Martyrs Lane is a horror film from writer/director, Ruth Platt, based on her 2019 short film of the same name, and it follows a little girl named Leah (Kiera Thompson), who lives with her often mean older sister, Bex (Hannah Rae), her father, the local pastor, Thomas (Steven Cree), and her loving yet weirdly distant mother, Sarah (Denise Gough). One day, Leah comes across another young girl around her age (played by Sienna Sayer), who seems alone, and in need of help. Leah invites her over, but it doesn’t take long for us to realize that the girl is in fact dead. Leah being only 10 years old doesn’t catch on immediately as to the nature of the girl as they form a friendship.
The film is a gloomy and somber one, set in a small British town, and almost entirely covered in overcast and shadows. The environment suits the dreary atmosphere that the filmmakers are setting up here. The cinematography from Márk Györi is often haunting and intimate, creating striking moments with simple and naturalistic setups, effortlessly conveying the sadness that lurks beneath the story before the true nature of it is fully revealed to the characters and the audience as well.
The film is quite methodical in how it gives you pieces of backstory and information regarding the little girl that Leah befriends, but it never gets frustrating. As the film goes on, more members of the family show concerns or find certain things out that causes conflict and drama in a way that is intriguing because we still don’t get the full picture. It’s a good balance of providing enough to keep you engaged and invested while also leaving room for mystery until the very end. And I would say that the final payoff at the end is definitely worth it.
Aside from the effective storytelling, what also keeps you invested are the performances. Platt has acted prior to writing and directing, and she shows how well she can get a strong performance out of her actors, especially given the nature of the story, and on top of that, centering it on two child actors. Thompson and Sayer are fantastic in the film, navigating a strange emotional space that turns more complex as the film goes on. Gough also delivers a strong supporting role that proves significant for how the story ends, it’s easy for a role like hers to get lost in the shuffle with these kinds of stories, but she makes it work. Everyone is great here, there isn’t a weak link, and the emotional authenticity that they provide really sells the story.
It probably should be noted that while this is technically a horror film, there are definitely some chilling moments, it is a ghost story that is driven more by emotions and character rather than the desire to scare. If you’re expecting Blumhouse, this is not that. This is more subtle, more strange, and more sensitive in its delivery. It’s nuanced and thoughtful in the way that it approaches grief, the way parents often hide things from their children, and in turn, how children take in any neglect they get from their parents. It captures a child’s perspective in a way that I don’t see often, and Platt provides a lot of truthfulness and insight through that point-of-view. I found the film to be quite impressive, and while I can’t say it’s necessarily one of the best you’ll see this year or anything, I think this is a quality picture from a filmmaker with something genuinely interesting up her sleeve, and it’s one that I think people should seek out.
Martyrs Lane will be available to stream on Shudder starting September 9th.