Film Review: The Quiet Ones

Copyright: Lionsgate

As a twist on the old story “is he/she possessed or is there some other explanation”, the Quiet Ones drives on the same fuel as many other films, adding the obligatory “based on true events” mantra at its beginning.

In the story, a very motivated professor by the name of Joseph Coupland who dabbles in paranormal psychology looks for a cameraman who will aid him in his research. When he finds Brian, a willing young man to fill this role, he begins to tell his tale to the new recruit, as well as the entire audience.

In his care is a girl named Jane who is severely disturbed and suicidal, and who believes that an evil entity resides inside of her, enabling her to become violent, telekinetic and much worse. Coupland, on the other hand, is certain that her negative energy is producing all these occurrences, and is bent on proving it. When the community at Oxford decides to cancel his research, he moves his entire team, along with Jane and the new cameraman, to an isolated country house, ideal for research and terrible things happening to everyone.

John Pogue, the director, apparently had low expectations of this film, apart from providing the second perspective to the entire plot thought the vintage camera used by Brian, and the idea that everyone in the film believes that something supernatural is taking place, but only disagree on its origins and intent. As the horror motions, scares and frights (brought in though the use of modesty priced CGI and effects) begin to stack one atop of another, the film never loses momentum, but neither does it gain any. The same goes for the cast, except for Jared Harris in the role of the charismatic and morbidly composed professor, who is also the most experienced of the bunch, counting in the director too.

For The Quiet Ones it is unfortunate that films like The Conjuring succeeded in forming a much harsher criterion for this kind of cerebral horror. Because of this rising of the horror bar, the film would seem much more solid if it came out just a couple of years ago.