The Awakening review

Creepy if predictable spookfest

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Feisty spectre sceptic Florence (Rebecca Hall) investigates an old country school haunted (or not) by a creepy kid with a fuzzy face in this post-war ghost yarn in the mould of The Turn Of The Screw .

It’s an assured feature debut for director/co-writer Nick Murphy, with solid turns from Dominic West and Imelda Staunton as the school’s proprietors and a twisty plot that keeps you guessing despite its exposition-heavy revelations.

Creepy, jumpy, if somewhat samey, it’s set above the spooker norm by its strong visuals, grief-steeped period setting and lingering ambiguity.

More info

Available platformsMovie
Less

Rosie is the former editor of Total Film, before she moved to be the Special Edition Editor for the magazine group at Future. After that she became the Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and now she's the UK Editor of Den of Geek. She's an experienced movie and TV journalist, with a particular passion for horror.