Missing children and bodies buried on moorland is perhaps a little too close to reality, but Chris Cronin’s film of Paul Thomas’ script is a brooding nightmare of obsession that leads to some shocking supernatural occurrences.
Claire (Sophia La Porta) had a friend go missing when she was young, and the person who went to prison for his murder is due for release. The father (David Edward-Robertson) is desperate to find his son’s remains and, since Claire now has a podcast, thinks that she can help. They head out onto the moors to attempt to get some closure.
The first part of The Moor could easily pass for an ITV drama, but things get creepier as they get closer to what is out in the remote, foreboding wilderness. Bernard Hill is a great addition to the cast, helping them plot out where to look. As the search continues, they get help from a young psychic (Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips), who goes with them to cover more ground. They are so far out that they are forced to spend a night out in the barren land, which ramps up the tension and takes the story into folk horror territory.
The Moor is dripping with malevolent atmosphere and by occasionally using first-person ‘found footage’ techniques, puts us in the middle of the terror. There are flaws – the opening scene of the boy going missing has contemporary magazines on the newsagent’s shelves despite it being set years earlier, and it’s a little too long – but it’s well-acted and has enough surprises to draw you into its world.
THE MOOR will be in UK Cinemas from June 14th and then on Digital Download from July 1st.
