“After the suspicious death of her brother, a priest, Grace goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what really happened. Once there, she uncovers murder, sacrilege and a disturbing truth about her own past.”
Religious horror is a massively overplayed trope in the horror movie world. In the last couple of years, there have been a number of them, and they have been mixed in their quality. When I read the description of this one, I was a little concerned that it was going to be another really poor film, in the same way some of the others have been. After watching it, I have to say it is significantly better than some of the others that I have watched, but it’s still not an outstanding film.
One of the things I did enjoy about it was the performance of the main star, Jena Malone. Having seen her in a number of films I have enjoyed over the years, it’s always a pleasure to see her on screen. This is such a different role from the others of her I have seen, and here she plays a woman struggling with the grief of losing her brother, as well as visions of murder and death, as well as finding out unsavoury revelations about her own past. Malone brings a solid edge to the character and handles the sense of impending madness really well.
Consecration feels like a lower budget film, and it’s hard to really explain why without you watching it. Some of the effects are really well done, and the cinematography, while subtle at times, does really aid in creating the tense atmosphere that a film like this needs. The music by Nathan Halpern adds another layer to this, and altogether it works well to create a reasonably disturbing movie.
But it’s missing something….and in all honesty, I don’t really know what it is. In a film about a religion-based horror, it feels almost like it’s missing a soul. It‘s not a bad film. In fact, it’s pretty well made, and the performances are more than adequate for a film like this, but it’s like a glass of pop that hasn’t quite fully gone flat. It’s still mostly good, but it’s on the edge of being less than it is.
Overall, this is a film I enjoyed, but I’m not sure I’d go back to it readily. The concept, and the way the film ended, was intriguing, and it certainly had some gruesome moments, as well as some decent jump scares, but it is just…lacking. If religious horror is your thing, I would absolutely recommend checking it out. You might see it differently than I do. It’s a little above average, but it doesn’t excel…3/5
Consecration stars Jena Malone (The Hunger Games franchise, The Neon Demon), Danny Huston (The Aviator, Children of Men, 21 Grams), Thoren Ferguson (Emmerdale, Vigil), Will Keen (Operation Mincemeat, Victor Frankenstein), and Dame Janet Suzman (The Crown, Antony and Cleopatra). Consecration was directed by Christopher Smith (Triangle, Creep, Temple), who co-wrote the film with Laurie Cook (Lord of Misrule, Don’t Hang Up, Triangle).
Consecration will be available on UK Digital Platforms from 16th
Intriguing with Some Gruesome Moments
Movie title: Consecration
Movie description: After the alleged suicide of her priest brother, Grace travels to the remote Scottish convent where he fell to his death. Distrusting the Church's account, she uncovers murder, sacrilege and a disturbing truth about herself.
Date published: June 2, 2025
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 30m
Director(s): Christopher Smith
Actor(s): Jena Malone, Danny Huston, Ian Pirie
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Summary
If religious horror is your thing, I would absolutely recommend checking it out.
