The Moor

This is one to put on the radar for horror fans. It's creepy as hell in parts with some stand-out moments in particular one in the tent towards the end. I imagine this is inspired by the Brady/Hindley murders (horrific enough without a supernatural element). If you've ever visited a moor in England it can be unnerving, easy to get lost and a sense of something old and ancient which is conveyed brilliantly in this film. There's a subtle element of paganism with strange carvings and statues, a part of British history that is still relatively unknown but often pops up in horror novels (Phil Rickman being one), and a faceless serial killer that ups the horror ante. It's slow-plodding in places and if had been a tad tighter it would have been stand-out. The cast are relatively unknown but the two female leads are ones to watch. All in all this was a great find.

"Out there, we are all lost." Where exactly, you wonder? Why, that'd be on the moors, a place surrounded in fog, myths, and loss. With Chris Cronin's feature-length directorial debut, these mysterious lands take center stage as a grieving father and haunted podcaster search for answers and closure.

The results? Very mixed, but I'm confident Mr. Cronin has a solid career ahead of him. THE MOOR features a wonderful sense of atmosphere and benefits greatly from cinematographer Sam Cronin's depiction of the moody and aforementioned moors.

There are some fun frights to be had here too (a scene in a gully stands out as a highlight), but unless one is a rabid horror fan chomping at the bit for anything new, this one is hard to recommend with much enthusiasm. The film consistently cuts away to documentary-style interviews which, while helpful in the exposition camp, feel tonally and visually out of place with the rest of the film. Similarly, the "true ending" of the film feels incredibly jarring (you'll know what I mean if you watch it). I'm not sure if that was simply by design or if some scenes had to be cut due to budget restraints, but in the end it ultimately weakens the film's overall impact. That overall feeling isn't helped much by our lead "Claire" who is an wildly boring protagonist or the variety of moments where she and other characters fail to react to something cray cray in a realistic way. I've never seen a floating tent before...have you?

Still, there is some good stuff here for those who seek it; Elizabeth Dormer-Phillip in particular is a standout as "Eleanor," who not only breathes life into the film but gives it some much needed heart as well. Definitely a talent to watch. Whether or not the same could be said of Mr. Cronin by viewers after watching this debut, I ultimately believe will vary amongst genre fans. I, however, am curious to see what he does next.

Go get 'em, Chris.

RANDOM PRAISE +

• I will never tire of an ominous-looking animal or statue.

RANDOM CRITIQUE -

• If a woman has a panic attack while hiking across the moors and starts losing it, maybe-I don't know, check in on her? Just a thought.

TAKEAWAY ?

• The likelihood of getting kidnapped while shoplifting are low but NEVER zero.

I see others pan this movie because it doesn't have much action. Now, I'm not sure where in the description, the trailer, the synopsis, or promotions, did it infer this would be an action thriller horror. Before reviewing a movie, be sure you are a fan of the genre. Or at least somewhat interested. You shouldn't watch Maverick and think "C'mon, where's the gore?! Why didn't Tom Cruise get into any fights? It sucks, don't see it. Or pop on the original Predator and say "What a terrible idea, E. T. was way better! Or Schindler's List and post on here "that's not nearly as funny as I thought it would be." The Moor is a Horror, Mystery, Drama film. Turn off the lights, crank up the home theater, enjoy. It did well at the film festivals for a reason. I can't tell you how many movies people on IMDB will rate low and leave a review as if they watched a completely different movie. Sometimes, it's right. But lately, reviews on here make me question our educational system, the impact of information access and overload, and the complete disregard for nuance when ranking a film. Same goes for music, food, museums, and anything we view as entertainment.

I'm usually let down by modern horror, but The Moor had me hooked from the start. It's creepy, thoughtful, beautifully shot, and way smarter than most of what's out there. The performances are solid across the board, the mood is tense without relying on cheap jumps, and the folklore elements feel grounded and original.

But just when I thought we were heading for a haunting, earned payoff...it pivots. One BAFFLING creative choice near the end nearly derails the whole thing. Not enough to ruin it, but enough to knock it down a peg or two.

Still, 90% of this movie is genuinely excellent. If they'd just trusted the story they were already telling, it could've been a classic.

It's Yorkshire in the 90s. It says so on the screen, but the accents and streets give it away. It's a gripping start as a young boy goes missing in a corner shop. I've got instant chills as the jumps and bumps sync with some lovely camera work. As the titles roll, so do the 'missing' headlines, multiple children, a "Summer of Fear". 25 years later. Desolate windswept moors, ominous church bells, quiet streets. In a cafe, Claire (Sophia La Porta) now grown up, is trying to move on from her guilt over what happened to her friend Danny (Dexter Sol Ansell). But the child killer that's suspected took him, is facing release after a botched investigation and Danny's father, Bill (David Edward-Robertson) wants Claire to help him stop it, by finding evidence on The Moor. It plays to a genuine chilling fear. Missing children. Never found. Thought now to be on the moors. No closure. If you're a certain age in Britain, you'll recall the Moors Murders, a horror story that played out in real time. This is why the first act of this hits so hard. When Claire realises the scale of the possible search area, it's unfathomable and even stranger that Bill has deemed now to only search a specific region. There's more to this than first meets the eye. Enter Alex (Mark Peachy) who's helping Bill make these choices based on something beyond. The shots on the moors are fantastic, wide open, the camera laps up the brutal landscape, but as Claire goes searching with Bill and a ranger called Liz (Vicki Hackett), it's her GoPro footage that gets the heart pumping. This first person shot puts you right in the heart of it and gives a real sense of just how dangerous this terrain is in its own right, before adding any sinister layers. We also get interview clips with locals that fill in not only what happened in the Summer of Fear, but how they all feel about its legacy. It's here we meet Thornley (Bernard Hill) and Becky (Mia Vore) a child at the time when Danny went missing. These scenes fill in the space wonderfully and give it real weight. It's Claire's perspective that brings the chills though and it is chilling, terrifyingly so. There's something supernatural at play and this is where Alex and his daughter Eleanor (Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips) come in. They help pinpoint a spot thought to be where Danny is, but it's deep into the moor. Things are going to get dark, very very dark. Honestly I'm going to struggle to sleep tonight. It all starts to take a toll on Claire too. They make some progress, but this only digs them further into the nightmare. The spooky stuff is very effective, but mix it with that natural eeriness of the landscape and the real life horror of missing children and you've got a stone cold thriller. The acting across the board is punchy and powerful, the score is wild and scrungy, the production reaches way beyond its budget. It looks fantastic and it's perfectly paced and really keeps you on your toes. This may well have ruined any future wild camping trips I had planned, it's just as well we're heading in to winter, I need a good six months before I think about spending the night alone in a tent in the middle of nowhere. This is director Chris Cronin's feature length debut. It's a hell of a start.