Film Review: The Awakening

About The Awakening (2011) In 1921, in London, the arrogant and skeptical Florence Cathcart is famous for exposing hoaxes and helping the police to arrest con artists. The stranger Robert Mallory tells her that the headmaster of a boarding school in Rookford had invited her to travel to Cumbria to investigate a ghost that is frightening the pupils to death. He also tells that many years ago there was a murder in the estate and recently pupil Walter Portman had died. The reluctant Florence finally accepts to go to Cumbria. On arrival, she is welcomed by governess Maud and the boy Thomas Hill. Soon Florence discovers what had happened to Walter and then the students, teachers and staff are released on vacation, and Florence remains alone with Robert, Maud and Tom in the school. Florence is ready to leave the boarding school when strange things happen, leaving Florence scared. …The Awakening (2011)

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Shaun Dooley

Directed by: Nick Murphy

Runtime: 108 minutes

Studio: Universal Studios

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Review: The Awakening

Set in 1921, Nick Murphy’s ghostly horror follows Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall), a successful author who specialises in uncovering supernatural hoaxes and putting charlatans out of business. At the outset she is approached by Robert Malory (Dominic West), a teacher from a distant boarding school, to investigate the sighting of a ghost within the school that has led to the death of a student. Florence decides to take the assignment and is soon patrolling the corridors and seeking to unravel what she is certain must be a hoax.

Florence’s investigation is aided by the school boys who resort to some pranks leaving her to deduce that this is the cause of the ghostly sightings. Florence uncovers the reasons behind the death of a school boy and that seems to be that as half-term approaches. However, when Florence is left at the school with Robert, the housekeeper Maud (Imelda Staunton) and one boy, Tom (Isaac Hempstead-Wright), whose parents live in India, supernatural events continue to occur and Florence begins to doubt her own beliefs about what is truly happening at the school.

The Awakening is a decent ghost story with some good central performances from Hall, West and Staunton. Offering an explanation for some of the events early in the film lures us down one path only for much greater revelations to be waiting at the very end. The twist in the film is a hard one to pick out and the concluding segment will leave you debating the overall outcome. Let’s just say that there is some ambiguity and it will be down to you to decide whether the ending is a positive one or not.

The Awakening is not outstanding but it is a solid supernatural horror. The mystery unfolds at a careful pace and challenges the skeptical Florence throughout. Some good performances, a clever twist and an ending that leave you debating elevate this one above many other films I’ve seen about ghosts and haunted houses. Worth a look.

Verdict: 4/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

About the Author:

I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.

David M. Brown – who has written 811 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.

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