The Shrine (2010)
Directed by: Jon Knautz
Written by: Brendan Moore, Jon Knautz, Trevor Matthews
Starring: Aaron Ashmore, Cindy Sampson, Meghan Heffern
THE SHRINE (2010)
Directed by Jon Knautz
What’s it all about!
A group of young journalists investigate a cult said to practice human sacrifice, but their ambitious ways may lead them to becoming the cult’s next victims!
The Hughes Verdict!
With the year coming towards the last part, finally I have discovered 2011’s hidden horror. Every year I find one that thrills my bone, a film that I need to shout from the roof-tops and tell everyone about. Last year I was lucky because I had two delights with The Torment and The Objective making my horror juices flow but 2011 has been a poor year where most of my searches and end results have led to boredom and even to some that I have found hard to write about.
Well not anymore!
The Shrine is quite possibly one of the best horror films of the year, a delightful romp that stunned me and will shock all those reading this because what starts off as something you probably sigh at, ends up being an Evil Dead fun ride that will make you beg for a sequel. Perhaps what we are seeing here is a birth of a new name in horror and that is Jon Knautz, the man behind the “Ash!” inspired Jack Brooks Monster Slayer. Knautz for me personally seemed to disappear after the success of Jack and when his name appeared on screen I have to say my interest in this film peaked a little bit, but even from that I simply did not expect a film like this which mixes all horror genre, stirs them in a huge big bowl and dishes out a tasty dish.
We start though with the negative, a moment that even I thought “Oh not again!” Here we have the sight of a young man all set to be tortured by a man in a white cloak which looks like a whole human sacrifice gig. Echoes of yet another Hostel rip off will fill your mind and for the first twenty minutes you have to forgive yourself for not wanting to press the off button, because The Shrine is ticking all the right boxes of yet another torture-porn flick.
After seeing the set up we move to journalist Carmen (Sampson), who is determined to get a really big story and make a name of herself. Unhappy with her new assignment of “strange going on with bees!”, she uncovers a story about missing tourists in Poland which ties up the opening scene of the film. Ignoring her editors assignment and with reluctant photographer boyfriend Marcus (Ashmore) and eager assistant Sara (Heffern) in tow, the trio travel to the sleepy town of Alvania, where they find their arrival not so welcome. So far all very Hostel and countless other films of this nature and it continues with this theme for a while yet.
The usual happens, the villagers act suspicious, there is a weird man cutting up a pig, the villagers get angry because the trio are asking questions and soon they are demanding them to leave. It was here I was expecting them to either get kidnapped or book into a hostel but then we get to the first plot twist, and that is the sight of the lingering fog that hangs over a certain part of the forest. Despite the best intentions of Marcus’s to convince them to get back into their car and get the heck out of there, Carmen makes the wrong choice and convinces him to investigate this dense wall eerie, unnatural fog.
It’s here we switch to the work of Clive Barker, a thrilling set piece that had me glued to my seat. I have not seen quite a freaky scene all year and this is when The Shrine started to get my full attention. Sara enters the fog first only for then to disappear, Carmen follows and its here we realise that when inside, time sort of stops, there is no sound or visibility which seems bad enough until Carmen encounters a statue like a gargoyle right in the middle of this place. She stops to take a photo, but then something wrong, something supernatural happens and its here, you the viewer realise that this film is not going to be about Hostel after all but something different, something Evil Dead!
Its amazing at how much The Shrine manages to fool you into thinking what direction this is going and I doubt many avid horror fans could second guess the outcome of the film. This is one of the most perfect horror plots of many years and what adds to the whole mystery is the lack of subtitles in certain scenes. When the Polish people are talking among the innocent trio for at times, a lengthy debate, we get no incline into what they are saying. This makes us the viewer be in the shoes of these innocent characters because we are confused with them and while it may annoy some people, for me I thought it was an ingenious idea by the makers.
The final third act will blow you way! It totally makes you forget the dodgy moments that surround the film. Yes the characters do really stupid things and the dialogue at times is really bad, but its all worthwhile thanks to the final 25 minutes which makes a mockery of such films like the higher status Insidious. I can not tell you how good the climax is. Its like a wow, a full stunning assault to the brain that I did not expect, I am telling all Evil Dead fans that you will lap up the climax for all its worth.
From that said film, to other films like The Wicker Man, Hostel, The Ruins, to Barker to Bava, there are many elements of this film which have been influenced by past greats and yet somehow it all works. Even the final shot is not what you will expect, there is no daft twist or sudden rise of the Bogeyman, its a simple resolution that begs for The Shrine 2 to be made.
At the end of the day, I only have one statement to make….
“Take a bow to 2011’s most surprising and terrific underrated horror gem!”
Rating: 
I cannot wait for this Ross me old mucka, great review mate but I just have to see this for myself!
Wow, I was watching the horror channel (UK) and this came on. I didn’t hold out much hope as they do show some bad movies but occasionally there’s a good one thrown in there so I thought I’d give it a go. I’m glad I did! It was exactly as you said. Really good film