Available now on Digital in the USA and on Digital & DVD in the UK
Although the film Borley Rectory The Awakening changes a few of the events leading up to the first spectral sightings, this film is wonderfully gothic. It’s like a Hammer Film—with all its rich colour design and lavish costumes—mixed into a cocktail of delights that Charles Dickens might have penned in The Pickwick Papers. That’s a drink I’d serve up and sip till dawn! Here, this tale explores what may have occurred when the Bull family first took up residency.
Before that, I must inform readers that I know a fair bit about the true-life account. Reverend Harry Bull asked to build this residence. Prior to its construction, there was only Borley Church; no monastery or convent existed before the clergy house. Only local folklore existed, and that included carriaged deiven by headless drivers. As for what happened at the rectory, I suspect some of the spirits from the much older church followed Harry home! In the film, this old man (Julian Glover) leaves the property to his son Henry (Corneille Dion Williams), who is following in his father’s footsteps.
Soon afterwards, four of his sisters—Kitty (Jess Inchbald), Feda (Charlotte Luxford), Caroline (Jenna N. Wilson), and Mabel (Lora Hristova)—decide to visit. They’re in their teens or early adult years, the perfect age to perhaps manufacture scares in the real world. In real life, the priest had fourteen children, most of whom lived with him. It’s safe to say some were reaching puberty when the hauntings began—and that’s often the age when emotions, and perhaps energies, are at their most volatile.
In the film, we only see four of them who are adults. They must tackle the situation as though they’ve stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone.
The organ music heard in the background sets the tone whenever the spooks are ready to manifest—and I’m eating popcorn like Michael Jackson in Thriller because of the tension that builds! Unlike prior takes, which are not part of any ongoing franchise, this one truly sets up the beginning of what could become more films to come. By revisiting the tales the families told regarding the spectral manifestations they witnessed—rather than relying on cheap jump scares—what’s presented here feels raw and taunting. The women are terrified, and no one wants to figure out why the monk and nun are at odds.
Spirituality and faith are tested in this beautifully haunting story. In, Borley Rectory The Awakening, the heroes are challenged to believe or disbelieve what they see. Because the spirit woman is shown to be victimized by a lustful monk, it’s easy to see why moral and religious values are often strained. When this beast begins targeting Henry’s siblings, he does his best to exorcise the beast. I won’t say if he succeeded, as the finale is tender yet bittersweet.
The film captures the terror of performing a séance without safeguards in place—that’s a drink I’d savour. And when dealing with the undead, being tipsy during an investigation is hardly wise. Still, even after what seems like a deal with the devil, any nosh will do before they come back again! When handling the continuation of a haunt—Amityville style—I’m just glad the UK producers know what to do rather than spice it up with needless side-stories. With another family destined to take up residence, I can’t wait for what another tale will bring, before paranormal investigator Harry Price gets involved!
4 Stars out of 5
Borley Rectory The Awakening Trailer
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