There are not many films that have the power to scare me as an adult but at the end of this terrifying film, my heart was pounding, I was actually scared. It's beautiful, poetic and subtle film about a woman, Jessica being released from a mental hospital, obsessed with death and previously hearing voices in her head. Jessica, her husband and their friend have bought a remote house amongst forest and lakes, with only a strange, empty town close by. Entering the house they find a traveller, Emily, a beguiling girl who entrances them all, by turns playful and remote. They find a legend of a family, long dead where the girl was reputed to have drowned in her wedding dress, although the body was never found and rumour says she is still alive as some kind of vampiric ghost. The locals are distant, even hostile each with a tell tale cut or bandage.
The film is slow and Jessica begins to see a blonde young girl who disappears and hear voices in her head again. We do not know at first if she is delusional but come to realise the supernatural reality of the circumstances. The horror unfolds, gradually, Emily bewitching the viewer, almost ancient and pagan in her ways. In part it is the horror of the inevitable, we can see it coming. There are some amazing set pieces that cannot be revealed where the ancient drama comes to modern terror. The ending is stark and numbing, although much quieter, it has the power found only in films like THE WICKER MAN or THE WOMAN IN BLACK. Indeed, it has aspects of both and will find immense appeal to those interested in classical ghost story telling. An absolutely brilliant film in every way, the acting, direction and stunning soundtrack mixing folk and synthisizer do justice to this haunting film that will unsettle your mind forever. 10/10.
Special Thanks to Mark Coyle for this Movie Review.