Given the surfeit of paranormal investigation shows on the goggle box these days, with teams of “qualified researchers” bringing us night vision footage of spectral sights, not to mention the popularity of the Paranormal Activity franchise, it’s no surprise that ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night are still considered prime fodder for the big screen. And with the nights drawing in as autumn comes a-creeping, it’s the perfect time for a film such as The Awakening, which has just launched its first trailer. Take a look below...
Set in an England still reeling from the huge, tragic losses of World War I, The Awakening sees Rebecca Hall as Florence Cathcart, a no-nonsense, scientifically minded young woman who believes staunchly in the truth and sets out to investigate claims of the supernatural with the intention of giving them a right old debunking.
So when she’s contacted by Robert Mallory (Dominic West) and invited to stay at the boys’ boarding school where he’s the headmaster, she’s naturally ready to pour cold water on the students’ claims that spectral children have been spotted around the building. But guess what? Turns out there could be something very real haunting the place…
Directed by telly veteran Nick Murphy, the film features a script by Stephen Volk, a man who knows a thing or two about scary stuff, having created the TV drama Afterlife and being behind one of Empire’s favourite spooky fake-outs, 1992’s Ghostwatch. We’ve got high hopes for the movie, given a cast that includes Hall, West and Imelda Staunton.
The Awakening is out on November 11.