The Banishing

2020

1 hr. 37 min.

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

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List

62%

61 Reviews

Tomatometer

28%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

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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Benjamin H

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.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/04/23

Full Review

Hugo S

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.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

confused and slow, I have no idea what happened here

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Luke S

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.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/03/22

Full Review

Audience Member

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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I liked it, eerie and full of suspense; maybe a little pedestrian at points but overall an enjoyable film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

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Christopher Smith

Director

Jessica Brown Findlay

Marianne

John Lynch

Malachi

Sean Harris

Harry Price

John Heffernan

Linus

Adam Hugill

Frank

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93%

87%

Nightsiren

92%

81%

Impetigore

33%

29%

Cadaver

72%

74%

Gwen

TRAILER

for Gwen

72%

50%

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The Banishing: Trailer 1

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

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

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 22, 2021

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

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?

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 21, 2021

Full Review

Leila Latif

AV Club

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...

Rated: C

Apr 17, 2021

Full Review

Kristin Battestella

InSession Film

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

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

Paul Lê

Nightmare on Film Street

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

Rated: 7/10

Jul 23, 2023

Full Review

Christopher Cross

Tilt Magazine

Christopher Smiths latest has just enough visual trickery, ghostly apparitions, and real-life horror to maintain intrigue in an otherwise standard haunted house film.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 15, 2022

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: David Beton, Ed Fraiman
Screenwriter: David Beton, Ray Bogdanovich, Dean Lines
Production Co: WestEnd Films
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 15, 2021

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