PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I recently watched the new horror thriller drama, The Reckoning. This film was directed by Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, Tales of Halloween) and co-written by himself, Charlotte Kirk (Ocean’s Eight), and Edward Evers-Swindell (The Descent). Charlotte Kirk also stars in the film alongside Joe Anderson (The Ruins), Steven Waddington (Sleepy Hollow), and Sean Pertwee (Dog Soldiers, Howl).
Synopsis for The Reckoning
After losing her husband during the Great Plague, Grace Haverstock (Charlotte Kirk) is unjustly accused of being a witch and placed in the custody of England’s most ruthless witch-hunter, Judge Moorcroft (Sean Pertwee). Forced to endure physical and emotional torture while steadfastly maintaining her innocence, Grace must face her own inner demons as the Devil himself starts to work his way into her mind.
I love period pieces and stories about witches, so I was quite looking forward to this film. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed. Although plague stories are all the rage right now due to the pandemic, this just didn’t hit right for me. The story was predictable, the characters were unmemorable, and the product design was weak.
When I say the story was predictable, I mean I could tell step by step what was going to happen next from beginning to end. Plus, we’ve seen stories like this before and I don’t just mean witch hunter stories. Basically, a man doesn’t get what he wants from a woman, so instead of just accepting it like a big boy, he attempts to ruin her life and accuse her of witchcraft. It’s sad to say but not much has changed since the 1665 Great Plague, men still feel incredibly entitled to a woman’s body.
Most of the characters were devoid of personality and development, making them unmemorable. My favorite character was Judge Moorcroft because he reminded me of Vincent Price’s character in Witchfinder General. A despicable but intriguing role. Sean Pertwee brought his Vincent Price out to play.
The production design was probably what took me out from The Reckoning the most. It was poorly crafted and felt like it was a made-for-TV show from the early 90s. Some scenes felt out of place and unpolished, which was exactly the opposite of what you’d want in a period piece. The special effects were cheesy and over the top, I loathed the awful CGI blood. However, I did enjoy the look of the demon creature; subtle but creepy. Some of the costume design was pretty cool as well like the plague masks.
Final Thoughts
Although this film may not have been my cup of tea, I’m respectively a huge fan of Neil Marshall’s previous work such as Dog Soldiers, The Descent, and Tales of Halloween. That being said, I still recommend giving this one a shot, you never know if your taste will differ from mine. The Reckoning will hit Theaters, On Demand, and Digital beginning February 5, 2021 from Shudder and RLJE Films.
