The Banishing is a horror film, of the haunted house variety, set in 1939, on the eve of WWII. In it, we follow an English family, consisting of a reverend, Linus (John Heffernan), his wife, Marianne (Jessica Brown Findlay), and their young daughter, Adelaide (Anya McKenna-Bruce) as they move into a new manor with a dark history. Unfortunately for them, as they settle in, they begin to experience strange, unexplainable things, from mysterious voices in the night to violent visions. When the visions become far too horrifying and Adelaide herself becomes affected, Marianne goes to a local spiritualist Harry Price (Sean Harris) for help.
The manor in the film is based on Borley Rectory, which has been dubbed “the most haunted house in England” by the real Harry Price. It does set up some major expectations for any horror film that tries to tackle something so infamous, and I wouldn’t say the horror in The Banishing totally lives up to the reputation that the real manor has. But that’s not to say it isn’t an effective film overall. The director, Christopher Smith, is no stranger to the horror genre, and writers, David Beton, Ray Bogdanovich, and Dean Lines are able to infuse some interesting ideas and motifs.
Having the film take place just before WWII is an interesting choice, and the film takes advantage of it, even including a scene where Marianne and Adelaide are watching newsreels showing the military force of the Nazi regime. There’s a general sense of anxiety regarding fascism pretty much waiting at Britain’s door. The film also makes comparisons to the oppressiveness of fascism to that of the Church, which is similarly controlling and full of regressive attitudes that ultimately has a negative on the people who devote themselves to it unquestioned. It doesn’t necessarily build to a larger point, at least, not one that hasn’t been done before, but these ideas do add some interesting texture.
The scares in the film are solid, but not particularly inventive. There are some occasional striking moments that do put a chill in your spine, like some of the mirror tricks or the sudden appearances of cloaked figures. What I did find frustrating is how so much of the scares are rooted in these visions that are quickly undone by the reveals that nothing was ever there. It takes away from a lot of the tension that the filmmakers otherwise do a fairly good job at building up during these sequences throughout the movie.
The performances are good enough to keep things grounded and compelling enough, even when certain plot elements don’t cohere. Jessica Brown Findlay is the de facto lead here, and while the material isn’t the most comprehensive, she is able to find some emotional grounding to work off of, and she makes it easy for you to get behind her when things get intense. John Heffernan deals in some slightly more meaty material, showing the push-and-pull between his duties to the Church and his obligations as a father and husband. However, Sean Harris practically steals the film, bringing a subtle eccentricity to his performance as Harry Price that I found really fun and engaging.
If you have a soft spot for supernatural horror, as well as haunted house films in general, like I am, there are quite a few things to like and appreciate about The Banishing. It’s a handsomely made picture with quality production values and period details. Sarah Cunningham’s cinematography is measured and precise, and the scares are enhanced by the eerie score from the duo, Pablo Clements and James Griffith, aka Toydrum. The editing from Richard Smither is especially great in how he is able to play with the reality of what we see on screen. The scares would not work well without it. It doesn’t transcend its routine horror elements, it plays things pretty much exactly as you would expect them to, but I don’t necessarily consider that a bad thing. It’s serviceable for what it is, and it brings enough moments and ideas to the table that I felt it was worthwhile.
The Banishing will be available on Shudder on April 15th.