One Line Review: The Manor, an Amazon Prime horror film with a dash of mystery thrown in, is the perfect movie to watch on a spooky Halloween night.
Youtube Trailer The Manor
Starring: Barbara Hershey, Bruce Davison
Director: Alex Carolyne
Release Date: 8 Oct 2021
Introduction
The Manor, an Amazon Prime original series written and directed by Axelle Carolyn, tells the story of Judith Albright, a woman who suffers a stroke and is admitted to a prestigious medical facility. After a while, she begins to believe in the supernatural, which appears to be encroaching on the lives of the residents of the nursing facility. A desperate Judith tries to persuade those around her that she does not require any assistance from the nursing home in order to live a normal, ordinary life, but is unsuccessful.
Plot
After suffering a mild stroke, Judith Albright reluctantly relocates to a historic nursing home, where she becomes convinced that a supernatural force is responsible for the deaths of the residents.
The quarrel
The constant conflict between the rational and the supernatural in The Manor is orchestrated extremely well, with just the right amount of balance, and it is accompanied by excellent cinematography, which results in well-equipped scenes as well as transitions between different scenes and different scenes. The film is eighty-one minutes long, but it manages to hold my attention throughout, making me concerned for poor old Judith and her slowly deteriorating mental health as the film progresses.
What I particularly enjoyed about The Manor was the novel casting, particularly the choice of Barbara Hershey to play the protagonist, an elderly woman attempting to escape from a nursing home hellhole. Hershey does an excellent job portraying the character of Judith Albright. The nuances of old age, transience, the usefulness of the elderly, and death serve as an excellent foundation for the development of a horror film plot, which is expertly executed by Barbara Hershey. The presence of an elderly protagonist who is plagued by the fear of death adds to the spookiness and elements of horror present in the film.
Director’s cut
Axelle Carolyn is well-known for directing horror films such as The Soulmate and Tales of Halloween, and she is not a newcomer to the world of horror. Typical elements of horror films and psychological thrillers are present in The Manor, including lingering sounds, dark stormy nights with just enough lightning, and whispering voices, all of which contribute to the feeling of being in a supernatural realm throughout the film. A good example of this is the constant dismissals of Judith’s cohabitants, who choose to believe that she has dementia and thus ignore her pleas for help in the event of an occurrence of the condition.
The Manor is a bit of a farce, but it is nevertheless entertaining. Indeed, it makes you wonder what would happen if you suddenly lost your marbles after a certain age! I also enjoy all of the jumps scares in the middle of the night that psychological thrillers are known for – they’re freaky but entertaining, which is exactly what I’m looking for. Judith is being honest, but as the film nears its conclusion, I couldn’t help but wonder if her mind was playing tricks on her because that would be so early in the twenty-first century. Is it all in her head, or is this something that is really happening?
In conclusion
Overall, The Manor is a psychological thriller with a dash of mystery thrown in for good measure. It is concise and considerate, and despite the fact that it runs for eighty-one minutes, the plot is not sacrificed. The suspense is maintained until the very end, and the short time span is to its advantage. The Manor is a Halloween-themed film that is well-suited for the month of October!
