The Horror Show
The Quiet Ones
by John Pogue
Here’s another angle on horror films of the paranormal realm. There is the schizophrenic – probably possessed – young woman, there is the overly ambitious experiment of a desperate professor of abnormal psychology (whatever that is) and there is a hard working crew, the professor’s little helpers who will assist him with the experiment and will document everything. What’s different in the case of The Quiet Ones is an unlikely love, a romance that may or may not find its way into a brutal and deadly procedure.
The story of The Quiet Ones could be perceived as having two natures. On one hand, it mainly revolves around a schizophrenic young woman, Jane (Olivia Cooke), who is the subject of the experiment. Professor Joseph Coupland (Jared Harris), a manipulative and ruthless man, is convinced that she hides extraordinary powers in her and he is determined to capture these powers and destroy them.
On the other hand, there is Brian (Sam Claflin), a student and camera-enthusiast who is responsible for filming the entire procedure. When he reluctantly agrees to take part in the experiment, he is a very scared young man, with sad puppy eyes that can melt your heart, but eventually he might hold the key to success.
Professor Coupland and his crew keep Jane locked in a room at a secluded location where they can perform their activities undisturbed from the suspicious minds and the disbelievers. Jane is a very troubled and lost young woman, who believes Joseph is going to be her saviour, thus she puts up with his unconventional ways on a daily basis. Is she possessed or just phenomenally powerful? Joseph and his crew are dying to find out, but soon their curiosity will turn out to be fatal.
Apparently, the concept is not something new to the genre. Possessions, horrible experiments, curious paranormal experts with gear to capture the afterlife are ideas we’ve seen multiple times, so no surprises there.
What The Quiet Ones lacks of is the tension and adrenaline rush that other similar movies like The Conjuring or Insidious have successfully offered. It is a rather slow-paced movie, which mainly gives the impression that the story revolves around Brian and Jane’s unlikely love and his efforts to save her so that they can be together. The intense scenes are particularly limited and those who are expecting haunting nightmares after the movie is over, will be quite disappointed. Occasional screams and sporadic door creaks are not enough to offer a very entertaining experience
Overall, The Quiet Ones fails to scare, being a horror movie, but manages to keep the interest through the prospective love story and once you decide to sit through it, you’d better watch it til the end, when all the questions will be answered.
The dialogues sound silly from time to time, but the performances are the strongest part. Sam Claflin, Olivia Cooke and Jared Harris are excellent at portraying their characters and what keeps The Quiet Ones in such scores, it’s probably them.
Director John Pogue seems to have aimed higher with this ghost story set in ‘70s England, but eventually the result is touching the average.
Maria Kriva, HMS
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