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."
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