Even though The Awakening is a tad slow paced and would work better if The Others didn’t exist I still liked it. Based on my past reviews I rather enjoy ghost story movies, especially when they have some good creepy moments, which Nick Murphy’s film does. It helps that the cast is good: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Stauton are the main players. Isaac Hempstead-Wright also continues the modern tradition of having good child actors in movie roles as well, playing Tom, who holds a key to the film’s overall mystery. I actually did not guess the twist although I am sure some will argue it was fairly well telegraphed if you paid attention, but I was just enjoying the film so I didn’t think too hard about it.
Honestly The Awakening is as much a drama as it is a horror movie, and the same can be said for other modern ghost films such as The Woman in Black and The Others. There was a nice jump scare early on at the boarding school where the movie takes place, and Hall is really good at conveying a woman who is really hunting for the supernatural for her own personal reasons. Grief and loss sometimes brings people together, and the truth is not always an easy quest.
Down The Rabbit Hole 
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