A university professor and a team of students conduct an experiment on a young woman, uncovering terrifyingly dark, unexpected forces in the process.
Messier than recent Hammer output, but effectively chilling when it’s not making us feel the noize.
Jump-heavy scares numb the nerves long before the finale.
It may not be a stake to the heart of the new Hammer, but the tired ghost-train shocks of The Quiet Ones offer little to encourage the studio’s revival.
Pogue repeatedly allows tension to dissipate, and only a handful of moments come close to inspiring actual fear. Otherwise, it’s cheap jolts all the way.
The subsequent events are relayed in grainy 16mm found footage that fudges an already messy narrative comprised of cheap, seen-them-all-before shocks that drain the story of any real menace.
Harris is well cast and the performances are strong but there isn’t enough story and the “shocks” are a repetitive series of bangs and crashes. Disappointing.
Director John Pogue knows how to make you jump but not how to make you care.
It's a joy buzzer in a joke shop or a pair of cut-price x-ray specs. Not convinced; not buying.
Olivia Cooke excels as a possibly possessed girl locked up for academics to study in the latest Hammer film.
Hammer's latest is an enjoyably half-baked foray into the paranormal which mashes together ideas from Peeping Tom, The Exorcist and Dennis Wheatley in random fashion.
General release. Check local listings for show times.