Charlotte Kirk in The Reckoning

The Reckoning
Directed by Neil Marshall
Certificate: 18
☆☆☆

There is something pleasantly earnest and naive about British horror films – it’s a characteristic that runs as thread through generations of UK-produced scary movies. Studios such as Hammer and Amicus made films that could often be downright dark – but made peculiarly normal by their settings and context. It meant on the one hand they could be very believable and frightening, but also aware of their own absurdity.

Neil Marshall has admirably carried this British horror torch for a while now – previous films include Dog Soldiers and Doomsday, while he has also directed episodes of Game of Thrones. This witch story, set against the backdrop of the 1665 plague, fits perfectly into his canon.

The disease has swept across the nation – and villages are locked down, travel discouraged, fever and hunger are stalking the lanes of northern England.

We meet Grace Haverstock (Charlotte Kirk) burying her dead husband in the pouring rain. Her husband had faced an agonising death from the plague, so took his own life – and now sleazy Squire Pendleton (Steve Waddington) wants rent that’s owed…

Meanwhile, the in-mourning Grace has to raise her child alone, scrape together what they need for sustenance – and fend off the suspicions of villagers, stirred up by the squire.

When Pendleton asks her to sleep with him in lieu of rent and she refuses, poor Grace is locked up. Allegations of witchcraft are bandied about – sending Grace to interrogation by the Witchfinder General (Sean Pertwee).

Marshall’s story is full of dramatic set-tos, some well-placed shock-worthy moments to jolly things a long, and a strong lead in Kirk.
As is so often the case with British horror, which makes up for a lack of a Hollywood budget with imagination and enthusiasm, Marshall’s work is, for all its foibles, enjoyable to watch.

Witch hunts are common in the popular imagination – think Arthur Miller and The Crucible, or The Autopsy of Jane Doe by Andre Ovredal. It means Marshall is sowing a story on well-turned-over soil. For all its slightly kooky production, acting and general vibe, this is a welcome addition to his collection.