The Secret of Marrowbone
Cert: 15A; Now showing
You wait all your life for a decent horror film and suddenly you’re drowning in the things. After years of drought, in which the genre had nothing to say except that pert young maidens being chased down musty cellars by masked nutters equated to entertaining cinema.
My, how things have changed. Horror has become sophisticated, elegantly filmed and brilliantly acted, all qualities seen in abundance in this layered Gothic mystery. That it isn’t preoccupied with cheap bumps in the night is another major strength.
Four children live in a dilapidated Gothic farmhouse in late 1960s US. Their mother has passed away but they don’t let on to the community in case authorities try to split them up. Twenty-year-old family leader Jack (George MacKay) is forming a strong affection for town librarian Allie (Anya Tay-
lor-Joy), somewhat to the chagrin of younger siblings Jane (Mia Goth), Billy (Charlie Heaton) and fiveyear-old Sam. But there are other more pressing concerns, namely the sheets that must be draped over every mirror in the home and the strange patch of damp seeping through the upstairs ceiling.
Spanish screenwriter Sergio G Sanchez (The Impossible, The Orphanage) makes his feature directorial debut in fine style with
this sumptuous, sun-dappled chiller that shifts left and right in mysterious ways. We’re presented with a family situated in an idyllic picture, only to then start hearing the skeletons rattling ever more loudly in the cupboard. Sanchez brings things to the boil in excruciatingly patient style so that the dread accumulates under the radar. An excellent ensemble cast is led by MacKay and Taylor-Joy.