Main Cast: Aidan Quinn, Kate Beckinsale, Anthony Andrews, John Gielgud, Anna Massey
Release Year: 1995
Country: UK
Run Time: 108 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Adapted from the novel by James Herbert, this subtle, melancholy British chiller owes a great deal to Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. The story opens with a chilling prologue in 1905 England, in which a young boy fails to prevent the accidental drowning of his sister. As a young man, David (Aidan Quinn) is still tormented by guilt and remorse. After several years in the United States, David returns to England to continue his work researching and debunking claims of the supernatural. His latest investigation into the alleged haunting of Edbrook Manor -- at the behest of the Marriell's family nanny, Tess (Anna Massey) -- introduces him to the eccentric company of the lovely Christina Mariell (Kate Beckinsale) and her brothers Robert and Simon (Anthony Andrews and Alex Lowe). Despite repeated warnings from Tess that mischievous spirits are at work, David refuses to concede that the house is haunted -- until the angelic vision of his drowned sister reveals the true nature of his strange hosts. The rich period setting lends a classy Merchant Ivory touch to the film, and the high production values indicate the guiding hand of executive producer Francis Ford Coppola, but the performances are a bit too cold and detached to provide any legitimate tension. Fans of the classic 1961 film The Innocents will not find the central mystery particularly challenging. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Alex Lowe - Simon Mariell; Linda Bassett - Madame Brontski; Hilary Mason - Elderly Lady; Victoria Shalet - Juliet Ash; Liz Smith - Old Gypsy Woman; Geraldine Somerville - Kate; Alice Douglas - Clare; Peter England - Young David; Emily Hamilton - Mary; Edmund Moriarty - Liam
Credit
Gary Tomkins - Art Director, Joyce Nettles - Casting, William P. Cartlidge - Co-producer, Candice Paterson - Costume Designer, Jane Robinson - Costume Designer, Candy Patterson - Costume Designer, Bob Kellett - First Assistant Director, Timothy T. Lewis - First Assistant Director, Lewis Gilbert - Director, John Jympson - Editor, Francis Ford Coppola - Executive Producer, Fred Fuchs - Executive Producer, Jeff Kleeman - Executive Producer, Debbie Wiseman - Composer (Music Score), Christine Beveridge - Makeup, Brian Ackland-Snow - Production Designer, John Fenner - Production Designer, Tony Pierce-Roberts - Cinematographer, Anthony Andrews - Producer, Lewis Gilbert - Producer, Ralph Kamp - Producer, Peter James - Set Designer, Peter Hutchinson - Special Effects, Ken Weston - Sound/Sound Designer, Dean Humphreys - Sound/Sound Designer, Gerry Humphreys - Sound/Sound Designer, Lewis Gilbert - Screenwriter, Timothy Prager - Screenwriter, Bob Kellett - Screenwriter, James Herbert - Book Author
David Ash, an American Professor of parapsychology, is called to investigate a series of hauntings at Edbrook House, where he meets the beautiful Christina. As David begins his investigations, he becomes aware of a presence in the house that goes against everything he believes. Slowly he is worn down by strange and terrifying occurrences and is driven to question his own sanity.
During the end of the movie, his twin sister's ghost leads David to a cemetary, there was a specific tombstone that says that Christina,her brothers, and their doctor were ghosts, and that they'll do anything to keep Nanny Tess and David there, Nanny Tess tells David the story of how the siblings mother drowned herself after seeing Robert and Christina engaged in sexual intercourse, Then she locked them in their bedroom and burned the house down. Seeing as they have david now, the 3 ghosts kill Nanny tess and try to kill David as well, only to be saved by her twin sister. After David's return home from the train station we see Christina, following David in to the fog.
