With every new movie, the horror genre evolves and pushes boundaries.
Terrifying monsters, nightmare-inducing apocalypses, and realistic body horror populate the big screen.
The Awakeningis more interested in creeping its audience out than scaring them.The Awakeningfrequently includes spy shots.
Image via Studio Canal UK.
In doing so, the audience feels complicit with the malicious forces at work.
This spying lends to the mystery aspect ofThe Awakening.
The film neatly divides itself into two halves, rather than a screenplay’s traditional three-act structure.
Image via StudioCanal
This is especially the case for Florence andThe Awakening.
Being at the boarding school negatively affects Florences ability to think, and soon she is spiraling.
Florence’s ghost-hunting equipment is given special attention, with the camera flourishing each item for a glamor shot.
Image via StudioCanal
The boarding school is an inspired backdrop for the film.
Located in the countryside, there are several lingering shots of the school with heavy fog rolling over it.
All these elements create a very specific, ghostly vibe for the film.
The Awakening follows Florence Cathcart, a writer and ghost hunter, who is invited to investigate a boys' boarding school where a student’s death has led to reports of a haunting. Initially skeptical, Florence’s investigation unravels her own buried memories and confronts her with the possibility of real ghosts. As the line between the living and the dead blurs, she must come to terms with her past and the hauntings of the school.
Having an eerie atmosphere matches the story perfectly.
Her ultra-scientific reasoning clashes with the whimsy of the supernatural that every other character seems to believe in.
The Awakeningis available for streaming on Prime.
Initially skeptical, Florences investigation unravels her own buried memories and confronts her with the possibility of real ghosts.
