Stars: Ed Stoppard, Sophia Myles, Russell Tovey, Isaac Andrews, Paul Kaye, Greg Wise, Joanna Vanderham, Kenneth Collard | Written by J.S. Hill | Directed by Adam Wimpenny
Having recovered from a shattering emotional breakdown, college professor Ben Marshall relocates to the countryside with his wife and young son, hoping for a fresh start. He has a teaching job lined up and a new home to move into; things finally look to be going Ben’s way. Until, that is, he starts to feel that something isn’t quite right in the house. Finding himself plagued by spectral visions, Ben becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind a local mystery that appears to be putting the lives of his family in danger.
Within the first few minutes of Blackwood, I had a general idea of what to expect from the film. It all became clear after Ben says the line: “Once I’m onto something,...
Having recovered from a shattering emotional breakdown, college professor Ben Marshall relocates to the countryside with his wife and young son, hoping for a fresh start. He has a teaching job lined up and a new home to move into; things finally look to be going Ben’s way. Until, that is, he starts to feel that something isn’t quite right in the house. Finding himself plagued by spectral visions, Ben becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind a local mystery that appears to be putting the lives of his family in danger.
Within the first few minutes of Blackwood, I had a general idea of what to expect from the film. It all became clear after Ben says the line: “Once I’m onto something,...
- 1/28/2015
- by Richard Axtell
- Nerdly
★★☆☆☆The haunted house has become such a recurring trope in horror literature and cinema that it's now a bona fide sub-genre in its own right. From modern semis to labyrinthine old mansions, there's little that's more innately spooky than feeling unnerved in one's own home, while filmmakers have utilised that communal fear sublimely in offerings from The Haunting (1963) to The Innkeepers (2011). The latest British entry into this communion comes in the form of Blackwood (2013), the feature debut from director Adam Wimpenny, based on the first screenplay by artist J.S. Hill. It's a strange film with some interesting ideas that ultimately rest on perfunctory storytelling, leaving the piece short on tension.
- 7/30/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Families moving into creepy haunted houses then things going bump in the night are the backbone of horror. It’s finding that slight tweak to the usual tropes that keeps things fresh. Debut filmmakers, director Adam Wimpenny and writer J.S. Hill have attempted that with British horror Blackwood, combining a traditional haunting with a psychological crime drama, and it’s executed very well.
College professor Ben Marshall (Ed Stoppard) wants a fresh start for his family, wife Rachel (Sophia Myles) and young son (Isaac Andrews), and moves them to a country house recently vacated by an old lady. As the Marshalls begin settling in, Ben begins witnessing presences, first thinking it’s his son playing around. When he then starts seeing ghosts, he goes looking for answers, investigating in particular, the history of former grounds man and ex-forces man Jack (Russell Tovey) while suspecting local vicar Father Patrick (Paul Kaye) of a cover up.
College professor Ben Marshall (Ed Stoppard) wants a fresh start for his family, wife Rachel (Sophia Myles) and young son (Isaac Andrews), and moves them to a country house recently vacated by an old lady. As the Marshalls begin settling in, Ben begins witnessing presences, first thinking it’s his son playing around. When he then starts seeing ghosts, he goes looking for answers, investigating in particular, the history of former grounds man and ex-forces man Jack (Russell Tovey) while suspecting local vicar Father Patrick (Paul Kaye) of a cover up.
- 10/20/2013
- by Lisa Giles-Keddie
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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