Review of The Awakening (2011) by Lily E — 19 Jul 2015

A horror film desperately trying to break out of the normative tropes of its genre fatally stumbles into them in a rapid downward spiral.

While this film certainly had its moments of thrill and suspense, the needless attempt to break out of the cliches of haunting films lead it down the path of more psychological tropes. It begins as a earnest portrayal of a woman of science seeking truth in a blindly superstitious world, one who seeks out and dismantles the frauds who attempt to prey upon the grief and despair of the vulnerable. With motives of her own, rooted in loss and a desperate search for something greater, Florence Cathcart takes on cases of alleged hauntings with vigor. Initially, the plot follows this line of thinking and carries through the idea of a woman attempting to debunk stories of the paranormal. However, the plot - particularly in the last half hour - quickly spirals out of control in a perceived attempt to be unexpected and clever. Though not quite resulting in the, "it was all in your mind" trope often found in other installments of the horror genre, the end sequences certainly follow a similar vein of thought. This attempt at an unexpected twist, unfortunately, results in a loss of sight that the beginning of the film had and unravels into a messy conglomerate of ideas that leaves one feeling dissatisfied.

In spite of this apparent dismantling of plot within the closing of the film, the main body of the film is solid and entertaining, generating a sense of mystery and suspense. The actors are believable and lend to an enjoyable time watching the movie, in spite of the disappointing end. Had it followed its original idea the movie would have been a rather intriguing and, even, refreshing angle to horror films - one of skepticism and logic. Ultimately, it ended in an emotionally chaotic protagonist who, as with many movies, developed an unreasonably rapid attachment to a male companion and disintegrates into a hysterical mess of nerves. Regardless, this movie is worth at least a once over watch through, but don't get too attached to the initial premise of the plot.