Film Reviews by SH

I borrowed a couple of Borley Rectory films from Cinema Paradiso, as I was intrigued by the story. One of them was good, while the other one - this one - is not of the same calibre. I am actually surprised that this title is available to hire. Despite a title which promises "the haunting of Borley Rectory", the story focuses on a haunting in a building some distance from the rectory itself. The ghost is a nun, who has sharp teeth and eyes that glow orange, while her blackened, clawed hands leave traces of blood on those she touches. In technical terms, the film was obviously made on video and the picture is often over-exposed with a peculiar green colour grade. In design terms, the setting is 1944 but the action takes place in a cottage with 1970s woodchip wallpaper and furniture, and a bed that is made using a duvet rather than sheets, blankets and eiderdowns. I really don't want to be unkind because it must have been fun for its cast and crew to make on an evidently tiny budget, with huge funds of enthusiasm trying to compensate for the shortcomings elsewhere - such as the incoherent script, the incomprehensible ending, the captions with spelling mistakes and the cast who, although attractive, cannot really act.