Quelle: Shudder
The name Christopher Smith may not mean something to many film fans straight away, but genre fans in particular are certainly familiar with his works. The British filmmaker made his debut in 2004 with the horror thriller Creep with Franka Potente and then delivered some really good films in the genre, several of which were shown in Germany as part of the Fantasy Film Festival. That’s what his bloody work-trip horror comedy belongs to Severance, which I saw as the opening film of the Fantasy Filmfest in 2006, has been one of my all-time favorites of the genre for the last 15 years. Also his crazy time loop mindfuck Triangle with Melissa George is a real insider tip, as is Smith’s rabid medieval film Black Death with Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne.
Unfortunately, in recent years Smith has stepped away from the horror food of his early career, but luckily returns this year with the Haunted House flick The Banishingwho on 26th of March in the UK and on 15. April in the USA with the streaming provider Shudder will appear. The film tells the supposedly true story of the most haunted house in England (which exactly it is supposed to be, but somehow remains unanswered). In the film, which is set in the 1930s, a young pastor moves with his wife and daughter into an old property that is home to a terrible secret. Her faith is put to the test when a vengeful ghost haunts the little girl. To save them, they must turn to black magic and a notorious occultist.
Jessica Brown Findlay (“Downton Abbey”), John Heffernan (“Dracula”) and the always great Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible – Fallout) play the main roles in the film. The poster and trailer that promises classic haunted house horror can be found below.
Looks particularly original The Banishing not enough, but if only because Smith has a stone in the board with me because of his earlier films, I’ll be happy to see his latest work. Unfortunately, the film does not have a German release date yet.
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