The Banishing

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The Banishing

2020

1h 37m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

26%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

1930s, England. Linus, his wife Marianne and their daughter Adelaide move into town, where Linus has been posted as the new reverend. He’s been tasked by the Church to renew the villagers’ faith, which has been lost after the disappearance of the previous reverend’s family, who lived in the very same mysterious manor where Linus and his family have settled into. Soon after their arrival, strange events start to occur: ghostly voices, dark figures dressed as monks, mysterious totems, and Adelaide’s behaviour becoming stranger by the day. It soon becomes clear that a malicious entity seeks to possess Adelaide and that the Church is hiding a terrible secret… As the menacing spirit grows stronger, Linus and Marianne have to confront their beliefs and enlist the help of Harry Reed, a famous Occultist. Together, they must uncover the terrifying truth about their house and the paranormal force which inhabits it… and hope it isn’t already too late for Adelaide.

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Critics Consensus

The Banishing never truly taps into its full potential, although this gothic haunted house story still exudes a certain stately chill.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

04/22/2021

2.5/4

"The Banishing" loses its nerve and succumbs to commonplace plot devices rather than going for the jugular. Still, Smith and Findlay make it watchable.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

04/21/2021

2.5/4

Can a 30-second scene right at the tail-end of a motion picture derail what had been up to that point 90 minutes of solidly creepy, emotionally authentic old-school haunted house fun?

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Leila Latif

AV Club

04/17/2021

C

All of which sure sounds like a great time, and in many ways, it can be. But the incoherence grows more grating as the movie shuffles along...

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William Stottor

Loud and Clear Reviews

07/11/2024

3/5

The Banishing offers very little new or revolutionary, but remains relatively enjoyable and features impressive performances and sumptuous production design.

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Kristin Battestella

InSession Film

07/25/2023

It wonderfully tackles the 4th century strife between paganism, slavery, philosophy, science, Judaism, and Christianity in Alexandria before the fall of the Roman Empire.

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Paul Lê

Nightmare on Film Street

07/23/2023

7/10

When it comes to modern films about haunted places, The Banishing sits somewhere between tolerable and average.

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Horror fan 4

@Horrorfan4life Nov 25

Look the effects were really good. The standout effect was with the mirror. The story we've seen done millions of times but in this case it was to predictable. Tim Treakle

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Benjamin H

@RT54005248 11/04/2023

Though the visuals are fine, the acting serviceable and some of the designs befitting, The Banishing is a generic, wearisome and unemotional horror film that lacks interesting characters and is largely devoid of suspense.

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Hugo S

@Hugo_Shudder 06/05/2023

1938, England. A young reverend is assigned to serve as the new priest of a rural community. He is soon joined by his wife and daughter as they move to an estate provided by the church. Once settled, the family starts dealing with macabre hallucinations and other paranormal events. "The Banishing" relies on the familiar formula of the haunted house subgenre but without being able to innovate in terms of storytelling. Only the well-crafted gothic atmosphere is worth the viewer's attention.

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03/18/2022

confused and slow, I have no idea what happened here

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Luke S

@LS253 01/03/2022

Oh good lord. Why on earth do they insist on including children in ghost stories? Utterly irritating almost from the get go. Tries hard to use imagery and pathos to convert a really tired story that just doesn't hold any kind of suspense or dread. Lazy and uninteresting.

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12/27/2021

Movie had a great setting, theme but poor execution. I love how the story started but the plot developed into something basic, i started praying for jump scares and even more horric characters but was disappointed. This is a meh passed the time movie to be honest.

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Christopher Smith

Director

Jessica Brown Findlay

Marianne

John Lynch

Malachi

Sean Harris

Harry Price

John Heffernan

Linus

Adam Hugill

Frank

Nightsiren

100%

76%

Nightsiren

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92%

79%

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Gwen

71%

71%

Gwen

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The Banishing: Trailer 1

2:02

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Synopsis

1930s, England. Linus, his wife Marianne and their daughter Adelaide move into town, where Linus has been posted as the new reverend. He’s been tasked by the Church to renew the villagers’ faith, which has been lost after the disappearance of the previous reverend’s family, who lived in the very same mysterious manor where Linus and his family have settled into. Soon after their arrival, strange events start to occur: ghostly voices, dark figures dressed as monks, mysterious totems, and Adelaide’s behaviour becoming stranger by the day. It soon becomes clear that a malicious entity seeks to possess Adelaide and that the Church is hiding a terrible secret… As the menacing spirit grows stronger, Linus and Marianne have to confront their beliefs and enlist the help of Harry Reed, a famous Occultist. Together, they must uncover the terrifying truth about their house and the paranormal force which inhabits it… and hope it isn’t already too late for Adelaide.

Director: Christopher Smith
Producer: Maya Amsellem, Laurie Cook, Sharon Harel, Jason Newmark
Screenwriter: David Beton, Ray Bogdanovich, Dean Lines
Production Co: WestEnd Films
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 15, 2021
Runtime: 1h 37m

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