THE CURSE OF AUDREY EARNSHAW (2020)
Label: Epic Pictures
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 94 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 with Optional English & Spanish Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Thomas Robert Lee
Cast: Catherine Walker, Jared Abrahamson, Hannah Emily Anderson, Geraldine O’Rawe, Don McKellar, Sean McGinley, Jessica Reynolds
Set in 1973 indie folk-horror entry The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw (2020) is set in isolated community whose inhabitants are descended from Irish protestant settlers who still live off the land free of technology of any kind, very much the way the Amish have done. The agrarian community have fallen on hard time, the faithful farmers of the church lead by Pastor Dwyer (Sean McGinley, Shrooms) have bighted crops and the livestock have become sickly. Meanwhile it is hard for them not to take notice of a woman named Agatha Earnshaw (Catherine Walker, A Dark Song) who is not a member of their congregation has prosperous crops and free of the pestilence that has plagued the others farms. This disparity breeds envy and mutterings of unnatural things about Earnshaw, more so when she refuses to barter for her produce with the the community who are starving and losing loved ones to the mysterious blight.
Agatha has been keeping a secret from the villagers, the existence of her 17 year-old daughter Audrey (Jessica Reynolds, My Left Nut), who was born during an ominous eclipse that the villagers often cite as the beginning of their years-long hardship. The paternity of Audrey is left unknown but you get that she might be the work of the Devil himself, and that could very well be, the film makes no secret that both Agatha and Audrey belong to a coven of witches who gather in a barn after dark to practice their dark craft, though the villagers seem to not be aware or do not want to admit such a thing. The strong-willed Agatha has raised her secret daughter to keep hidden and unseen from the villagers, hiding her away in cupboards at home and inside a wooden crate on her horse drawn wagon when they are travelling through the village.
What we get is a witchy coming-of-age tale of a increasingly rebellious teenager acting out against her mothers wishes in an effort to protect her. On a trip through town Audrey witnesses her from inside her crate her mother being slapped by Colm (Jared Abrahamson, Fear the Walking Dead), the son of the pastor, who is angry at Agatha for what he perceives as her flaunting her prosperity during a funeral for his young son. Soon after the vengeful young Audrey draws upon her witchy power placing a curse on Colm's pregnant wife, Bridget (Hannah Emily Anderson, Jigsaw), a curse that not only darkens his doorstep but creeps into the larger community, bringing with it tragedy and death to the congregation, even corrupting the clergy.
Writer-director Thomas Robert Lee has crafted an engaging slice of folk-horror, despite the 1970's period it takes place in a community that is firmly set in the ways of the old world, it feels like it's happening in the18th century with gorgeous country scenery and rustic looking homes lit by candlelight. While there is no modern technology within the community there are fleeting reminders of the modern period with a propeller plane passing overhead, which brought to mind M. Night Shyamalan's The Village (2004), but otherwise the period feels like other films of this sort, The Witch (2015) and Hagazussa (2017) for instance.
The artful lensing from cinematographer Nick Thomas captures the cold beauty of the rural landscape with earthen tones that keep you in the right frame of mind, as does the score from Bryan Buss and Thilo Schaller, which makes for an engaging watch. The flick it a bit ambiguous in places leaving viewers to draw their own conclusion about certain things, but not so ambiguous enough that the overall gist is lost on you, but instead allows your mind to tint the image to varying degrees. There's some creepy and disturbing images to be found throughout, including that of a woman performing an abortion on herself with a straight-razor, but I was a bit disappointed that during a scene that had a tinge of Rosemary's Baby about it we didn't get a proper payoff, which can probably be attributed to budget limitations more so than an aversion to showing it.
Catherine Walker turns in a powerful performance as the fiercely protective mother struggling to not only protect but relate to her teenage daughter, played with a wicked sort of beauty by young Jessica Reynolds. The actors playing the other village folk are equally good, particularly Sean McGinley as the corruptible clergyman, Jared Abrahamson and Hannah Emily Anderson as grieving parents, and Don McKellar as the village doctor driven mad by the blight and curse put upon his community.
Audio/Video: The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw (2020) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Epic Pictures framed in 2.35:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. The image looks crisp and clean with a slightly diffused lensing that adds a coldness to the image. The audio comes by way of English Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 with optional English subtitles.
Extras come by way of a an audio commentary with writer-director Thomas Robert Lee, a brief 2-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a pair of 2-min trailers and a selection of Epic Pictures trailers. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork that looks great, to me it has a Laura Palmer/Twin Peaks vibe to the artwork.
Special Features:
- Behind the Scenes Featurette (2 min)
- Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Thomas Robert Lee
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- Teaser Trailer (1 min)
- Epic Pictures Trailers: Bleed With Me (2 min), Nail In The Coffin: The Rise and Fall of Vampiro (2 min), La Casa (2 min), Uncle Peckerhead (2 min), Sleepless Beauty (2 min), Circus of the Dead (2 min)
The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw (2020) is an engaging coming-of-age tale steeped in old world witchery that looks fantastic, has a particularly great cast, and while there are elements of the story that have me wanting a few more answers, I was quite satisfied with it overall. I give this a big thumbs up for fans of period horror and witchcraft, one of my favorite Epic Pictures releases so far this year.
Agatha has been keeping a secret from the villagers, the existence of her 17 year-old daughter Audrey (Jessica Reynolds, My Left Nut), who was born during an ominous eclipse that the villagers often cite as the beginning of their years-long hardship. The paternity of Audrey is left unknown but you get that she might be the work of the Devil himself, and that could very well be, the film makes no secret that both Agatha and Audrey belong to a coven of witches who gather in a barn after dark to practice their dark craft, though the villagers seem to not be aware or do not want to admit such a thing. The strong-willed Agatha has raised her secret daughter to keep hidden and unseen from the villagers, hiding her away in cupboards at home and inside a wooden crate on her horse drawn wagon when they are travelling through the village.
What we get is a witchy coming-of-age tale of a increasingly rebellious teenager acting out against her mothers wishes in an effort to protect her. On a trip through town Audrey witnesses her from inside her crate her mother being slapped by Colm (Jared Abrahamson, Fear the Walking Dead), the son of the pastor, who is angry at Agatha for what he perceives as her flaunting her prosperity during a funeral for his young son. Soon after the vengeful young Audrey draws upon her witchy power placing a curse on Colm's pregnant wife, Bridget (Hannah Emily Anderson, Jigsaw), a curse that not only darkens his doorstep but creeps into the larger community, bringing with it tragedy and death to the congregation, even corrupting the clergy.
Writer-director Thomas Robert Lee has crafted an engaging slice of folk-horror, despite the 1970's period it takes place in a community that is firmly set in the ways of the old world, it feels like it's happening in the18th century with gorgeous country scenery and rustic looking homes lit by candlelight. While there is no modern technology within the community there are fleeting reminders of the modern period with a propeller plane passing overhead, which brought to mind M. Night Shyamalan's The Village (2004), but otherwise the period feels like other films of this sort, The Witch (2015) and Hagazussa (2017) for instance.
The artful lensing from cinematographer Nick Thomas captures the cold beauty of the rural landscape with earthen tones that keep you in the right frame of mind, as does the score from Bryan Buss and Thilo Schaller, which makes for an engaging watch. The flick it a bit ambiguous in places leaving viewers to draw their own conclusion about certain things, but not so ambiguous enough that the overall gist is lost on you, but instead allows your mind to tint the image to varying degrees. There's some creepy and disturbing images to be found throughout, including that of a woman performing an abortion on herself with a straight-razor, but I was a bit disappointed that during a scene that had a tinge of Rosemary's Baby about it we didn't get a proper payoff, which can probably be attributed to budget limitations more so than an aversion to showing it.
Catherine Walker turns in a powerful performance as the fiercely protective mother struggling to not only protect but relate to her teenage daughter, played with a wicked sort of beauty by young Jessica Reynolds. The actors playing the other village folk are equally good, particularly Sean McGinley as the corruptible clergyman, Jared Abrahamson and Hannah Emily Anderson as grieving parents, and Don McKellar as the village doctor driven mad by the blight and curse put upon his community.
Audio/Video: The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw (2020) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Epic Pictures framed in 2.35:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. The image looks crisp and clean with a slightly diffused lensing that adds a coldness to the image. The audio comes by way of English Dolby Digital 2.0 and 5.1 with optional English subtitles.
Extras come by way of a an audio commentary with writer-director Thomas Robert Lee, a brief 2-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a pair of 2-min trailers and a selection of Epic Pictures trailers. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork that looks great, to me it has a Laura Palmer/Twin Peaks vibe to the artwork.
Special Features:
- Behind the Scenes Featurette (2 min)
- Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Thomas Robert Lee
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- Teaser Trailer (1 min)
- Epic Pictures Trailers: Bleed With Me (2 min), Nail In The Coffin: The Rise and Fall of Vampiro (2 min), La Casa (2 min), Uncle Peckerhead (2 min), Sleepless Beauty (2 min), Circus of the Dead (2 min)
The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw (2020) is an engaging coming-of-age tale steeped in old world witchery that looks fantastic, has a particularly great cast, and while there are elements of the story that have me wanting a few more answers, I was quite satisfied with it overall. I give this a big thumbs up for fans of period horror and witchcraft, one of my favorite Epic Pictures releases so far this year.
More screenshots from the Epic Pictures Blu-ray:
Extras:
