I read the novel a long time ago, almost immediately after its release and it made a good impression on me, because it is quite atmospheric and Gothic, while there is a rather stormy development of events, in general, everything, as I like. But I had no idea that the novel had a film adaptation. I came across it quite by accident on one of the forums where the acting of Macy Williams was discussed. I wanted to see it immediately.
“The Mystery of Crickly Hall” looks like one big film, whole and very well shot. There are, of course, certain inconsistencies in the plot with the original novel, but any director has the right to change at his own discretion. And this is normal, but I doubted that firstly, in the original somehow more drama in the mother, and in the film adaptation she is some hysterical. Then, Gribben in the original was somehow creepier and more religious. And I have a somewhat mixed attitude about how they changed Stefan's fate.
Otherwise, I have no complaints at all. As I said, the film is very solid. The director was well able to show the connection of times, so that it is clear and did not read the novel to the viewer, while no unnecessary explanations are needed.
I also liked acting. The actors are unknown to me, but at the same time they play at a high level and are very suitable for their characters.
There's an atmosphere in the film. The only thing I would like more is the horror of Augustus. Each of his appearances could be made much scarier, it could be enveloped in an atmosphere of madness and fanaticism, but each has his own vision.
The picture is just beautiful, such a contrast between a quiet, beautiful English village and a Gothic haunted house.
I think the movie is worth watching for all lovers of mysticism and British cinema. It is very good and understandable to everyone, not just those who read the novel. At the very least, all who managed to recommend him were very pleased.
Once again, I am convinced that British cinema produces, in most cases, decent and meaningful films. This is confirmed by this mini-series. The overall impression was very positive. And based on the plot, this is more drama than a thriller. Perhaps this is the whole point, why the action in the film did not slide to the level of a boring narrative of events and an absurd ending. However, there is no action here either. But the atmosphere of the past years and the mysterious spirit of the English estate will not let you get bored.
First of all, the emphasis was placed on the relationship between the heroes. The tragedy of a family that has lost a child; the suffering of orphans who are mocked by their “benefactor”; the love that can be called “eternal”. The main characters are difficult to single out, all inextricably linked to each other, but the story begins with the Kaley family, so their story seems more important. It seemed to me a great achievement that they held together no matter what, supported each other, and kept their inner peace intact. Although, to underestimate the courage of orphans, the storyline of which is no less significant, and at the same time, palpably distant, is also impossible. Thank God, not everyone in the world is “stricken” by cruelty and perversion. There was a good soul in that place who spared nothing for these unfortunates. The brave girl, also an orphan, but unusually resistant to all the trials, challenged the inhuman foundations of the orphanage and forever turned the lives of its inhabitants in 1943, along the way “hooking” and heroes in our time. These leaps from the past to the present and back make the plot very entertaining. Indeed, until the very end, there is interest in all the characters, and, the whole truth we learn only in the final.
I want to say a special thank you to all actors, from small to great. All their emotions were very natural and sincere. I've seen many before. For example, Tom Ellis. To be honest, this series came out through his filmography. Again, he didn't disappoint. A good father and just a nice man, with a sense of humor, that's all it takes for this image. Maisie Williams and Donald Sumpter looked here from the series Game of Thrones. Not bad either, but there were other actors who made a good impression on me. So, Ian de Kestecker was very good. Very emotional guy. The history of his relationship with the heroine of Olivia Cook is so romantic, and even the tragedy of their completion gives them a special charm. There is eternal love in the world. By the way, Olivia is a very nice girl with a pleasant smile and with the makings of a very good actress. I was happy to see David Warner, good Percy, the mascot of Crickly Hall. Among the children I would like to highlight Pixy Davis and Kiana Parciani. Emotions will give a head start to some adults. It seems like a decent shift is growing.
I was completely satisfied with what I saw. Joe Ehirn managed to intrigue me again. Before that, he was a writer for the TV series “Da Vinci’s Demons”, which I am unconditionally in love with. In short, everything you need for a good drama is here. The director even added a few ghosts to the plot in order to give us goosebumps, probably. But they do not frighten, but only give the picture a touch of mild sadness. This film-series leaves behind a feeling that 3 hours of time was spent on it for good reason, as if he had something to share with his viewer, that kindness will really save the world.
10 out of 10
The mystery of Crickly Hall can be seen under tea, rain, melancholy mood and when there is nothing to do.
I want to see about the missing child and the secrets of the orphanage - see "Shelter". Want to just spend a couple of hours of your life for a leisurely, not terrible and predictable story - watch this mini-series, the benefit of series only 3.
I’m not going to talk about acting, maybe someone played well, but acting alone is not a good movie. The plot, the plot! Intrigue at least some, a twist of the unexpected. .
It's peaceful and not new. What was nice to look at was the house, I love such houses, and who likes quiet English villages with original buildings, come here. But watching the house for a long time is also boring, so decide for yourself.
6 out of 10
By the neglect of the mother of the family, the young son of Eva and Gabe Kaley, Cameron, disappears. The worried parents don't even know if he's alive or not, as the police can't find the body. After a year of searching, Gabe is ready to accept the fact that they will never see his son again and he is dead, but Eva stubbornly believes that Cameron is not dead and we need to find him. Around this time, Gabe leaves for a few months on a business trip, and with him takes a family - his wife and two young daughters. They arrive at Crickley Hall, a strange house where several children died in a flood. Of course, innocent souls will immediately begin to wander around the house, proving to the newly arrived tenants that they are quite real, but in all this Eve suddenly sees that somehow Crickly Hall is connected to her missing son, and in order to find him, she must solve the mystery of the death of the children at home.
In principle, closing our eyes to the fact that the series produced by the BBC, we can safely say that it turned out to be very intriguing, but to attribute to him the genre of “horrors”, in my opinion, too bold. Of course, we are talking about ghosts and dead people in the series, but everyone knows that there is a difference between the concepts of “horror” and “mystical thriller”, so the film is highly related to the second one, and in this case the viewer must understand that there will be nothing terrible here. But the plot itself with its many riddles, I will not argue here - it seems more or less entertaining and seems like a quest.
Actually, the first thing you pay attention to when a family comes to Crickly Hall is the illogical actions of the main characters. No, of course, I can roughly imagine how Eva and Gabe felt when their child went missing, but I don’t quite understand how a mother who loves her daughters as well as her youngest son could risk the lives of the little ones by insisting on staying in the house, while Lauren and Callie terrified their parents that they were scared, since ghosts are not what appear every night in their bedrooms, but even cause them physical harm. Was it difficult for Eva to take her husband and children away from danger and stay in the house herself, since she wanted so much?
Although, despite such shortcomings, it should be noted that the creators were going in the right direction - the topic of children and violence against them. It is unlikely that anyone will be able to remain indifferent when a little boy is subjected to daily beatings, and, undeserved, just because he differs from his peers by nationality. Therefore, when the wave of pity for this young creature is dulled, the viewer begins to become infected with hatred for the person who sowed evil. The main villain and his retinue are served very competently, but at the same time too banal. Interweaving two stories unfolding in different time periods, the creators in the second series easily threw the problems with finding Cameron into the background and brought to the first confrontation the defender of all offended - Nancy and gloomy August. Watching their history was much more interesting than gradually going crazy Eve.
However, it is puzzling that the reason why this story happened in the present tense suddenly disappeared somewhere by the very end. However, since the series did not cause me much enthusiasm, I did not care how the Kaley family ended up there. But, to be fair, it is worth noting that the film was made quite well, and one could praise the actors (even Suranna Jones, who was deeply unsympathetic to me).
This is, you know, a quiet movie.
6 out of 10
It will probably be gone from memory in a couple of days.
This series examines the fate of one house in two time periods: the present (2012) and the past (1943). The detail is fascinating. Coupling with various interior items that connect the past and the future (clock with pendulum, yula, magazine). This series can truly be called atmospheric. Based on James Herbert's novel The Mystery of Crickly Hall (2006)
It all starts with a caring and loving family who live for themselves and enjoy life. Immediately, the viewer is shown a mysterious connection between the son and mother. In just five minutes, the most important thing happened, which later served as the start for the story of Crickly Hall. My son got lost on the playground. Expected rather a longer tie, deepening into the character of the characters. So why make a mini-series? But the directors decided not to delay and twisted the events. Which, in the end, can be considered a plus. Then everything will go in a more measured way. The answer seems so close and obvious. What happens next? An unexpected turn or a classic happy ending?
The format of the mini-series allows writers to think on a larger scale, to reveal the characters of the main characters to their worth. Immediately notice bright characters and no less bright actors depicting them. Many people have been familiar with popular TV series. We see all age generations: children, young, adults, old people. Everyone has a test to go through.
The spiral of events is twisting more and more, and the intrigue is growing. We learn more about the past and how it affected the future. Learn about the heroism of the characters, their determination, overcoming doubts. A medium appears. A woman who has already experienced ghosts.
We are told a love story, a hate story and a story of selflessness. The idea is very interesting, although not new. There are a lot of movies about haunted houses, where the medium comes and tries to fix it. But this painting contains something special that sets it apart from the rest of the assortment of spirited buildings. Perhaps a complete introduction to history. A true movie where the atmosphere creates a fright, not a frightful atmosphere. There are elements of detective, drama, which further escalates the prevailing situation. The emphasis is on racial and religious prejudice, child abuse, unlike others.
I liked the dark and mesmerizing melody on the screensaver of the series, Les in the negative is complemented by this music.
In general, this creation will not make you shudder or frightened, but will leave behind a strange, terrible sensation.
For 1943, sincere feelings, a juicy blow in the nose, a little girl-charming and *klip*
Mystery of Crickly Hall is primarily a BBC series, and that explains a lot. Do not expect from him the usual and integral elements of a horror film. Calm narrative, scrupulous attention to detail and secondary characters. What makes both stories seem as complete as possible, and the motives and feelings of each character understandable.
The first two series, while the scenery of the city unfolds and residents are placed on its map, seem too long. A large number of characters, which would have harmed the full-length film, in the form of a series looks quite appropriate, everyone has enough screen time, and the creators did not stint on the general historical entourage. But all these advantages can be attributed exclusively to the second world, the world of shelter, our time in comparison loses and completely pales in the second series. Interest in what is happening in the present disappears, the picture of the past looks aliveer, brighter, filled with events and anticipation of a tragic outcome.
5 out of 10
The entourage of a classic English village, skeletons neatly laid out in the closets of respectable citizens, a tragic love story and several ghosts. What else does it take to have a good rainy evening?
Quite a passing mystical mini-series “The Secret of Crickley Hall”, filmed for the British BBC, is intriguing not so much with a banal synopsis as with the presence in the acting ensemble of the young star of “Game of Thrones” Maisie Williams. In the rest, everything is quite typical for a TV movie - medium-hand performers, simple camera work and a littered plot, stretched as much as three series. However, to scold the tape on the Hamburg account for nothing, especially, it has its advantages.
"The Mystery of Crickly Hall" can not be attributed to the genre of "horror", since there are no usual "scarlets" in the tape, although there is a house with ghosts. This story is generally quite harmless and naive (if you do not take into account the tragic plot). But full of eternal values, such as maternal love, devotion to a beloved woman, a reverent attitude to children, in short, all that you can slip into absolutely any genre framework. And that's not what's interesting. The events of the film develop in two different eras and, I must say, the temporary jumps are realized surprisingly skillfully. Towards the end, a sense of parallelity of the reproduced events is created, especially since the storylines are closely related, and the answers to the questions that the characters ask “here and now” are promptly in the distant past. Among other things, the film is very English, and it results not only in the usual albion pastoral, but also in the pedantic restraint of most of the characters, a slightly related film with the detective genre. So this unpretentious tape can safely dedicate to big fans of all English, again, without enthusiasm and too zealous praise.