209.
The Secret of Marrowbone
7/10
It's been a while since I got to see a Scream Unseen thanks to Odeon and the really need to do more of these. Obviously, there aren't too many horrors at times but I can't get enough of them when they do come around. The trailer for this one had been pretty decent and with only one face that I recognised, that being Anya Taylor-Joy fresh off the back of being in Split, sometimes it helps to have some freshness. We would be following around a family of four, all young siblings, as they struggle to live with an evil presence in their home. Let's find out if this film should have remained a secret.
The movie begins with a family moving into their old, run-down home in America. It's their childhood home and their new hideout from the serial killer father of the family.
The mother makes them all assume their maiden name of Marrowbone and soon her health goes onto a downward spiral. The children take their minds off things and head down to the beach where we meet Allie, a local girl who takes up an interest in the oldest kid Jack. Soon, the mother passes and the kids need to keep this a secret due to Jack not being 21 and able to be a legal guardian. The mother has always said she never stole the box of money that the father stole but on her death bed, she admits to Jack that this happened. He takes this down to a cave to hide.
The mother makes them all assume their maiden name of Marrowbone and soon her health goes onto a downward spiral. The children take their minds off things and head down to the beach where we meet Allie, a local girl who takes up an interest in the oldest kid Jack. Soon, the mother passes and the kids need to keep this a secret due to Jack not being 21 and able to be a legal guardian. The mother has always said she never stole the box of money that the father stole but on her death bed, she admits to Jack that this happened. He takes this down to a cave to hide.
As time goes on, the father has escaped is standing outside their house, firing a bullet through their window.6 months into the timeline, Jack bikes into town to grab some groceries and head to see Allie. On the same visit, a local businessman named Tom pops in to see Allie too. He's clearly interested in her but doesn't notice Jack there. Once he discovers his presence, he lets him know that he will come by his house in the morning to pick up the last payment for their estate. This also means he needs a signature from the mother. Jack returns home to his worried siblings and he knows he needs to retrieve the money from the hidden box. We are getting a little flashback as we see the father hitting Jack with the money box at the cave, only a glimpse though and then we are back to normal as the money is retrieved and Tom arrives for the payment. He isn't happy that's it's in cash and he'll be even less happy when he finds out that the daughter has forged the mother's signature.
Later that night, the family sit to play some games and a cloth drops from a mirror. Instantly the younger siblings start to panic, believing that the ghost as returned because they used the blood money. The movie starts to take that slight turn into more a horror as there are now bumps in the night and suspense due to lack of musical score. The next morning, Jack climbs to the roof and drops the box of money down the chimney.
As a part of the story, we flip back now and again to Allie and Tom's awkward relationship, He knows about Jack's father and reveals this to Allie as a kind of one-up on him. She ends up asking Jack about this and the camera pans out, showing the second eldest brother spying on them both.
Back at the house, Billy goes a little mental with the fact that Jack is allowed out to socialise whilst the others must stay in for their safety. The is the first rift we are truly seeing open. Whilst all this is going on, the youngest brother named Sam, steals Jack's keys, which leads him to their mother's room. In there, he finds the file on his father, plays an old music box that his mum used to play for him and then finally, letting a sheet slip from the mirror, letting in the ghost. We catch glimpses of a figure underneath the fallen sheet, making it's way to Sam until he passes out. Jane, the sister, passes this information onto Jack who then tells the family that it was just a story they made up because they actually trapped their father in the attic that day when he came with the gun. They left him up there to die.
Back at the house, Billy goes a little mental with the fact that Jack is allowed out to socialise whilst the others must stay in for their safety. The is the first rift we are truly seeing open. Whilst all this is going on, the youngest brother named Sam, steals Jack's keys, which leads him to their mother's room. In there, he finds the file on his father, plays an old music box that his mum used to play for him and then finally, letting a sheet slip from the mirror, letting in the ghost. We catch glimpses of a figure underneath the fallen sheet, making it's way to Sam until he passes out. Jane, the sister, passes this information onto Jack who then tells the family that it was just a story they made up because they actually trapped their father in the attic that day when he came with the gun. They left him up there to die.
Meanwhile, Tom has offered Allie to come with him on a trip away. Allie finally admits that she is with Jack, leaving Tom upset and in turn, he gives her the newspaper clippings about Jack's old man. At the house, the local raccoon has popped in for dinner and in between the walls, it gets through a hole, with Jane trying to coax it back out. As she reaches in, a ghoulish hand grabs back at her. Tom is offered a hob away but must buy some shares to get the job. He doesn't have the money for this and the rumours of the siblings keeping that money catch his eye. He heads to the home and tells them that he knows the signatures from before are forged. They must give him the money to move away otherwise blackmail shall be on its way. Back up to the roof, but this time it's Billy. He heads down without Jacks' knowledge. He finds that the box has moved, there's a ripped apart raccoon along with other animal carcases and soon, a tiny figure emerges from the shadows. Shocked, Billy tries to climb back up the chimney, only just making it with his life and a massive gash to show for it, dropping the box on his escape.
The movie then begins to flip in the timeline once more. Allie is asked to meet Jack at the tree where they first ever made contact. There, she finds a book that is handmade and tells the story of the siblings and their father Simon. It reveals that the siblings are actually dead. It is written all of the way up until the bullet comes through the window. Back on that day, Jack tells the youngsters to head into the attack to hide. He heads out to give his father the box of money at the cave. They still end up having a fight with Jack stabbing his father in the neck, before he recovers and knocks Jack off a small cliff. Simon heads to the house and breaks into the attic where the siblings are hiding. He kills the three of them before Jack can make it back. He locks his father upstairs with his crime and bricks up the door. Jack takes his fathers gun and just as he is ready to pull the trigger and kill himself, his mind breaks up into the multiple personalities of his siblings. He begins imaging them day after day and covers the mirrors so that he can never truly see that he is all alone. This is all going on not long after the first day that they met Allie. After the first scenes of them meeting, looking back, you never saw them all in a scene together again. From then on, it is always just Jack and Allie. She races to the house with her new findings.
At the house, Tom has arrived for his money and after hearing weird sounds, decides that heading to the attic is a great idea. He smashes down the bricks and enters, instantly being set upon by Simon after finding the bodies of the siblings. Throughout the movie, we see Jack painting a ceiling stain, time and again, which must be their blood seeping through. Allie arrives to hear voices coming from the sibling's man-made safe space. In there, he finds Jack talking to himself as all his own siblings. In Jane's voice, she/he tells Allie that she needs to take care of them and when Allie brings Jack back around, he shouts at her to leave them all alone. She heads into the attic to find Tom after noticing his briefcase on the counter. Getting to the attic, she finds Tom with his throat ripped out before Simon squares up to her.
She shouts for the siblings to come and protect her and that's exactly what happens. Jack enters and shoots Simon before embracing with Allie. The film cuts to 12 weeks later and Allie is at a doctors appointment. The Doc is pleased to hear that Jack has shown no further signs of his multiple personalities and he gives Allie some more medication to take back with her. Returning to the house, she puts the meds in an already full cupboard and heads to Jack to gift him with a framed picture that they took on their first day together with all the siblings. She is continuing to let Jack believe that his siblings are still with him and after her walking back into the house, we see Jack look across the field at his happy sister and brothers.
This was a movie that promised horror but turned into a thriller instead. It had all the making of a horror with talks of ghosts, bumps in the night and suspenseful moments but in truth it turned into a good old fashioned thriller. There were a few jump scares and usual characteristics that come along to get the audience on the edge of their seats but more importantly, you couldn't tell what the main secrets were. Because of this, the storyline was compelling at times because you were kept guessing enough to be interested in the main plot and it's side stories. Once you could understand the timeline, it was easy to enjoy. The acting was on par and with George MacKay as Jack, the acting went from a normal, slightly troubled and caring older brother to a completely broken male. He portrayed this really well with the reveal and turning point towards the end. Overall, it was a really enjoyable watch for a movie that didn't seem to hang about in the cinemas for too long. I would recommend this one if you do like a bit of a surprise at the end but never expect a masterpiece. It was nice to see a horror that didn't deal with possession of some sort.
At the house, Tom has arrived for his money and after hearing weird sounds, decides that heading to the attic is a great idea. He smashes down the bricks and enters, instantly being set upon by Simon after finding the bodies of the siblings. Throughout the movie, we see Jack painting a ceiling stain, time and again, which must be their blood seeping through. Allie arrives to hear voices coming from the sibling's man-made safe space. In there, he finds Jack talking to himself as all his own siblings. In Jane's voice, she/he tells Allie that she needs to take care of them and when Allie brings Jack back around, he shouts at her to leave them all alone. She heads into the attic to find Tom after noticing his briefcase on the counter. Getting to the attic, she finds Tom with his throat ripped out before Simon squares up to her.
She shouts for the siblings to come and protect her and that's exactly what happens. Jack enters and shoots Simon before embracing with Allie. The film cuts to 12 weeks later and Allie is at a doctors appointment. The Doc is pleased to hear that Jack has shown no further signs of his multiple personalities and he gives Allie some more medication to take back with her. Returning to the house, she puts the meds in an already full cupboard and heads to Jack to gift him with a framed picture that they took on their first day together with all the siblings. She is continuing to let Jack believe that his siblings are still with him and after her walking back into the house, we see Jack look across the field at his happy sister and brothers.
This was a movie that promised horror but turned into a thriller instead. It had all the making of a horror with talks of ghosts, bumps in the night and suspenseful moments but in truth it turned into a good old fashioned thriller. There were a few jump scares and usual characteristics that come along to get the audience on the edge of their seats but more importantly, you couldn't tell what the main secrets were. Because of this, the storyline was compelling at times because you were kept guessing enough to be interested in the main plot and it's side stories. Once you could understand the timeline, it was easy to enjoy. The acting was on par and with George MacKay as Jack, the acting went from a normal, slightly troubled and caring older brother to a completely broken male. He portrayed this really well with the reveal and turning point towards the end. Overall, it was a really enjoyable watch for a movie that didn't seem to hang about in the cinemas for too long. I would recommend this one if you do like a bit of a surprise at the end but never expect a masterpiece. It was nice to see a horror that didn't deal with possession of some sort.
No comments:
Post a Comment