The Awakening

The Awakening

Starring Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead Wright

Directed by Nick Murphy

In England in the early 1920s, Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) is a skeptic who makes a living debunking the paranormal and revealing spiritual charlatans.  She is visited one day by Robert Mallory (Dominic West), who wants her assistance in uncovering a supposed ghost at a boys' boarding school where he works.  She agrees and is met by Maud (Imelda Staunton), the school housekeeper who wanted her to come in the first place, and she begins an investigation to find a rational explanation for the supposed haunting.

As she dives deeper into the history of the building - which was at first a private house - she begins to discover that there's more to the building than this haunting, and as one of the workers warned her, she should fear the living more than the dead.

In the guise of "The Others," "The Awakening" is a brilliant ghost story mystery that slow burns the narrative, causing the viewer to pay explicit attention to every minute detail, until it crescendos in its final act to reveal all the secrets kept previously, resulting in a cohesive storyline that satisfies the viewer's need for not just frights but also intelligence.

Fueled by powerful leads Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Oscar-nominated actress Imelda Staunton, Nick Murphy's "The Awakening" is indeed an awakening of the modern ghost story horror film, rising above its several lesser-styled films.  You're drawn into the story with its lush scenery and great acting, as you too wonder what the real mystery is at this mysterious boarding school.  A great film for any ghost movie enthusiast.

My Rating: A