Worth: $12.50
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Cast:
Tal Hymans, Elke Hinrichsen, Tara Jay, Alec Snow, Erica Long
Intro:
Cohen’s grounded approach to the genre shows the director playing with the tropes that will delight those looking for it.
Dr Lily Khan (Tal Hymans) seemingly has her life in order. She has a beautiful beau in the shape of Kit (Alec Snow) and the two of them will be moving to London where she’ll be working at one of the top paediatric hospitals in the country. What else could one need? Well, how about a big old send-off with your friends in a supposedly haunted guesthouse/converted church, St Joseph’s?
[Director Jon Cohen hints very early on that not everything is hunky dory in the lodgings. If it’s not a pub landlord talking of ghostly goings-on, or the Missing posters dotted everywhere, it’s the prologue wherein a couple of murderous nuns tie up and torture a villager. The nuns’ sudden switch from benevolent to malevolent foreshadows the control that St Joseph’s appears to have on its inhabitants.]
Before all that, Lily must come up against her biggest challenge: the in-laws. In particular, Kit’s sister, Rachel (Tara Jay). Having lost both their parents early in life, the siblings are understandably close, but Rachel appears more than a little sceptical around Lily. Part of this unease is centred around Lily’s faith as a Muslim, which is a theme that runs throughout the film.
Only Lily’s friend, Jess (Elke Hinrichsen) knows that Lily’s conversion to Islam is a way of making amends for her past as a tearaway adolescent. Hounded by her issues as a teenager, Lily finds herself harassed in the present as her hijab appears to be a dog whistle to the bigots who will use her faith as a failing. That’s why the audience can understand her growing frustration at Kit not taking his sister to task over her comments.
As their weekend progresses, and Rachel becomes more vindictive, Lily appears to become attuned to whatever spirit is lurking around the guesthouse, appearing as premonitions of her friends’ deaths. It’s interesting that Cohen doesn’t overegg the pudding with regards to this; choosing to keep an ambiguity around what’s going bump in the night.
This becomes really evident in the final act when the friends begin to pick each other apart. The languid pacing of the first two acts works in establishing the traits and motives of our protagonists, minutely so. That’s why, perhaps in a voyeuristic kind of way, it’s entertaining to see these people finally tear strips off each other. Even Lily can’t seem to stop herself from saying hurtful and prejudiced things. As such, it’s hard not to feel like you wish you’d gotten here a bit sooner, as Cohen is clearly adept at evoking a sense of mounting paranoia. Even when everything is laid out on the table, there are enough seeds planted to keep the audience guessing till the end.
Those going in for hardcore horror will likely be disappointed by the lack of jump scares. However, Cohen’s grounded approach to the genre shows the director playing with the tropes that will delight those looking for it.
Releasing the US on September 5 as The Hanged Girl.
