Marrowbone (4/5)

Marrowbone is a different kind of ghost story that should work for most horror fans. Slow-burning, but relentless, and featuring a stellar cast!

While Marrowbone isn’t on the same level, for me, it still offers some wonderfully creepy scenes along the way. And you can’t argue with the casting. Pretty much every character is played by someone who has had at least one other hit role before the release of this movie.

Especially George MacKay (Stephen King’s 11.22.63), Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things), and Mia Goth (A Cure for Wellness) who portray siblings. And finally, one of my favorite up-and-coming actresses, Anya Taylor-Joy. Though I guess you could say she has definitively arrived after starring in The Witch, Morgan, M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, and Thoroughbreds.

You can watch the trailer for Marrowbone right here or continue reading our review below.

A very recognizable villain

If I have one pet peeve critique point, it’s that Anya Taylor-Joy portrays a rather different character than what we’ve come to expect. She is very honest and kind, with no weird hidden agenda. I loved it, but also kept expecting more.

Instead, we get her acting across from someone, we know early on could be a challenge for her. A man portrayed by Kyle Soller is very interested in Anya Taylor-Joy. Even when she makes it clear that she really doesn’t feel the same way about him, he becomes rather insistent.

It’s exactly the kind of “villain” many people will recognize. He’s not exactly kind to any of the other characters either.

And that says a lot, since I’ll watch anything starring Anya Taylor-Joy or George MacKay.

A very neat ending

Marrowbone was written and directed by Sergio G. Sánchez. The movie marks the feature film directorial debut for Sergio G. Sánchez. Previously, Sergio G. Sánchez wrote the screenplays for the J.A. Bayona movies The Impossible (2012) and El Orfanato (2007).

This movie is definitely reminiscent of The Orphanage (El Orfanato) even though the story is very much its own.

While I had very high expectations, they were (for the most part) met. I wanted a bit more from the ending, which was very neat and definitive. Still, I did love it – even if I had guessed it quite some time earlier. Many of you probably will too, but it certainly doesn’t take away from the experience.

Marrowbone will be out in US theaters, On Demand, On Amazon Video and in iTunes April 13, 2018.

Details

Director: Sergio G. Sánchez
Writer: Sergio G. Sánchez
Cast: George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Mia Goth, Matthew Stagg, Kyle Soller

Plot

A young man and his four younger siblings are plagued by a sinister presence in the sprawling manor where they live and have kept secret the death of their beloved mother in order to remain together.