Altar (2014)
A young family move to an isolated house which the wife has been hired to restore, only to discover that the previous owner is reputed to have murdered his wife.
Director:
Nick WillingWriter:
Nick WillingStars:
Olivia Williams, Matthew Modine, Antonia ClarkeStoryline
The Hamilton family move into a large country house on the Yorkshire Moors to supervise its restoration from a dilapidated B&B to the original Victorian grandeur. When Meg Hamilton, wife, mother and renovation expert first loses her London team after an accident, then a local Yorkshire team too superstitious to continue, she's forced to carry on alone. The discovery of a secret attic room, a Rosicrucian mosaic, a bricked up root cellar and many other unexplainable events gradually convince Meg, her husband Alec and children Penny and Harper, that they're not only restoring the house, but also its original Victorian owners who died 150 years ago. But before they can escape, the house - and its former occupants - force them to spend one last, terrifying night under its roof.Written by India Andrews
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
17 February 2015 (USA)Also Known As:
Haunting of Radcliffe HouseFilming Locations:
Yorkshire, England, UKTechnical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1Cast
| Cast overview: | |||
 | Olivia Williams |
Meg Hamilton
| |
 | Matthew Modine |
Alec Hamilton
| |
 | Antonia Clarke |
Penny Hamilton
| |
 | Adam Thomas Wright |
Harper Hamilton
| |
 | Richard Dillane |
Greg
| |
 | Howard Lee |
Frank
| |
| Jonathan Jaynes |
Sean Donnelly
| |
 | Rebecca Calder |
Isabella
| |
 | Steve Oram |
Nigel Lean
| |
| David J. Peel |
Telephone Engineer (as David Peel)
| |
| Mark Heenehan |
Brad Mason
| |
| Stephen Chance |
Charles Kendrick Walker
| |
Movie Reviews
A young family move to an isolated house which the mother has been hired to restore only to discover that presences still linger casting a hold over her artist sculpturing husband.
Taking a leaf from a James Herbert novel and channelling countless haunted films Altar is an effective ghost story chiller, however, what sets director/writer Nick Willing's offering apart are the practical and some special effects which have an optical natural feel as opposed to the usual ineffective blatant CGI.
Willing delivers some genuinely eerie visuals and creepy moments, this coupled with a great score and on location shoot help give some credence and atmosphere to the proceedings. Matthew Modine's Hamilton sports a Shining Jack Torrence like woollen jumper (the writer character is replaced here by an artist) and mimics Torrence's transformation (although quite speedy) still Modine gives an intense performance. Both the younger actors are effective, actress Antonia Clarke is notable as Penny. Olivia Williams gives convincing performance which complements the naturalistic writing and setting.
While it breaks no new ground in terms of ghost stories or twist endings it's a solid old school British horror.
Taking a leaf from a James Herbert novel and channelling countless haunted films Altar is an effective ghost story chiller, however, what sets director/writer Nick Willing's offering apart are the practical and some special effects which have an optical natural feel as opposed to the usual ineffective blatant CGI.
Willing delivers some genuinely eerie visuals and creepy moments, this coupled with a great score and on location shoot help give some credence and atmosphere to the proceedings. Matthew Modine's Hamilton sports a Shining Jack Torrence like woollen jumper (the writer character is replaced here by an artist) and mimics Torrence's transformation (although quite speedy) still Modine gives an intense performance. Both the younger actors are effective, actress Antonia Clarke is notable as Penny. Olivia Williams gives convincing performance which complements the naturalistic writing and setting.
While it breaks no new ground in terms of ghost stories or twist endings it's a solid old school British horror.
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