This is a very good movie. Scary, dark and grim, but in the best of ways, which means it serves a purpose in the story. A good thing to watch when the sun is out and bright and you still have sunlight to spare. Also if you are a Dan Stevens or a Michael Sheen fan this isa good movie since both give immensely wonderful performances.
Summary:
Thomas Richardson hears that his sister Jennifer has been captured my the mysterious cult based on a Welsh island. He goes in to the island and learns of their practices and the tensity brewing in its leaders.
Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson is an intense protagonist. Filled with heaviness instead of the usual hero’s blind faith (pun intended). In the many moments he has to be silent and act with his body and eyes he shines a man very much at his end, but who keeps on living.
Malcom Howe played by Michael Sheen is honestly not what you are going to expect. He is a mortal prophet and leader of this cult in the remote Welsh island. He bring the raw energy in to the charismatic leader as well as an unexpected warmth that leads his followers to be with him. It is also nice, as a Michael Sheen fan, to hear his own rich captivating voice in a role. It is a treat to the ears as he talks of the goddess they worship.
The story is about Hubris. Now hubris to the ancient Greeks meant pride that in some stories gods punished those who thought of themselves above gods or goddesses. Those mortals were punished severely. Niobe lost all but two of her children. Arachne was turned in to a spider. Indeed there is a web in this movie that entangles all of it, a mystical power that points out human dependency on outside sources and especially exploiting those sources for their own gain.
I won’t say more except to watch it if you want a good drama in a horror film filled with beautiful visuals and a captivating story that almost makes you wonder where this story had come and what were its influences either in history or mythology as well as religion itself, obviously.
Basically, it’s my kind of horror movie which says a lot more if you look in to it and the period setting really helps in its believability. Its horror in the best of sense and it has a lot of going for it and its filled with well written twists that make sense which makes me happy.
Thank you for reading!
The Little Corner 