Synopsis
Based on true events. Aesha goes to an isolated b&b in Kent after her mom books her in so she can get some head space for her studies. In the night Aesha is visited by a nun at the door who will progressively begin to show her true colours as the night unfolds - As the nun continues to bother Aesha at the door, Aesha begins to question her surroundings in this isolated suspense horror.
Review
All horror should open with a good kill. And this one certainly does. Casting someone as strong an actor as Lucy Chappell for your opening kill is a bold move. It sets the film up, casting a strong dark tone. Then cut to the movie proper.
Aesha is mourning the death of her father, and having gone off the rails "a little" is sent by her mother to take stock on a short break in the English countryside: Kent. The lightly snow dusted fields play as the backdrop for Aesha meeting bed and breakfast owner, Dan. When they get to the B & B it is, rather unsurprisingly, the house from the opening kill. From there things go down hill.
What I was expecting and what I got from the film weren't the same. Without spoiling the plot, it's difficult to say much about it. It is without doubt a classy Brit-slasher, and the could there/is there a supernatural force plays over the movie as a whole.
Becca Hirani (Unhinged / House on Elm Lake) is in the roll of Aesha, once again proving she is someone to watch. She plays with the part, being the grieving daughter while falling into partying - rather than what her mother (Patsy Prince - Mummy Reborn) expects. She carries a wide-eyed-innocence, hiding something deeper (which is becoming her trademark), while also playing the party girl. It's rather clever. But not to be overshadowed, Thomas Mailand (Deadly Callback) does a fantastic job as the forever gleeful, grinning, Dan. Sometimes, he's so happy, it's sinister.
The rest of the cast do a good job, especially Tiffany-Ellen Robinson (Sandow) as Imogen, Aesha's visiting friend, and to be honest, body count fodder.
Director Scott Jeffrey (Deadly Callback) does a great job of keeping the suspense ramped. Long shots of dark rooms with only Aesha in frame make for some serious foreboding. He even manages to make the house itself a character. He's got a serious eye.
This is a horror without gushing blood (well a little), and plays very much on the fears of being isolated. Being alone.
There's been talk of the film having it's name changed from The Watcher to The Bad Nun to cash in on The Nun. It's a jump to the wrong conclusion. The Watcher was not a good name for this, and The Bad Nun is. It has nothing to do with The Nun, either thematically, or stylistically, and can only be a coincidence. Asylum, this is not.
Anyway. The Bad Nun is a classy slasher, it's got escalating tension, and an interesting take on a villain. It's very Amityville meets Black Christmas.
Definitely one to watch.
){kind=link}
0 Comments