The Awakening is a 2011 British horror film starring Rebecca Hall as Florence Cathcart. She’s a successful author and ghost debunker driven in her paranormal exploits by the hope of somehow contacting the ghost of an old lover. The main plot of the movie begins when school teacher Robert Mallory (Dominic West) commissions her to either catch or debunk ghostly sightings at the boarding school where he works.

The film does a good job of establishing an eerie ambiance. Bluish coloring is employed to not only immerse the audience in this peculiar, ghostly world, but also to set the sort of mood that suits Florence’s grappling with her vague, dark past. The film was shot on-location in a sequestered mansion tucked away in the English countryside, which translates into a very authentic setting for the final product. This was an effective way to present the audience with a realistic isolated feeling that may have been lost with the use of surreal, CGI-crafted renderings of a conceptually similar setting. Music is used sparingly, again allowing the inherently creepy setting to impose a sense of dread that doesn’t feel forced.

The cinematography is very atmospheric, which sets The Awakening apart from many films in a genre mainly fixated on getting quick reactions from an audience. While there are a couple jump scares, the movie is mostly focused on a buildup to a twist in the ending. Therefore, this film is a good way for an inexperienced viewer or someone who is uncertain about the horror genre to dip their toes in the metaphorical water. It’s rated R, and there’s some light gore in one or two scenes, but the convincing performances, creepy and aesthetic atmosphere, and payoff at the end all make it an advisable watch.