PopHorror Let's Get Scared
The Gatehouse is the latest release from Uncork’d Entertainment. It is a dark fantasy/adventure/horror film that is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Whether this is a good thing or not you will just have you read on to find out.
The Gatehouse is written and directed by Martin Gooch (After Death). Starring Scarlett Rayner (Pretty Outrageous) as Eternity Winter, Simeon Willis (Narcopolis) as Jack Winter, Sarine Sofair (The Injuring) as Detective Black, Melissa Knatchbull (Mission Impossible) as Mary, Steven Boxer (The Iron Lady) as the Curator, Andrew Caley (Dealer) as Mr. Hardware, Linal Haft (Moulin Rouge) as Algernon Sykes, and Vanessa Mayfield (An Angel at Christmas) as Daisy.
Synopsis:
Jack is a struggling writer recovering from the death of his wife. His daughter, ten-year-old Eternity, loves digging for treasure in the forest behind her house. In a coincidental turn of fate, Jack agrees to undertake a writing project about the ‘legend of the black flowers’ at the same time that Eternity discovers a mysterious object in the woods. However, the forest wants the object back. Father and daughter have unlocked an ancient curse and must now fight for survival…
The first thing I want to mention is the set design which looks absolutely stunning! The Gatehouse has a unique look to it and it is all thanks to the talented Charlotte Ball (Alice on Mars), Inma Cook (Alice on Mars), and Lily Faith Night (P.O.V.) who all need to be commended for bringing a fairytale setting to life. From the gatehouse itself, the costuming, and the creature design, everything is done with such a unique touch that I just couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.
The next thing that deserves to be mentioned is Scarlett Rayner’s performance as little Eternity Winter. Rayner carries this film and if it wasn’t for her character and performance I would have probably lost interest. She has the imagination and whimsical nature that almost every child has at her age. Eternity is just a fun and adorable character that really makes you sympathize with her when things start to escalate. I also have to give credit to Simeon Willis’ character, Jack Winter, who is Eternity’s father. He portrays a single father, who struggles with raising an over-imaginative daughter, really well. It is just unfortunate that he is overshadowed by Rayner’s performance.
Unfortunately, the other characters are fairly forgettable. It’s not that the actors did a terrible job or anything, it just seems like they didn’t have much to work with when it came to the script. The story is supposed to focus on Jack and Eternity and you can really tell by the way these other characters were written.
The story, however, feels like it could have been done in an episodic manner. This could have been a great tv miniseries, which makes sense since Martin Gooch directed tv episodes before. Sometimes The Gatehouse feels a little over-bloated and certain scenes could have been trimmed or cut out completely. With that being said I felt it was a pretty good story with a great atmosphere.
Final Thoughts on The Gatehouse:
So if you are into fantasy and horror or just like dark fairytales I suggest giving The Gatehouse a chance. It has a lot of redeeming qualities that most horror fans will enjoy. It will be released digitally on VOD by Uncork’d Entertainment on December 5, 2017.
