The Blackcoat’s Daughter is a 2015 American-Canadian horror film directed and written by Osgood “Oz” Perkins (I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House). Bryan Bertino (director of The Monster; Mockingbird; The Strangers) was a co-producer. Also known as February
The movie stars Emma Roberts, Lucy Boynton, Kiernan Shipka, James Remar and Lauren Holly.
Plot:
Joan makes a determined pilgrimage across a frozen landscape toward a prestigious all-girls prep school where Rose and Kat find themselves stranded after their parents mysteriously fail to retrieve them for winter break. As Joan gets closer, terrifying visions begin plaguing Kat while Rose watches in horror…
Reviews:
” …a remarkable debut. Suffused with insidious menace and suspense but rarely ever resorting to cheap sonic shock tactics or gore for gore’s sake…” The Hollywood Reporter
” …setting a bunch of people loose on the screen and telling them to mope until something supernatural emerges, then calling it a tone poem about loss, is no way to keep an audience entertained … February’s big villain is precisely what the film is lacking: a devilish spirit.” The Guardian
” …this slow-burning, sure-footed scary movie is likely to prompt discussions about things other than family traditions — or, if you prefer, bloodlines. An atmospheric and suspenseful indie with a subtle but unmistakable retrograde feel, it should score with sophisticated genre aficionados and anyone else inclined to savor a stealthy, unsettling escalation of dread before full-bore horror kicks in.” Variety
“The Blackcoat’s Daughter has its appealing screen construction and it obviously means much to its creators, but more often than not, the nightmare doesn’t translate in the final product, making it difficult to sink into the film’s pronounced mood.” Blu-ray.com
“The performances are stylized in ways that might be alienating, and the storytelling is deliberately abstract. But The Blackcoat’s Daughter is still the scariest movie I’ve seen to date this year, if only for the ways the score itself resonates as a black hole with secrets of its own buried inside.” Consequence of Sound
” …another one of those very polarizing films that audiences will either love without reservation, or hate with seething passion … Personally, I liked the vibe of the film, and while it isn’t the least bit frightening (Nowadays, what is?), its mood did keep me in a guarded state…” Gruesome Magazine
” …it’s atmospheric in a way that’s always unsettling and cryptic before rolling into a vicious, bloodletting final act that’s masterfully in stride with everything that came before it. It’s a unique take on a monster that has ruled the genre since the beginning—the devil—and Perkins dissects it in a way that feels both classical and untouched, crafting a fantastic slow-burn slasher hybrid…” The Missing Reel
Cast and characters:
Emma Roberts as Joan
Lucy Boynton as Rose
Kiernan Shipka as Kat
James Remar as Bill
Lauren Holly as Linda
Emma Holzer as Lizzy
Peter J. Gray as Rick
Matthew Stefiuk as Ranger
Filming locations:
Kemptville, Ontario, Canada
