The Awakening

"Sometimes dead does not mean gone."

2011 1h 47m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 1,563

HorrorThrillerMystery

Synopsis

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In post–War England, a writer and sometime-ghost hunter investigates a reported haunting at a boys boarding school.

“Sometimes dead does not mean gone.”

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Cast

Rebecca Hall
Florence Cathcart
Dominic West
Robert Mallory
Imelda Staunton
Maud Hill
Isaac Hempstead Wright
Tom
Lucy Cohu
Constance Strickland
Cal MacAninch
Freddie Strickland
John Shrapnel
Reverend Hugh Purslow
Diana Kent
Harriet Cathcart

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nick Murphy
Writers: Stephen Volk, Nick Murphy, Neil Maguire
Languages: French, English
Countries: United Kingdom, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nick Murphy, shot by Eduard Grau. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Daniel Pemberton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Victoria Boydell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rebecca Hall and Dominic West and Imelda Staunton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nick Murphy directs. Eduard Grau behind the camera. Daniel Pemberton scores. Victoria Boydell cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, France. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 15 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, France.
5Directed by Nick Murphy, shot by Eduard Grau. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Daniel Pemberton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Victoria Boydell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Rebecca Hall and Dominic West and Imelda Staunton carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Sometimes dead does not mean gone.".
10IMDB entry: tt1687901 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 15 themes, including "suicide", "england", "classroom", "investigation".

The technical file

Cinematography: Eduard Grau
Original score: Daniel Pemberton
Editing: Victoria Boydell
Production design: Jon Henson
Costume design: Caroline Harris
Makeup / hair: Sandrine Mugglestone
VFX supervisor: Sean Farrow
Stunt coordinator: Abbi Collins
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,798,235
Box office: $6,879,667
Return: 143% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Awakening (2011)

Also by

Nick Murphy

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-10-12
★ 7.5/10
There's no place on earth people understand loneliness better than here. The Awakening is directed by Nick Murphy and Murphy co-writes the screenplay with Stephen Volk. It stars Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Shaun Dooley and Joseph Mawle. Music is by Daniel Pemberton and cinematography by Eduard Grau. Britain, post World War 1, and Florence Cathcart (Hall) makes a living as an exposer of charlatan spiritualists, a debunker of ghost sightings. When she receives a request from school master Robert Mallory (West) to investigate the supernatural events at a remote boarding school for boys, she is suitably intrigued to take on the assignment... It comes as no surprise to find that numerous reviews for The Awakening make reference to ghost story films that were made previously. The Woman in Black released a year later would suffer the same fate, charges of it not bringing nothing new to the table etc. A ghost story set in a big mansion or remote educational/correctional establishment is what it is, and will continue to be so, all fans of such spooky fare ask is that it does it well and maybe add some adult themes into the bargain. The Awakening does these in spades. The concept of a disbeliever in ghosts having their belief system tested to the full is not new, but it's a great concept and one with longevity assured. Here, boosted by a terrific performance from Hall, the screenplay consistently keeps you guessing. The possibilities of real or faked are constant as the director pumps up the creep factor, whilst he simultaneously crafts a number of genuine shock sequences - including one of the best doll house scenes put to film! This really has all the requisite jolts and atmospheric creeps for a period spooker. It's not until the final quarter when the screenplay begins to unravel its mystery, a finale that has proved both ambiguous and divisive. The ambiguity factor is a little baffling since everything is made clear in a nicely staged scene, and this is something which the director has gone on record to state as well. As for the divisive side of things? That's a blight for this sub-genre of horror. It's convoluted! Contrived! It has been done before they cry! These are true to be sure, and without doubt there's a leap of faith required to not get annoyed, but it garners a reaction and has done its ghost story essence very well indeed. Beautifully photographed, scored and performed by the leads to boot, this is for sure one for fans of period spookers with brains. 7.5/10

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