REVIEW: The Awakening (15)

Ghost stories seem to be all the rage in Hollywood at the moment, if the trailers that preceded the showing of The Awakening I went to are anything to go by. Several others are about to be released, including the long-awaited movie version of The Woman in Black which stars Daniel Radcliffe.



I like ghost stories, so was keen to go to see The Awakening and, contrary to the rather harsh critical reviews I've read since, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's got scares and mystery, some red herrings, a bit of romance and a twist that I don't believe anyone can predict.

Rebecca Hall (possibly my new favourite actress, usurping Karen Gillan) plays Florence Cathcart, a skeptic author and hoax revealer. She is approached by Robert Mallory (played by Dominic West), a teacher from a boys boarding school, who believes his school may have a real ghost and the ghost has murdered a pupil.

Florence sets up a series of tests to attempt to expose the ghost as yet another hoax and is aided by Maud, the school's housekeeper (played by Imelda Staunton).

Both Rebecca Hall and Dominic West are tremendous in their roles, while Imelda Staunton plays, well, Imelda Staunton yet again.

The other star of the movie is Lyme Park, the National Trust property that can be found between Stockport and Buxton, which serves as the location for the vast majority of the film. Lyme Park isn't a stranger to being a location for film and television having provided, perhaps most memorably, the lake in his Colin Firth swam in the BBC's 1995 television production of Pride & Prejudice. (if you're visiting the Peak District or Manchester I'd thoroughly recommend a visit to Lyme Park).

I'm not sure why some critics have been so scathing and I'm also not sure why the movie was given a 15 certificate from the BBFC. There's nothing more extreme or scary than anything you'd find in the later Harry Potter movies, though there are two moments of nudity (both done very tastefully).

If you like ghost movies, this is well worth seeing and, if you don't, there's nothing too extreme or gory and might be worth a try.