The Canal

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The Canal

2014

1h 32m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

49%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

David and his family move into a period house by a canal, and dismiss rumors of the place being haunted. David starts having nightmarish visions when he suspects his wife is cheating, and he begins to descend into madness.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

The Canal, though reliant on atmospherics and superb sound design, looks and feels more than genre cinema than Kavanagh's earlier, freakier one.

Rated: 4/5

May 10, 2015

Full Review

Mike McCahill

Guardian

Writer-director Ivan Kavanagh and cinematographer Piers McGrail fashion something properly cinematic from their watery, nondescript locations: an overcast, portal-like towpath, and a dilapidated public loo ...

Rated: 3/5

May 7, 2015

Full Review

Cath Clarke

Time Out

This Dublin-set horror rehashes every haunted-house trick in the book.

Rated: 2/5

May 5, 2015

Full Review

Jason Adams

The Film Experience

A harrowing Kubrickian experience -- Think if Stanley had directed Don't Look Now

Jul 6, 2021

Full Review

C.H. Newell

Father Son Holy Gore

It'd be closer to greatness if only the entire final reel hadn't squandered all that horrifying potential by going with a conclusion that's far too typical.

Rated: 3/5

May 7, 2019

Full Review

Molly Henery

The Blogging Banshee

It really was everything I want in a horror film; scary, beautiful, excellent acting, and a storyline that is both simple and imaginative at the same time. This is definitely the kind of film that will be on my mind for quite a while.

Rated: 10/10

Nov 3, 2018

Full Review

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Jerod S

The house by the canal had a murder happen in it. But when the dad suspects his wife is cheating on him, things begin to spiral. Whatever's in the walls has possessed him and repeats history.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/25/23

Full Review

Liam D

An atmospheric and haunting psychological thriller while getting a bit of time to get going will grip you

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

omg p

Plot was pretty good and descent into the madness was rendered pretty well. It all is happening from the prespective of the protagonist and viewer can't say (can only blindly guess) what is reality and what isn't. But at overall it is average ghost movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Gianmarco R

From my point of view, this film fits perfectly, with a very beautiful plot and evolution, and the descent into madness of the protagonist is also very well rendered. The whole film is pervaded by an enormous atmosphere of disbelief where the viewer cannot understand if the protagonist is right or wrong.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/22/22

Full Review

Audience Member

I spent my time wondering if I was watching psychological or supernatural horror. I would have preferred an ambigious ending. The director came down on one answer in the last five minutes, and disliked that.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A thrilling ghost story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

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Ivan Kavanagh

Director

Rupert Evans

David

Antonia Campbell-Hughes

Claire

Hannah Hoekstra

Alice

Steve Oram

McNamara

Kelly Byrne

Sophie

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Synopsis

David and his family move into a period house by a canal, and dismiss rumors of the place being haunted. David starts having nightmarish visions when he suspects his wife is cheating, and he begins to descend into madness.

Director: Ivan Kavanagh
Producer: AnneMarie Naughton, Vaughan Sivell
Screenwriter: Ivan Kavanagh
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 6, 2015
Runtime: 1h 32m

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