors at Halloween FrightFest 2020". BFI . Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "The home stretch: TV, film and more for the last weeks of lockdown". The Guardian . 15 March 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  10. ↑ Bitel, Anton (26 March 2021). "VOD film review: The Banishing". Vodzilla. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  11. ↑ Robey, Tim (26 March 2021). "The Banishing, review: same old Borley Rectory, but with added Nazi necromancy". The Daily Telegraph . ISSN   0307-1235. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "The Banishing". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "The Banishing Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  14. ↑ Tallerico, Brian. "The Banishing movie review & film summary (2021) | Roger Ebert". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  15. ↑ Ehrlich, David (14 April 2021). "'The Banishing' Review: England's Most Haunted House Gets Flipped into a Flimsy Gothic Horror Rental". IndieWire. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.