This Atmospheric British Ghost Movie Is an Homage to Classic Gothic Horror

With every new movie, the horror genre evolves and pushes boundaries. Terrifying monsters, nightmare-inducing apocalypses, and realistic body horror populate the big screen. As the genre continues to change shape, sometimes it can be refreshing to go back to the basics with a good old-fashioned ghost story. Nick Murphy’s debut 2011 film, The Awakening, does just that. Starring Rebecca Hall as Florence Cathcart in the wake of The Great War, The Awakening reveals everything that makes a classic gothic tale great. The slow-burn drama and the grimdark aesthetic make the experience of watching The Awakening identical to reading a short story starting with, “It was a dark and stormy night…”