Customer Reviews

The Gathering

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Yes, THE GATHERING is another religious horror movie, but this one has an intriguing premise. It opens with the discovery of a buried church and a bas-relief of the crucifixion. There are several inconsistencies in this find and there starts the fun in this film. Adding to the mix is Cassie Grant (Christina Ricci), a girl who has been taken in by a family after being hit by a car and losing her memory. She has no idea why she was coming to this little village, but soon begins to have horrible visions that something bad is about to happen to the good folk in this town. She also shares a kinship with the small boy, Michael, in the family that she is staying with, and she is fiercely protectively of him against the horrible future that she sees for him.

THE GATHERING doesn't have a lot of gore. It relies more on atmosphere, and (GASP) an intelligent plotline for the viewer involvement and I think the film was successful in this. THE GATHERING was another one of those movies that I'd never heard of, one that Hollywood sank straight to DVD with little or no fanfare. I think it's so sad that they don't ever try anymore to market these films to any audience anymore. After all, we desperately needed DUKES OF HAZZARD. There was an entertainment feast I couldn't live without.

THE GATHERING is worth your time. It has chills, suspense and a good story to tell, one that just might stay with you for a while. I know I won't forget it so easily.

Originally made in 2002 and mysteriously released on DVD in North America in 2007, The Gathering is a British horror film in the tradition of The Wicker Man and The Omen. The police uncover the remnants of a church built in the first century after a young couple discovered it and were killed for their troubles in a freak accident. During a rainy day, a mother (Fox) accidentally runs into Cassie Grant (Ricci), an American backpacker, with her car. Surprisingly, the young woman has only minor injuries and the guilt-ridden mother takes her in to her home in the small village of Ashby Wake.

Christina Ricci does a fine job as an inquisitive woman plagued by nightmarish visions and she certainly fares better here than in the flawed Hollywood horror film, Cursed, playing a strong, proactive character who we join in piecing together the mystery of this long-buried church.

Screenwriter Anthony Horowitz, a veteran of British television (including several episodes of Poirot and Murder in Mind), takes an old chestnut of people refusing to leave unpleasant things well alone (especially when it pertains to ancient evil) and conceptualizes it in a fresh, new way. There are lots of spooky premonitions, creepy townsfolk, atmospheric English countryside and a dark, secretive history that are staples of the British horror genre but they are presented by director Brian Gilbert (responsible for such fine fare as Tom & Viv and Wilde) in a straightforward way reminiscent of the classic Hammer horror films directed by Terence Fisher. At times, The Gathering does seem to be channeling The Omen, complete with a demonic looking dog and carefully orchestrated gruesome deaths brought on by the supernatural but where it deviates is in its intriguing concept. What happened to the people who witnessed Christ being crucified? Not the ones who looked in horror or sadness but with morbid curiousity? What if these people were condemned to spend eternity being present at other horrific moments in history? The Gathering takes this notion and runs with it in an entertaining and engaging way that sets it apart from most of the other horror films that have come out in the last year.

Fare Warning, anyone who can't stand to sit through a movie that builds up the suspense slowly, and isn't in your face from the word go, will likely turn this off before getting to reap the rewards of the eventual revelations of this film.

But for those who like their movies to slowly build up, to a great and thought provoking reveal, that will have you and your friends talking about it, even after the film ends, then, "OH BOY", is this film for you.

Also, if you're into films like, The Da Vinci Code, where Christian doctrines are put to the test, then this is also your type of movie (although to be fare, this film doesn't so much test Christian doctrines, as much as it adds a new mythology to it).

I'd love to go into the plot and such of this great film, but that would spoil the wonderful surprises that this film holds in store for anyone with the curiosity to look beyond the negative reviews (as I did) and give this movie a try.

I think you may be pleasantly surprised, at just how good this film really is.

Occasionally I will buy a movie sight unseen, based on reviews. The Gathering is one of those films, and I loved every moment of it. This is a chillingly atmospheric film with a slow build-up to a startling conclusion, much like Sixth Sense. What is sad is that I never heard of this movie before I stumbled across it on Amazon.com. Fans of this genre should not miss The Gathering.

While there have been a few other films in the past with some connections to this film's premise, I still found this to be a rather original film. It focuses on the morbid quality many of us possess and that is our facination with death and tragedy. Consider how much news we digest, the countless hours of reality TV we watch, and the number of times we slow down to view an accident. What drives us to observe these tragic events? Most of us don't stop to help or get very emotional about what we see. So what is the attraction? Morbid curiosity is the answer and this film offers up a Dante's Inferno-like punishment for those that engage in this cruel facination.

Cruel? Yes, it is. While it may seem generally harmless behavior to witness a tragedy, consider our disconnection to the pain of others or our lack of genuine concern. In addition, consider how some of us go out of our way to view tragedy in its many shapes and forms. We are merely curious. Notice how we rush to the TV when we hear something like "a stuntman was killed on the set of a film today. Be advised that the following pictures are graphic." Wow, we don't miss that do we? Talk show tears notwithstanding, we have been disensitized to human suffering and this film explores that issue. In fact, this film not only explores our morbid curiosity with tragedy, but also our often disconnections to those around us that if we connected with them, we could avoid a tragedy. We will often witness the unpleasant, but do little stop or prevent it.

The film starts out slow, but at a brief 80 minutes, it gets going quickly. If you haven't read one of the spoiling reviews below, this film also has a nice mystery in it as well as Ricci's character can't recall who she is or why she is in this town. She's had a bad accident on a back road and suffered severe memory loss. Ironically, the person that hits her while driving on a rainy afternoon shows the most emotion in this film filled with emotionless rubberneckers and I don't think that was any accident by the writers. Ricci's character is then cared for by the family that actually hit her on the road as they don't want her released from the hospital in no one's care as she can't recall who she is to see in this small town. What a wonderful message about both the benefits and costs of altuism in this rather bleak film.

The acting is generally okay, but lackluster in a number of places. I think Christina Ricci is an odd person to cast in this role and one I would like to have seen played by someone a little more wholesome looking. Ricci just comes across as strange here at times and out of place, but she does give an honest effort. Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) is perfectly eerie as her aloof friend, but not quite boyfriend.

The film is beautifully photographed and the climax is violent and very disturbing, but the score and direction is rather bland and unremarkable. In spite of some obvious flaws this film is definitely worth a viewing, but it is one of those film that you aren't likely to revisit once you understand the whole story. Once the mystery of who Ricci is is solved and we absorb the uncomfortable aspects of our own morbid curiosity, there isn't much left to keep our interest.

I've loved Christina Ricci since her Wednesday Addams days. She simply has a look that fits right in to any gothic / horror situation. She's grown into a beautiful woman and a fine actress. THE GATHERING has Ricci playing a woman named Cassie Grant, who is backpacking through rural England. Bam! Cassie is hit by a car, resulting in her staying w/ the family of the woman who struck her. Strange things begin happening as an ancient (and quite mysterious) first-century christian church has been unearthed nearby. Cassie starts noticing people following her and staring. As time goes on, she finds herself in the middle of something supernatural and chilling. I like this one. It reminds me of SOLE SURVIVOR, in that both contain creepy, lurking strangers and loads of eerie atmosphere. If you're a Christina fan, she's in almost every scene! I hope she makes a career out of horror movies, as she could easily be the Barbara Steele of this generation...

Storytelling has come up short of late, but that's not the case here. An interesting story that weaves along building up suspense with many unexpected twists and turns that will engage the viewer. If you're tired of the mindless special effects rush based on very thin plots, give this film a shot. I think you'll be glad you did. I'd never heard of this movie before, so I didn't know what to expect. It was a pleasant viewing surprise.

I am not one for religious horror films, but I was pleasantly suprised by this one. This is very orginal for it's genre and very orginal for horror films in a whole. This twist on the horror film, to my knowledge, has never been written about or filmed in the past. What I find different about it is the "condemned group", who are the people that "watch other's die for no reason other than just watching" is what this story is about. The group of people have been around since the cruisifiction of the Christ to the present. It is also about their involvement with present tragedies. If you like a different type of horror movie with a different type of story, then I definately recommend this one.

To be honest, I didn't expect much with "The Gathering". For some reason I thought this was another re-make of a Japanese Ghost story, and it would play out in similar fashion as "Shutter", "The Ring" or "One Missed Call". Boy was I wrong on that one!

"The Gathering" is not a fright-a-minute flick. It's not packed with tons of cheap scares, you aren't jolted out of your chair by something suddenly jumping onscreen as the music blares. "The Gathering" is more about eerie tone, setting a creepy mood, and packing an unusual but compelling story into its 90 minute running time. If you like a dark, slowly paced horror film that is more about atmosphere than blood, then you will enjoy "The Gathering".

Cristina Ricci plays a young girl named Cassie. Cassie has an accident, and can't seem to remember why she is in the small town of Ashby Wake, she is taken in by the Kirkman family while she recovers. Simon Kirkman is an art historian who was called to the area to investigate a 1st century chuch that has recently been discovered, which features an unusual relief on its walls. Cassie befriends the Kirkman's two children and feels drawn to almost autistic young Michael. Cassie begins to have strange visions, visions of violence and bloodshed, and just why is she being followed by a strange group of men and women where ever she goes?

As I stated earlier, the film is about tone and mood. Don't go into "The Gathering" looking for a thrills a minutes horror tale, this one is all about the build and anticipation. I'm not sure why this movie is below the radar, but it's well worth discovering, and much better than the slew of Americanized-Japanese ghost stories that were so prevelant in the early 2000's.

Loved this movie. This is the first time in a while that I was not able to guess the ending right off the bat. Christina Ricci sure has grown up. Grown up in all the right places. She reminds me a lot of Summer Glau from The Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles.