Consecration

Consecration (2023) is a new movie recently added to Shudder. The storyline follows a young lady whose brother recently died while serving as a priest in a remote church in Scotland. The story of his death seems odd so she sets out with a priest from the Vatican to the church to see if she can uncover what happened. She discovers some strange practices and behaviors by the church. She also starts seeing things from her past buried deep inside her. This movie is directed by Christopher Smith (Triangle) and stars Jena Malone (The Neon Demon), Danny Huston (The Aviator), Ian Pirie (The Last Duel), Janet Suzman (Anthony and Cleopatra) and Thoren Ferguson (Matriarch). The settings, attire, look and feel of the movie was perfect for the storyline. The storyline was interesting and I liked the set up for the climatic ending. I was surprised the plot kept my attention despite being a bit cliche. The writing and acting was inconsistent with some scenes being better than others; however, the last 30 minutes are solid. The horror elements all come at once in a big ending reveal, but they are fairly entertaining. The twist at the end is solid and makes the film worth a watch. Overall, this is an entertaining addition to the horror genre that I would score a 5.5-6/10 and recommend seeing once.