A small team of investigators head off to a typical English village to find out what's been going on in the church. Apparently The Vatican are the ones asking the questions, which is questionable in that it all seems very Anglican. Still, nice to know that the His Holiness is willing to allocate resources to the C of E ; clearly the manifestion of Evil is a universal issue.
It's really the familar 'Most Haunted' style set up, but with some new angles, particularly with the technology. And there's the sceptic guy/veteran guy double act, which is played with good humour and minimal exposition. Later on explanations are offered as characters' suggestions and therefore explorable, not the clumsily implausible to be found in lesser works.
The supernatural occupiers, rather than wanting to communicate, seem to be mostly interested in throwing stuff around. Spooky but grainy visuals which don't tread on the toes of your imagination abound.
The script is witty and interesting. In a particularly good scene where one character is reading from a dusty old witness journal the material is exceptionally well conceived and poetic. These few moments are worth your full attention. If you like that sort of thing.
I also enjoyed the photography - scenes from the front of a speeding car down a narrow lane put the viewer right in the middle of the action - again, something which someone appears to have taken care over.
What I found most surprising was the quality of the acting. In most cases films in this bracket only have the budget for one decent actor, so to find two or three among the tombstones was a bonus.
It's a pretty much a sausagefest, the only exception I spotted a background girl who went to the aid of a boy in cameo. Unusual these days. But this just means the screaming is lower pitch.
The plot unfolds in a measured way while the action accelerates; the final scenes are a bit of an endurance test, especially if like me you have a bit of a phobia. It is testimony to the excellent execution that I became very uncomfortable and internally urged them to call a retreat, because the way back was evaporating. That such a location exists is in itself a kind of horror.
Fans of low budget goreless Brit fodder will have this gem in their collection.
I hope to see lots more like this from Elliot Goldner.
