[REVIEW] Faith Shaking Religious Horror in Smith’s latest Consecration
Content Warning: self-harm, suicide, supernatural themes, religious themes, gore, death, and bloody imagery.
British filmmaker Christopher Smith has made their return with the 2023 religious supernatural horror Consecration. The film delves into a faith-based horror that intertwines elements of folklore and religious storytelling with the purpose of exploring how the two can work together. Staring Jena Malone as Grace, a fervent atheist and her investigation into the mysterious suicide of her priest brother, Michael (Steffan Cennydd).
Consecration wastes no time as viewers are immediately thrown into the tragic discovery that Grace’s brother Michael has taken his own life at Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland. Leaving her job as an optometrist in England. Grace is informed by Detective Chief Inspector Harris (Thoren Ferguson) that Michael is actually the prime suspect in a murder suicide. On the drive out to the convent, Harris tells Grace that one nun had removed her eye after she swears she saw the devil, calling the convent an extreme sect of Catholicism, one that follows a very strict reading of the bible.
Through the use of flashbacks, viewers are given first-hand recollections of Grace’s experiences at the hand of her religious fanatic father. It provides traumatic circumstances and foundations for the reasoning behind her and her siblings’ relationship with religion. While these flashbacks provide substance to the experiences of Grace and Michael, there are flashbacks that attempt to give too much to the viewer to process. The audience is given a misty backstory—including magic, knights searching for a relic, and folklore like elements—that might add too much to the story. While the folklore elements were intriguing, there wasn’t enough time given to these backstories. For folklore horror lovers, it would have been a foundation that could have been brought to the forefront of the film and the history behind Grace’s supernatural experiences.
Consecration is beautifully shot, with wide, sweeping coastlines that contrast to the old brickwork of the convent. The film is certainly visually appealing. The supernatural aspect is enhanced through the use of apparitions in mirrors, shadows, and perfectly placed props that add to the harrowing nature of the storyline. Throughout the film, the viewer witnesses a number of gory and blood spilling moments that are sure to have a jaw dropping reaction.
The end of Consecration rallies in a blood-soaked finale with an appreciable performance from Jena Malone as she leaves the convent and the viewer witnesses a (somewhat) wholesome conclusion to Grace’s experiences and discoveries. While there are some shortfalls in the connections between the folklore backstory and the events leading up to Grace’s encounter at Mount Saviour Convent, Consecration has satisfying moments littered throughout. If you are after a religious horror with a short run time of 90 minutes, Consecration is an enjoyable viewing experience.
Consecration will have its United Kingdom premiere at the 2023 Glasgow Film Festival. The film has a United States release date of February 10, 2023.
