Review: The Haunting of Radcliffe House

DVD: The Haunting of Radcliffe House (2014)

The Haunting of Radcliffe House (AKA: Altar) is a new ghost story starring Hollywood old boy Matthew Modine and Brit Olivia Williams. Written and directed by British filmmaker Nick Willing who made the excellent Photographing Fairies in 1997.

Set in the Yorkshire moors, Modine and Williams play Alec & Meg; a couple who move to an old mansion to oversee restoration work there. They have two children in tow and lots of wide open spaces for creepy things to occur in…

A by the numbers ghost story begins as we experience animated windows and walls, the ghostly apparitions and unwelcome noises begin early in the film, EVEN BLOOD IS SUCKED INTO THE FLOORBOARDS AND USED AS MASSAGE OIL!!!

The gloomy Yorkshire setting and decent pace help set this ghost story aside as one of the better offerings of late in an overwhelmed straight to DVD market. The ghosts are unremarkable but the tone helps with the lack of shock. It all goes a bit ‘Shining’ as the origins of the haunting are revealed but by that point I was happy watching Modine go ‘full psycho’ for maybe the first time on film.

I can recommend The Haunting of Radcliffe House to any horror fan looking for a good midnight movie filled with chills and good atmosphere.

Special Features – picture gallery.

Review by Ramrod (co-host of 60 Minutes With) from a disc kindly supplied by Aim Publicity.