Christopher Smith is a British filmmaker who has been steadily working since 2004 when his feature debut, Creep, took FrightFest by storm. Since then, he’s continued to work within the genre and has made Severance, Triangle, and Black Death. Black Death, released in 2010, was his last furore into horror, but now he’s back once more with the WWII-set paranormal mystery, The Banishing.
The Banishing follows young mother, Marianne (Jessica Brown Findlay), as she relocates to a country manor to be with her new husband, Linus (John Heffernan), who has just become the local priest. It becomes immediately apparent to Marianne that there’s something peculiar about their new abode and her feelings are reinforced when she hears whispers about a curse on the property whilst in town. As her sanity begins to unravel, she turns to one of the locals, Harry (Sean Harris), for help.
Smith’s previous genre offerings have mostly stuck to gore gags and malice; The Banishing distances itself from both, focusing on being a more traditional period ghost story. It’s a direction that works and demonstrates Smith’s progression and maturity as a filmmaker. For much of the film he sticks to the conventions of this type of tale, emulating the likes of The Turn of the Screw and The Woman in Black. This means that there are lots of creeping around creaky houses waiting for something to appear and generate a fright. Occasionally though, Smith moves away from the tropes and adds his own sinister flourishes. There’s several instances involving mirrors that subtly work to unnerve the viewer and Marianne alike.
A more mature and subtle approach to horror cinema than we’ve seen from Smith before, The Banishing is a solid entry into the ever popular haunted house sub-genre.
The Banishing was reviewed at Arrow Video Frightfest Halloween.
The Banishing
Summary
Christopher Smith returns to the genre and festival that launched his career with this atmospheric and unnerving paranormal mystery.
