The Reckoning is the latest film from Neil Marshall, and it marks as a return to his horror roots following years of extensive TV work and the not-so-successful foray into blockbuster franchise filmmaking with the reboot of Hellboy, which by all accounts was through no fault of his own. It’s a period film, taking place at the height of the Great Plague, following a woman named Grace (Charlotte Kirk), whose husband, Joseph (Joe Anderson), has recently died of suicide after finding out he has contracted the disease. She is forced to make due, especially with the landlord, Pendleton (Steven Waddington), pestering her about rent.
Unfortunately, Pendleton has his eyes set on Grace, and tries to made advancements toward her. She fights him off, but in retaliation, he quickly spreads rumors of her being a witch, which results in her being imprisoned, separated from her baby, and subjected to torture by the notorious witch-finder, Moorcroft (Sean Pertwee), who utilizes every method he can to extract a confession out of her with the help of his assistant, Ursula (Suzanne Magowan). Meanwhile, Grace also finds herself haunted by visions of her husband, and others that are more demonic in nature, putting her in a battle of wills that is both physical and spiritual.
The film borders on repetitiveness, as we spend most of the film with Grace being imprisoned, getting tortured, facing her nightmarish visions, rinse and repeat. However, what prevents it from being tedious is through the script from Marshall and his co-writers, Edward Evers-Swindell, and Charlotte Kirk. There’s a sense of escalation in how all these aspects of Grace’s imprisonment are shown, and with its near two-hour runtime, it gives the character enough room to breathe so that there is an understanding of why they do what they do, even if those reasons can be frustrating.
Grace’s will to fight through is far more personal though, as Moorcroft is revealed to also be responsible for the death of Grace’s mother, who was burnt at the stake after being accused as a witch many years ago. How convenient. While the film certainly does feature a significant amount of torture, it never comes off as gratuitous, usually giving us brief glimpses to the nastiness before cutting straight to the gnarly aftermath. It saves the truly gory shots for the more cathartic action beats in the final act, all of which are very satisfying to watch.
In terms of production, the film nails the look and feel of the time period. Obviously, I’m no expert, so I can’t say if all the costumes and set designs are accurate, but they certainly feel authentic to that period, and it’s captured really well by cinematographer, Luke Bryant, who brings an off-kilter flourish to the film, which is enhanced by the moody lighting and the ever-present score from Christopher Drake. The music comes close to being a touch overbearing because of how much it plays, but it’s so lovely and it enhanced the overall experience to the point where I ultimately didn’t mind it.
The performances are quite good here. Kirk is a solid lead; she brings a resilience that makes her easy to empathize with, along with the way she is able to carry a history of tragedy on her face without overplaying it. Sean Pertwee, who has worked with Marshall twice before in Dog Soldiers and Doomsday, is great here as the villain, which should be a surprise to no one. Everyone else is perfectly solid, even if they don’t get much to do. Though, I want to give a special shout-out to Sarah Lambie, who plays Katie, a friend of Grace who becomes conflicted about her complicity, he gets an arc that is mostly in the margins, but she really brings it on a pure performance level.
There are definitely some nits to be picked in The Reckoning, but I felt they are mostly superficial, such as the way Grace seems to look photogenic and move in a way that is perfectly agile despite the trauma inflicted on and in her body. It’s not the most realistic presentation of a person going through this kind of experience, but Neil Marshall brings enough hints that he isn’t aiming for complete realism. The world is somewhat heightened, it feels more like a fable, it practically comes just short of confirming the existence of the devil himself. This more theatrical approach to the storytelling works in favor of the film, allowing for a more complex emotional dynamic, especially as it switches from harrowing to crowd pleasing. I don’t know if I would call it a total home run, it certainly doesn’t reach the heights of some of Marshall’s previous work, but it shows that he still has it, and that his approach to horror filmmaking still remains relevant and refreshing.
RLJE Films and Shudder has released The Reckoning in theaters, on demand, and digital on February 5th, 2021.