Mar 29, 2011

Black Death, Christopher Smith (2010)

As the Black Death sweeps through Medieval England, young monk Osmund (Eddie Redmayne) sends his girlfriend, Averill (Kimberly Nixon), to the safety of the remote forest while he remains at the monastery to serve God. Shortly thereafter, Ulric (Sean Bean) and his fierce band of Christian crusaders show up seeking a guide to help them locate an isolated village that is said to be untouched by the Black Plague. Convinced that this may be his one opportunity to reunite with Averill and serve a higher power at the same time, Osmund volunteers. Later, as the group departs, Osmund learns that their mission has much darker implications. Rumors persist that within the village dwells a necromancer with the power to bring the dead back to life; their true goal is to take the sorcerer back to the bishop for confession, trial, and execution.

Under the leadership of the deeply reverent Ulric, the group forges ever deeper into the blighted countryside, encountering madness, unrest, and unspeakable suffering along the way. Later, when the seekers finally arrive at their remote destination, they quickly find that the fantastical rumors seem rooted in fact -- not a single one of the villagers shows signs of infection, food remains plentiful, and spirits there are high. When mysterious village matriarch Langiva (Carice van Houten) reveals that survival does not come without sacrifice, however, Osmund realizes that his dark journey has only just begun. John Lynch and Tim McInnery star in this shocking period horror film from director Christopher Smith (Severance, Creep) and writer Dario Poloni (Wilderness).
blog comments powered by Disqus