Jon Knautz/ Canada/ 2010
From Jon Knautz, the director of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, comes The Shrine, a new and intelligent horror that follows the fate of a group of Americans as they attempt to discover the circumstances of a mysterious disappearance, that gives nothing away.
When Eric (Ben Lewis) a young American backpacker goes missing in a remote part of Poland, journalist Carmen (Candy Sampson) discovers that this is just one of many disappearances in that region. Desperate for a good story to revive her flagging career, she travels there with boyfriend, Marcus (Aaron Ashmore) and intern Sara (Meghan Heffern), but soon after they arrive in the village where Eric was last seen, they discover that the locals are unwilling to talk, and that a dark secret is hidden in the woods.
Knautz’s horror feeds on a number of common fears, such as the fear of outsiders, the unknown and failure, but what emerges as the strength of The Shrine lies in its ability to fuse mystery and suspense almost seamlessly with horror. Featuring a number of Polish characters, the film doesn’t use subtitles, which often leaves the audience with the same amount of confusion and mistrust as the English speaking characters. By using this technique, Knautz elevates this film from a simple horror, which gives it a certain ‘edge’ over the competition. Combining themes of possession, sacrifice and religion, The Shrine has a certain timeless quality about it that harks back to the Victorian ghost stories of M.R James and evokes memories of the glory days of Hammer Horror. Featuring jumps, scares and lots of blood, The Shrine is an intelligent example of modern horror that keeps the audience guessing right up until the end.