Neil Marshall is a fairly divisive director, having directed cult horror classics like 2002's Dog Soldiers and 2005's The Descent but also abominations like 2019's Hellboy. His newest directorial effort, folk horror film The Reckoning, ends up being closer to the latter than the former.
The Reckoning stars Marshall's real-life fiancée Charlotte Kirk as Grace Haverstock, a grieving woman who desperately tries to care for her infant daughter amongst the plague in 1600s-era England. When Grace fights off the advances of her violent landlord (Steven Waddington), she is accused of being a witch. Throughout the rest of the runtime, Grace is forced to fight for her life against prosecution and some potential demonic forces lusting after her while she's in captivity.
The most frustrating thing about The Reckoning is that it contains so many aspects that could work on their own, but do not flow together as a whole. The problem is that the film doesn't know what it wants to be. It is mostly a dark period drama akin to The Crucible, but there are lots of horror elements that really throw off the whole film. If The Reckoning dropped its convoluted horror-tinged themes and just focused on its effective depiction of disease and the madness of false witchcraft accusations, it could have been something worthwhile. However, it tries to juggle horror, action/adventure and drama all at once, never managing to solidify a central theme.
Despite its marketing and the fact that it's directed by Neil Marshall, The Reckoning isn't really a horror movie; it's a drama that parades as one. Sequences feature dramatic Dutch angles and suspenseful music, and there are bloody deaths, but all of these so-called horror elements feel forced. One of the most memorable sequences of the film features a gory death involving a horse and carriage, and even that feels out of place. The Reckoning's plot is just a woman being oppressed, persecuted and tortured, sprinkled with mild elements of different sub-genres of horror.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the film is the inclusion of a demonic horned character. Trailers for the film made it seem as though this demon was a very important part of The Reckoning's plot, possibly the main aspect of the movie that would classify it as a horror film. However, the demon, who is credited as The Devil (Ian Whyte), is only in brief dream sequences and his presence is barely acknowledged. It almost seems as though there is an entire subplot that ended up on the cutting room floor.
The strongest elements of The Reckoning are its editing and acting. At the beginning of the movie, there is a ten-minute sequence that blends together a dramatic series of events in a very poignant way, unfolding in quick-jump cuts that slowly reveal the fate of our lead characters. Charlotte Kirk is believable as Grace, even if a little too over-dramatic at times, but the real standouts are among the supporting cast. There could easily be a very watchable spin-off featuring the two main witch hunters, the female of the two being a reformed witch of sorts. However, just like every other slightly interesting character, they both don't get enough room here to breathe.
Grace is an exciting character, tough as nails and not afraid to fight against the patriarchy. The first 40 minutes of The Reckoning work as a dark dramatic adventure of sorts with a strong heroine, but once Grace is put in captivity, the film becomes mild torture-porn that doesn't really lead up to much. Even though she puts up a good fight in the film's climax, the strong female character Grace is set up to be gets trapped by the same stereotypes the movie seemingly speaks out against. The Reckoning doesn't know whether it wants to focus on the horrors of the plague, persecution of innocent women perceived as witches, a violent survival tale, or a story about the devil. It ultimately gives audiences a very mild and predictable final showdown that had the potential to be so much more.
Even though The Reckoning feels sort of like a hollow shell currently, there may be a great story somewhere deep inside this muddled attempt at folk horror. If the horror elements were shaved off, the film could have been a solid period drama or even a fun adventure epic. And if the character of the devil was utilized more prominently instead of coming off as just a prop for shock value, then perhaps this could have been an enjoyable occultist horror flick. However, The Reckoning tries to be way too much at once and ends up falling flat.
The Reckoning is written by Neil Marshall, Charlotte Kirk, and Edward Evers-Swindell and directed by Neil Marshal. It stars Charlotte Kirk, Joe Anderson, Steven Waddington and Sean Pertwee. The film will be in theaters, on demand and digital on February 5.
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