Marrowbone (2017)

Director: Sergio G. Sánchez

Starring: George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton

A young man and his three younger siblings, who have kept secret the death of their beloved mother in order to remain together, are plagued by a sinister presence in the sprawling manor in which they live.

‘Marrowbone’ is not your typical haunted house tale. Instead, this is a beautifully told story. It doesn’t rely on loads of jump scares to keep you awake, although it does have some very effective jump scares.

Firstly, the acting. Wow, great! The actors are really good and I believed them every step of the way. I felt their agony, joy, hurt, etc. The visual effects were also very good. Some scenes were downright creepy. The film has a few back stories, though, and during the final act they jump backwards and forward in time, showing these scenes simultaneously. This can be a bit confusing, but if you put your mind to it, it is quite easy to follow. I’m just not sure why they opted for this method.

The twist ending is interesting and unexpected. It reminded me a bit of ‘The Others’, starring Nicole Kidman. Ok, now here’s some spoilers. I have some issues with the father being locked up in the attic. Being locked up for 6 months and presumed dead, he was remarkably strong still. Wouldn’t he have cried out for help? We only occasionally heard him via means of footsteps, creaking floors, etc, but a man being locked up for so long would be desperate to escape and wouldn’t have been so passive. If he was too weak due to hunger or thirst, I could understand it, but – as mentioned – he looked quite powerful still when he made his appearance towards the end. Just saying.

In general, this is a very well executed suspense thriller.

Would I watch it again? Probably not.