Fleeing from her useless husband after the death of her daughter, a woman rents a house where the past revisits with deadly intent. But whose past is it?
An overlooked classic? Not quite, and I can see where the haters and lovers are coming from.
First up, this is London in the '70s, so the mix of classes is plausible and the notion of well-to-do school children suffering cursed lives makes for a good plot device that drew me into the mystery. There's the usual guff about research/asylum-dweller revealing a clue just before she dies etc, but the story does get its creeps on and ends with chilling ambiguity.
The main problem is the first half tells a drab, simplistic story with no spark in the dialogue, and it's hard to tell if it's going anywhere. Sometimes it feels like slice-of-life meets Damian Omen. But the acting is good enough to keep me engaged, with plenty evidence why Farrow was in demand for close-ups.
The score is decent, but it misjudges several scenes - especially the mirror reveal toward the end - with cheery/wistful plinky-plinky synth.
Overall, a good story that undersells itself at the start. A lot of material could have been cut out to focus on the mother-daughter theme.
ps. Take a look at the cast - some nice names in there, and I missed the Downton Abbey link. Plus Mrs Flood was a highly prolific bit-parter - RIP.
An overlooked classic? Not quite, and I can see where the haters and lovers are coming from.
First up, this is London in the '70s, so the mix of classes is plausible and the notion of well-to-do school children suffering cursed lives makes for a good plot device that drew me into the mystery. There's the usual guff about research/asylum-dweller revealing a clue just before she dies etc, but the story does get its creeps on and ends with chilling ambiguity.
The main problem is the first half tells a drab, simplistic story with no spark in the dialogue, and it's hard to tell if it's going anywhere. Sometimes it feels like slice-of-life meets Damian Omen. But the acting is good enough to keep me engaged, with plenty evidence why Farrow was in demand for close-ups.
The score is decent, but it misjudges several scenes - especially the mirror reveal toward the end - with cheery/wistful plinky-plinky synth.
Overall, a good story that undersells itself at the start. A lot of material could have been cut out to focus on the mother-daughter theme.
ps. Take a look at the cast - some nice names in there, and I missed the Downton Abbey link. Plus Mrs Flood was a highly prolific bit-parter - RIP.