Set in 1974 London, where Britain prepares for electrical blackouts, writer-director Corinna Faith‘s (The Innocents) haunting new film The Power introduces us to Rose Williams‘ character Val, a nurse on her first day working at the hospital. As they prepare for the lights to go out, Val’s anxiety begins to build we see the nurse walk the halls and tend to patients with only a lamp to light her way. It doesn’t take long for strange things to begin to happen. Blackouts and spells that contort her body to plague her as the hospital’s dark secret begin to come to light.
The hospital setting is spooky enough all on its own but when the lights go out the tension builds and things escalate quickly. As if the setting, the dark, and the bad treatment Val experiences weren’t bad enough, paranormal activity manifests itself and seizure-like spells begin to take hold that leaves Val’s body contorted in unnatural ways, and she experiences random blackouts that leave her finding herself in terrifying situations.
The film features fantastic cinematography. The decision to film much of the scenes in the dark lit by only lamps was a brilliant choice. While filming in a dark environment can be tricky, The Power pulls it off fantastically. There is a great balance between showing us just enough, but not too much. The dark really adds tension to the movie and it almost becomes a character itself.
The cast is fantastic, especially Williams who gives us a wide range of emotions and emotes her character’s struggle well. Val is vulnerable, sympathetic, down-to-earth. Williams made her character feel real and made me feel for the poor girl. Williams stars along with Shakira Rahman, Charlie Carrick, Diveen Henry, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Nuala McGowan, Emma Rigby, and Theo Barklem-Biggs.
To me, The Power gives us a powerful message about women standing together. It’s about second chances and that everyone should be allowed one. It also urges us to stand up to the men who do bad things and get away with it simply because they are in a position of power.
Well paced and executed, The Power delivers plenty of scares and will leave you wanting to turn on all your lights. It’s spooky AF and delivers an ending that will leave you surprised. It’s definitely on our “must-see” list. And luckily, it’s out today on Shudder!
Williams shared the fact with us during our interview that she got scared herself during filming due to the fact that the movie was filmed in an old abandoned hospital. She even told us that she and the crew experienced some spooky events. Check out our interview to read all about it.
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