The Haunting of Radcliffe House, formerly titled Altar, is an atmospheric little horror film, which serves some moderate chills, but could have been a lot better.
It concerns two artsy parents, a renovator named Meg (Olivia Williams, in what is inarguably the best performance in the entire film) and a sculptor named Alec (a miscast Matthew Modine), who move to Yorkshire with their kids to an old bed and breakfast, which Meg has been hired to restore.
Right off the bat, things get pretty creepy – in a “haunted house movie cliché extravaganza” sort of way. Creaking doors, hidden rooms, ghostly figures that appear in photographs – the works. It turns out that the house harbors a dark secret involving a grisly murder and an occult ritual. All of the pressure and intensity takes its toll on the family in various ways, especially on Meg, who clearly wears the pants in the family.
It is a serviceable cheapie horror flick that will do well for rainy night viewing – provided that your options are limited. Otherwise, it’s a forgettable affair.
It is now available on DVD.
It concerns two artsy parents, a renovator named Meg (Olivia Williams, in what is inarguably the best performance in the entire film) and a sculptor named Alec (a miscast Matthew Modine), who move to Yorkshire with their kids to an old bed and breakfast, which Meg has been hired to restore.
Right off the bat, things get pretty creepy – in a “haunted house movie cliché extravaganza” sort of way. Creaking doors, hidden rooms, ghostly figures that appear in photographs – the works. It turns out that the house harbors a dark secret involving a grisly murder and an occult ritual. All of the pressure and intensity takes its toll on the family in various ways, especially on Meg, who clearly wears the pants in the family.
It is a serviceable cheapie horror flick that will do well for rainy night viewing – provided that your options are limited. Otherwise, it’s a forgettable affair.
It is now available on DVD.
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