‘We will not allow this time of darkness to extinguish the everlasting light…’
Tension building is tough to master. Because if you spend too long withholding the action in an attempt to create a slow build then eventually the tension dissipates and you are left with a film that is essentially boring. The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw is ostensibly about witchcraft, but the eponymous curse could also be a reference to the film itself. Because as creepy as the bizarro conclusion is, it doesn’t justify the journey of mundanity that precedes it…
Agatha Earnshaw (Catherine Walker) is an outcast in a society of outcasts. Living on the edge of town and despised by the other members of the devout community to which she (barely) belongs, Agatha is harbouring a secret. Namely, the fact that she has a daughter – the titular Audrey (Jessica Reynolds). When one of the townsfolk stumbles across Audrey at random, this sets into motion a series of events with catastrophic results for everyone.
What starts off as an ominous fable about religion and witchcraft soon descends into… not very much at all. Despite only clocking in at 90 minutes, long scenes of Irish people talking in hushed tones about vegetables ensures that The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw feels a lot longer. While there are some interesting visual moments and the acting is mostly on point, the whole thing is so grim and colourless that it’s difficult find any light at all to cling onto. This coupled with the derivative story results in a film that is competent but ultimately forgettable.
Skip it.