The Manor is the horror feature film entirely edited, for direction and screenplay, by Axelle Carolyn (The Haunting of Bly Manor, American Horror Story). It is part, together with Black as Night (here the review of Black as Night), Bingo Hell and Madres, of the second round of horror-thriller films of the Welcome to the Blumhouse project, a series of works designed in an anthological way, for the little screen, from Blumhouse Productions. The most interesting aspect of this initiative is that the various titles range a lot in terms of content, language and inspirations.
This choice leads to the streaming world of “pocket” products (also because it is evident that the budget is not the one reserved for large productions) able to entertain lovers of the genre for several hours. In the case of The Manor, we go to touch a great classic of horror cinema or supernatural apparitions, in this juncture linked to a residence for the elderly.
The derivative breath is particularly explicit looking at the realization, but the result, although it may seem obvious, is rather modest and dignified, in full compliance with the proposed television project. The film is available, together with Madres, from 8 October on Amazon Prime Video, closing, for now, the circle of proposals suggested for the on demand world by one of the most famous production companies on the world horror circuit.
The Manor and the subtle game of tension
The protagonist of The Manor, 70-year-old Judith (embodied by a brilliant Barbara Hershey), rejects the idea of aging, continuing to see dance as her sole life purpose along with her much-loved nephew Josh (Nicholas Alexander).
But a sudden illness forces the daughter and the boy to take her to a nursing home, where she will surely be followed with greater rigor now that the situation is slowly worsening. The first impact is traumatic as well as the particular events that take place between the rooms of the house, which hides dark secrets. Registically speaking, the public is invited into the mysterious place with a skilful play of chiaroscuro and really well caroused light effects that make the place appear bright and welcoming by day, but terrifying and disturbing at night. The camera exploits the unspoken and the horror components very well without ever revealing, on a visual level, the most frightening sequences, often leaving them only suggested. The author’s gaze is therefore extremely evocative and subtle, supported by a script that, although the fruit of well-known themes of the horror universe, uses its cards well, adding a mystery component that reveals its secrets only in the final bars of the feature film.
The conclusion, if on the one hand it allows the viewer to reap everything that has been sown previously, it provides an alternative to endings already seen, bringing a similar solution, in some ways, to the suspended closures of the episodes of On the edge of reality, where the horror or the absurd did not go away, on the contrary.
Also worthy of mention is the content proposal carried out by The Manor, which tackles the theme of old age in an effective way, exploiting this element to often confuse the audience, which remains in the balance, in some scenes, between reality and fiction, clarity and madness.
A contained result, with the design limits of the case
All that grants The Manor an irresistible charm, with the limitations of the case, of course. The title does not seem to want to go beyond the design dictates imposed from above, which see it paired with a series of unambitious horror films built only for the sole purpose of entertaining spectators. It seems that the entire product has been conceived with a view to weakening and that all those characteristics that appear modest to us, if better structured, could have given us much more excellent surprises.
If we think of directing, for example, it is dignified, functional and even particularly inspired at times, but it suffers from too obvious and controlled choices that make it excessively predictable. The script, however make use of mythological and folkloristic topos typical of the horror world and which are well reinterpreted, it lacks consistency and cohesion in some situations with respect to the material presented, leaving only in the final part the most curious and innovative ideas of the film.
The cast, composed of the aforementioned Barbara Hershey in the role of the protagonist, but also by Bruce Davison (Roland), Jill Larson (Trish), Fran Bennett (Ruth) and many others, it is clearly the spearhead of the entire production which makes use of the experience and talent of the artistic team to guarantee an effective and not at all trivial result in a title of this type.
The interpreters, in fact, manage to be the perfect glue between script and direction. Elements that if taken individually are imperfect, but find greater completeness and organicity when they are inserted in the actor’s point of view. The overall evaluation, although there are evidently some weaknesses, must also take into account the excellent use of traditional stylistic features that do not allow it to stand out, but which demonstrate an intelligent management of the narrative and directorial material.