Darren McStay’s Finnish-set chiller To Thy Rest is an interesting, if ultimately unsatisfying affair. Supernatural portent, allusions to cults and pagan rituals, and psychotic instability all play their part in creating an unsettling atmosphere ripe with mystery and malevolence.
Yet you can’t help feeling there’s an element missing, a key scene or two that would perhaps shed a little light on these shadowy events. We’re all for some ambiguity, but you’re presented with a fair amount of information over a brief 77-minute running time, so you’re required to fill in the blanks a little.
In essence, this is a haunted house story, albeit one with the aforementioned variations on the theme. Spiritual Medium Arthur (Rikki Chamberlain) is at the end of a European tour promoting his book and desperate to resuscitate his flagging supernatural powers. Arriving at a hotel in Finland, he is challenged initially by the abruptness of the staff, and then by his own grasp on reality.
McStay clearly has an instinct for creating a creepy, oppressive atmosphere. His direction is expertly vague, leaving you with a sense that something is off, hidden perhaps, yet never revealing what. And Chamberlain is excellent as the unlikeable, sadly sympathetic Arthur, a man whose sourness shields him from accepting his own failings.
There are comparisons to be made with The Shining – remote hotel, snowy setting, mysterious barman – and those comparisons aren’t favourable. To Thy Rest is an effective, chilling film that showcases the talents of those involved. However, the frustrating finale is somewhat generic and doesn’t quite do justice to what has come before.
