Playing the long game, building a movie with a slow burn, is not an easy thing to do. Indeed, in this day and age of instant gratification, it is hard to satisfy an audience in terms of getting them to buy into the fact that some things are worth waiting for. The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw is one such thing and although not perfect, it is a well thought out, creepy, wonderful looking film.
The setup is simple enough: Set in 1973, we see a community that for 100 years has separated from the world and chose to live isolated from everyone and everything. Everything was fine until ‘the eclipse’ happened, bringing pestilence to the land. Food begins to run out, the townspeople growing more grim and desperate save for Agatha Earnshaw (Catherine Walker), who lives on a farm, isolated from the rest, seemingly unaffected by what has happened.
Adding to the mystery is Agatha’s daughter Audrey, born during the eclipse and kept hidden from everyone for seventeen years. She is accidentally discovered by someone in town, Bernard Buckley (Don McKellar) and suspicions grow. The town is already edgy to begin with, then is discovery, along with the death of the son of Colm (Jared Abrahamson) and Bridget Dwyer (Hannah Emily Anderson) everything reaches a boiling point and the tension is almost unbearable.
Writer/Director Thomas Robert Lee decided early on to build the tension slowly, bring the story along slowly, and in doing so, created a great deal of tension along the way. During the second half of the film, the sense of dread is added to the mix, creating a horrific atmosphere that engulfs everyone, especially as the viewer finds out what really has been going on. Lee does this well and to his credit, stays the course, relying less on cheap tricks and more on filling the viewer with a wonderful sense of dread.
The film looks fantastic, and hats off to Lee and cinematographer Nick Thomas for creating a bleak, dreary and eerie setting. The town, the people, everything feels off and the sense of isolation only adds to the mounting tensions. You really feel like you were transported back to another time, with the set and costumes playing a key role in building the overall atmosphere of the film. The slow camera pans and dreary colors help make this feel very realistic, adding to the sense that something is just not right.
While I appreciate the slow build, there are times where it seems nothing much is happening. Some scenes don’t really work and some characters seem shoehorned into situations, making for awkward dialogue and moments. A story with witchcraft involved can be a little tricky to pull off and while Lee did an admirable job here, it is a tough subject matter and falls flat on more than one occasion.
That being said, The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw is a good movie. Well thought out, looks great and a wonderful, slow build of tension and dread. If a slow burn kind of feel surrounded by witchcraft and a creepy atmosphere is your thing, this is something you should check out as the journey is worth it.
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