[go: up one dir, main page]

    Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Superstition

  • 2001
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
614
YOUR RATING
Sienna Guillory in Superstition (2001)
DramaMysteryThriller

19 year old babysitter aupair Julie is accused of murder when the bed of the sheltered baby inflames. Is seems as if Julie possesses rare telepathic skills, that she cannot control. Her youn... Read all19 year old babysitter aupair Julie is accused of murder when the bed of the sheltered baby inflames. Is seems as if Julie possesses rare telepathic skills, that she cannot control. Her young lawyer fights for her in court and against the public opinion in Italy, who take her for... Read all19 year old babysitter aupair Julie is accused of murder when the bed of the sheltered baby inflames. Is seems as if Julie possesses rare telepathic skills, that she cannot control. Her young lawyer fights for her in court and against the public opinion in Italy, who take her for a witch.

  • Director
    • Kenneth Hope
  • Writers
    • Paul Hoffman
    • Kate Dennis
    • Stephen Volk
  • Stars
    • Mark Strong
    • Sienna Guillory
    • David Warner
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.0/10
    614
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Kenneth Hope
    • Writers
      • Paul Hoffman
      • Kate Dennis
      • Stephen Volk
    • Stars
      • Mark Strong
      • Sienna Guillory
      • David Warner
    • 13User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos2

    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast34

    Edit
    Mark Strong
    Mark Strong
    • Antonio Gabrieli
    Sienna Guillory
    Sienna Guillory
    • Julie McCullough
    David Warner
    David Warner
    • Judge Padovani
    Frances Barber
    Frances Barber
    • Isabella Flores
    Alice Krige
    Alice Krige
    • Mirella Cenci
    Derek de Lint
    Derek de Lint
    • Allessandro Censi
    Charlotte Rampling
    Charlotte Rampling
    • Frances Matteo
    David Schofield
    David Schofield
    • Roberto Fallaci
    David Sterne
    David Sterne
    • Vassi
    Wendy Veldhuis
    • Sarah Gabrieli
    Richard Durden
    Richard Durden
    • Minister of Justice
    Matyelok Gibbs
    • Grandmother Cenci
    Frank Ogilvie
    • Usher
    Rachel Bell
    Rachel Bell
    • Forewoman of the Jury
    Tanya Ronder
    • Cellmate
    Lachele Carl
    Lachele Carl
    • News Reporter
    Frederick Warder
    Frederick Warder
    • Waiter
    Debbie Korper
    • Prison Guard
    • Director
      • Kenneth Hope
    • Writers
      • Paul Hoffman
      • Kate Dennis
      • Stephen Volk
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews13

    5.0614
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    10stevebok_love

    Great film, from beginning to end.

    After looking at the ratings and other user comments for this film on IMDb i was a bit unsure about purchasing this film. But after watching it i have to say that i was greatly, and pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The film was interesting and intriguing all the way through and i thought that all the roles were played very well, especially Mark Strong and Sienna Guillory, whose stunning acting carried the film very well. I also thought the film had a good ending that concluded it well and left me satisfied with all loose ends. Overall, i'd say that this film is a great watch and i thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.
    8perilla

    Great first effort from Kenneth Hope

    Had quite high hopes for this film after I'd read the synopsis. I think I was pleased with the end product though it did have it's occasional flaws. I wasn't sure about the lead female at first (Julie) as I wasn't warming to her character in those opening scenes with the baby. Still, to her credit, I grew to believe in her character more and liked the way her story developed through the film. The 'parents' I found a bit shallow and despite their tragedy I didn't really care much about what had happened to them. Charlotte Rampling was a joy to

    watch (as ever) and I loved the warmth she brought and the credibility she gave to the defence case! Mark Strong was perfect as Gabreli. The relationship built between him Julie and even Mother Frances kept you watching; while his screen presence was enjoyable and strong (no pun intended! lol).

    I gave it 8/10........for being a film that kept my intrigue from seeing the trailer, and didn't end up being a typical "let's get the witch, oh no, she a cute kid really" type film.
    8druidbloke

    Enjoyed the film, it kept my interest to the end

    Just a quick one to say some of the previous reviewers didn't seem to quite get the full meaning of the plot or script, they might leave you with the impression this film is one of those films where strange things happen without reason and not much makes sense, it isn't, it's actually pretty tight with few inconsistencies, the ending was spot on and satisfying, if a little rushed and predictable. It is debatable if this really could be classed as a horror, it's really more about the characters as the supernatural element is played down, there's no vagueness that some unknown force is at work though as suggested by a previous reviewer, one scene confirms it beyond doubt but I wont give anything away, The acting was very good throughout, especially from Mark Strong, also good to see Charlotte Rampling and David warner turn in good performances.
    7Mikew3001

    Surreal fantasy thriller about supernatural power

    This movie is based on a true story: In 1979 a British au-pair girl was working for an Italian family on the island of Elba and accused of firestarting and witchcraft after a few fatal incidents and a burnt-down house - the family told the judge she has caused the fires by "supernatural powers". She was accused guilty in 1982 but returned to England.

    The film shows basically the same plot with stunning Sienna Guillory as the au-pair girl Julie with supernatural powers. Mark Strong plays her lawyer Antonio who has to fight mainly against prejudices and the fundamental superstition of the people and the media. Director Kenneth Hope hasn't produced a copy of the doomy "Exorcist" and "Omen" horror movies, but rather a silent psycho drama with great actings by Guillory, Strong, Charlotte Rampling, Alice Kringe and David Warner. There is no happy end, a thrilling court room drama sequence and there are also some very surreal and disturbing dream sequences.

    If you relate "Superstition" to the horror movie genre, it's one of the best contemporary European genre productions apart from the boring popcorn horror movie remakes and teenie slasher trash of the current Hollywood productions.
    6alienrobotz

    Is this based on a true story?

    I'm sure I remember the case of the teenage fire-starter but was it necessary to sanitize the storyline with so much obvious fiction and lack of attention to the central role.

    While the acting from Mark Strong and Francis Barber as the defence and prosecution lawyers in this British made thriller were adequate, I frequently felt I was watching a low budget movie stretched by obvious financial constraints that severely held back the potential this movie could have achieved.

    I normally like Sienna Guillory who 'played down' several years to portray a nervously troubled teenager who has a complex association with fires., but this time around I wasn't convinced. Playing Julia McCullough a sensuous teenager with a limited education and the inept ability to grasp what appears to be happening around her, Sienna is a 19 year English Nanny who is subconciously obsessed with the fire that killed her mother four years previous and the blame she apportions herself with her mother's death. She moves to Italy and works as a Nanny for a middle aged couple with a small son. Unreasonable attention from the menopausal husband towards Julia which is never properly explored causes anxious concern with the once troubled teenager and fires mysteriously start in the family home, the second of which kills the baby and Sienna Guillory's character is accused of murder and arson. After a bumpy start with a totally token sex scene between consenting adults, namely the Italian couple, the film shifts into a courtroom drama with a series of flashbacks and weird links that pull the various characters together. At times Sienna Guillory's acting as the irritating Julia McCullough could be construed as wooden, the pregnant pauses and definitive passion loss when passion was most needed are blatantly ineffective. While Strong and Barber played the whole scenario like another well rehearsed British TV play with predictable effect the rest of the cast were strangely bewildered for the best part looking like they had turned up for two or three totally different productions. In fairness Guillory does on a few occasions attempt to rise above the mundane script by attempting to characterise her role, only to fall back again in the following scene. The sultry pout and little girl lost routine just kept coming back which stripped the potential this character was crying out to offer. Maybe it was all about the script, hard for an actor to act when there isn't a part to play. Having seen Sienna play well in other films, maybe it was all about the direction.

    How the once most desirable Femme Fatale Charlotte Rampling has lasted and in her her early 60's still looks so wonderful defies logic and in a role void of make up too, but as a 'Shrink' who doubles as a 'Mother Superior' wearing designer lingerie under a frumpy cardigan was all to US TV for me. Recruited to support the defending lawyer in figuring out how 'Julia' ticked the sexy Francophile lacked her normal presence. I was itching for a burst of Ms Rampling topless in a Nazi uniform and a pair of trouser braces covering her latter day modesty, even if it meant enduring another flashback.

    Window dressing with one time audience pulling actors which also included a cameo role by the normally excellent David Warner suggested the Producers needed names to prop up a film they didn't really have much faith in. Frequently confusing, the photography suffered from an overdose of soft focus, too many flashbacks and and not enough of the slow lingering close ups needed to establish the troubled mind and supernaturally vexed soul of Julia Too many times I had to ask myself was I really watching a paranormal extravaganza or a subliminal PR exercise for the Italian Lakes. as the photography and locations kept drifting away.

    If a story is good and you secure a great scriptwriter, a brilliant director will follow. Unfortunately this film had none of these ingredients. Budgets would have been better spent exploring the reasons behind the complexity of the central role. Having a little more faith in Sienna Guillory's emotional potential would have made this film a lot better for everyone, actors included.

    Best bits: Sienna Guillory's pout (in small doses) The first time I have seen a Red Double Decker Bus driving down an English Country Lane in 40 years.

    Worst Bits: The screenplay.

    More like this

    La malédiction de la sorcière
    5.7
    La malédiction de la sorcière
    Falling Apart
    7.4
    Falling Apart
    Superstition
    5.1
    Superstition
    Confession à un cadavre
    7.1
    Confession à un cadavre
    Habitat
    4.7
    Habitat
    The Calling
    4.3
    The Calling
    Hotel
    4.1
    Hotel
    Shopping de nuit
    6.8
    Shopping de nuit
    Superstition
    Superstition
    Angel
    5.8
    Angel
    Heartlands
    6.8
    Heartlands
    Elephant Juice
    4.8
    Elephant Juice

    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The casting of William Dix as a juror is a nod to playing a victim of a similar character in Confession à un cadavre (1965).

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ13

    • How long is Superstition?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 13, 2001 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Netherlands
      • United Kingdom
      • Luxembourg
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Суеверие
    • Filming locations
      • Amsterdam Studio's, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • Movie Masters
      • Delux Productions
      • Woodline Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 33m(93 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.