The Quiet Ones Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Terror, Sexual Content, Thematic Material, Language, and Smoking Throughout)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 38 Minutes

Cast-

Jared Harris-Professor Joseph Coupland

Sam Claflin-Brian McNeil

Olivia Cooke-Jane Harper

Erin Richards-Krissi Dalton

Rory Fleck-Byrne-Harry Abrams

Laurie Calvert-Phillip

Aldo Maland-David Q

Max Pirkis-Older David Q

Tracy Ray-David Q's Mother

Richard Cunningham-Provost

Eileen Nicholas-Angry Neighbor

Directed by John Pogue

There are some creepy moments but "The Quiet Ones" is just another in a long line of forgettable PG-13 horror films.

Note: Screened on Thursday, April 24, 2014 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.

I'm an overly cautious person by nature and for good reason because there are certain things that shouldn't be messed around with…like summoning a f*cking poltergeist! Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens in "The Quiet Ones," the latest horror offering from Hammer Films. The legendary British production company has been undergoing a revival in the last several years, with 2010's "Let Me In" receiving critical acclaim—a rarity for a remake—and 2012's "The Woman in Black" grossing over $127 million worldwide against a modest production budget of $17 million. Directed by John Pogue (whose résumé consists of a number of writing credits and 2011's little-seen but well-received horror sequel "Quarantine 2: Terminal"), "The Quiet Ones" is purported to be 'inspired by actual events' as the opening credits and poster proudly proclaim but in this instance, such a label is partially true. Pogue's film is based on the so-called 'Philip Experiment,' where a group of Canadian parapsychologists—led by world-renowned poltergeist expert Dr. Alan Robert George Owen—came together in 1972 with the intention of creating a ghost out of thin air in order to prove their hypothesis: that supernatural phenomena are nothing more than products of the human mind. The experiment's seven participants claim that they managed to will the spirit they created into existence but outside of a few knocks and moving objects, it never physically manifested for them to see. Hoax or not, it was clear to Lionsgate and Hammer that a direct retelling of the Philip Experiment wouldn't be all that exciting to modern audiences and so the film's writers gussied up the narrative with love triangles, satanic cults, demonic sigils, and creepy dolls. Despite their best efforts, "The Quiet Ones" is ultimately a languidly paced affair whose idea of terror is to artificially jolt viewers with sudden loud noises at regular intervals.

Believing that paranormal occurrences are nothing more than the outward manifestation of a person's 'negative energy,' maverick Oxford University professor Joseph Coupland (Jared Harris) sets out to prove his hypothesis by performing an unorthodox experiment in the summer of 1974. A troubled teenage orphan named Jane Harper (Olivia Cooke) believes she is haunted by a malevolent spirit named 'Evey' but Coupland hopes to convince her that it's all in her head. 'Cure one patient, you cure all mankind,' he repeatedly boasts. Assisting the professor with his experiment are student volunteers and lovers Krissi Dalton (Erin Richards) and Harry Abrams (Rory Fleck-Byrne). However, Coupland requires documentation and recruits amateur cameraman Brian McNeil (Sam Claflin) for such a task. When the university suddenly refuses to fund the project anymore due to its controversial nature, Coupland and his team is forced to relocate to an isolated home in the countryside. While there, Brian grows increasingly disturbed at the professor's mental probing of Jane and begins to question the ethics surrounding the experiment. He also begins to develop feelings for the young girl, which puts him in mortal danger when tempers flare amongst the group as it soon becomes apparent that something supernatural is truly at work.

While you won't find much in the way of originality in John Pogue's "The Quiet Ones," that in itself does not signify a bad film. In fact, the right ingredients for an enjoyable horror flick are already in place but the direction is indecisive, with Pogue unable to fulfill the promise of the story's intriguing premise. At its core, the film explores the age-old debate between science and religion, with Oxford University professor Joseph Coupland writing off supernatural occurrences as simply products of the human mind brought about by extreme mental trauma. Coupland is a fascinating character that's brilliantly brought to life by Jared Harris (from AMC's "Mad Men") and if there's one thing "The Quiet Ones" gets right, it's him. The professor's sense of idealism is infectious as we truly believe that he has Jane Harper's best interests in mind but that turns out to be nothing more than a lie. He's just a ruthless, egotistical, narcissistic bully who only wants to assuage his own guilt over a tragedy that occurred years earlier. Harris is excellent in the role as he captures Coupland's scholarly charisma while lacing the character's sophisticated exterior with a subtle hint of menace.

Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn't live up to Harris' performance and part of the problem is the languid pacing despite the short nighty-eight minute running time. The picture only comes alive in the last fifteen or so minutes but you'd probably be fast asleep by then (the person sitting to the right of me certainly was). Worse, Pogue's bag of tricks consist solely of jolting the viewer with a loud noise at regular intervals, which grows increasingly annoying and tiresome once it extends to sudden camera slating and champagne bottles being uncorked. Certain aspects in "The Quiet Ones" do work, such as the palpable sexual tension amongst the characters and the way it interweaves found-footage elements within the narrative. There's a particularly spooky sequence set in a dark attic but besides that, there's little here that audiences will find terrifying, with the script—credited to no less than four writers—growing more and more desperate as it throws in satanic cults and burning demonic sigils with no regard to whether any of it actually makes sense of not. Given the film's promising setup, it's a shame that "The Quiet Ones" squanders all of it with too-slow pacing and cheap jump scares.

Besides Harris, the only other cast member to make an impression is Olivia Cooke, who's currently starring on A&E's "Bates Motel." Cooke's innocent features prove to be an advantage as you're never quite sure if her character Jane Harper is just a troubled girl in need of a sympathetic shoulder to cry on or a wolf in sheep's clothing. Given his excellent portrayal of Finnick Odair in last year's "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," it's disappointing to see Sam Claflin follow that up with a bland performance as shy cameraman Brian McNeil. However, his co-stars Erin Richards and Rory Fleck-Byrne fare even worse as their characters only exist to meet an untimely demise later on.

Released on April 25, 2014, "The Quiet Ones" has received largely negative reviews with 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that 'while it definitely sports a few palpable scares, [the film] finds Hammer…trading too heavily on [the studio's] past glories.' The advance screening didn't exactly draw a huge crowd so it's not surprising that "The Quiet Ones" bombed at the box office. In fact, it's $3.9 million weekend gross ties it with February's "Vampire Academy" for lowest 2014 opening in over two thousand theaters. This doesn't bode well for Hammer's comeback. "The Quiet Ones" isn't a horrible film as there are some interesting ideas at work here but Pogue is unable to craft something memorable with them. The potential is there; unfortunately it goes unrealized.

Final Rating: 2.5 out of 5

"Cure one patient, you cure all mankind."