The Awakening (2011)

This film was unexpectedly brilliant. One of the best horrors I've seen in a while, it had suspense, intrigue, great acting, plot twists and drama. Recommend 100% and don't understand why it has such a low rating.

Just finished this movie as of Feb 28, 2017! What can I say about this movie, it has the right touch of creepiness but hidden revealed of beauty and yet troubling horror mixed with true friendship and love. What I love about this tale is how well it's set up, down to the costumes, the environment. You'll notice how the film looks like it's black and white in itself , as if its straight from history , from the 1921 which the film is set in. I love the music of the time, the history, the clothes, even the way of speaking.The ending was the best, but I was confused, I had many suspects in the film of the who the ghost was. I don't think it explained much about Walter or his back story enough. If you love surprises , especially at the end, you should see this! It has a few jumps and scares, but the true scary part of this film is the thought of death and were we all go. The beautiful score, the sets, all that will scare you more than anything else. I lost my mother , so this movie really touches my heart, especially since she died a year after this film came out. I give this film a 9 out of 10 only because it was a bit confusing, but maybe that's because I need to re watch it :) great master piece of a film. Truly haunting on every level, on every scale!

In England, 1921, Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) is a Hoax exposer and is brought to a boarding school to explain sightings of a child ghost.This is a horror movie with a mystery and it reminds me of 'the others'.Movie has good performances, particularly from Rebecca Hall.Nick Murphy has done a great job as a Director and screenplay writer.Cinematography was also good for horror movie.There is a perfect balance of horror,suspense,emotions in this movie. Movie has an excellent ending , you just need a little bit of patience. This is one of the most underrated movie in IMDb.Currently this movie has IMDb rating of 6.5 but i believe that it should be higher than 7.This movie surely deserves more and its efforts should be appreciated.Don't judge this movie by its rating.This movie won 3 awards at Gérardmer Film Festival 2012 .This movie is highly recommended. Overall I give this movie 8/10.

The Awakening is directed by Nick Murphy and Murphy co-writes the screenplay with Stephen Volk. It stars Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Shaun Dooley and Joseph Mawle. Music is by Daniel Pemberton and cinematography by Eduard Grau.Britain, post World War 1, and Florence Cathcart (Hall) makes a living as an exposer of charlatan spiritualists, a debunker of ghost sightings. When she receives a request from school master Robert Mallory (West) to investigate the supernatural events at a remote boarding school for boys, she is suitably intrigued to take on the assignment...It comes as no surprise to find that numerous reviews for The Awakening make reference to ghost story films that were made previously. The Woman in Black released a year later would suffer the same fate, charges of it not bringing nothing new to the table etc. A ghost story set in a big mansion or remote educational/correctional establishment is what it is, and will continue to be so, all fans of such spooky fare ask is that it does it well and maybe add some adult themes into the bargain. The Awakening does these in spades.The concept of a disbeliever in ghosts having their belief system tested to the full is not new, but it's a great concept and one with longevity assured. Here, boosted by a terrific performance from Hall, the screenplay consistently keeps you guessing. The possibilities of real or faked are constant as the director pumps up the creep factor, whilst he simultaneously crafts a number of genuine shock sequences - including one of the best doll house scenes put to film! This really has all the requisite jolts and atmospheric creeps for a period spooker.It's not until the final quarter when the screenplay begins to unravel its mystery, a finale that has proved both ambiguous and divisive. The ambiguity factor is a little baffling since everything is made clear in a nicely staged scene, and this is something which the director has gone on record to state as well. As for the divisive side of things? That's a blight for this sub-genre of horror. It's convoluted! Contrived! It has been done before they cry! These are true to be sure, and without doubt there's a leap of faith required to not get annoyed, but it garners a reaction and has done its ghost story essence very well indeed.Beautifully photographed, scored and performed by the leads to boot, this is for sure one for fans of period spookers with brains. 7.5/10