WFG RATING: B+

Lionsgate and Grindhouse Entertainment presents a Black Magic/Redwire Pictures production in association with Storyboard Media and Illium Pictures. Written and directed by Natasha Kermani. Produced by Luke Daniels, Greg Lauritano, Lucas Jarach, Natasha Kermani, Sophie Turner, Adam G. Simon, Bull Blumenthal, and Patrick Hibler. Cinematography by Julia Swain. Edited by Gabriel de Urioste and Jeff Betancourt. 

Stars Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Laurence O’Fuarain, and Marcia Gay Harden.

A woman and her mother-in-law find themselves at odds when a mystery man returns during times of war in this Onibaba-inspired film from Natasha Kermani.

During the War of the Roses, Anna’s husband has gone off to war. She is staying with her mother-in-law Morven during this time. Anna begins to have visions of her husband’s possible death at the hands of war. Feeling a bit perturbed, hope comes in the form of Jago, a childhood friend of Anne who has returned home. He informs her that Seamus was in fact, killed during the war. 

However, there is a dark secret. Morven kills unsuspecting visitors to their homes in hopes to rob them in order to survive with Anne as an accessory. As Anne gets closer to Jago, Morven warns Jago to stay away from Anne. Meanwhile, Anne wants to start a relationship with Jago. However, Morven is willing to go to great lengths to make sure it doesn’t happen but Anne soon learns it is more complicated than what exists.

Inspired by the 1964 Japanese classic Onibaba, Natasha Kermani has crafted a very intricate thriller about lost hope and turmoil during a raging war. Using a supernatural/psychological horror style, Kermani makes good use of scares and visions to highlight the character of Anne as she grapples with loss and hope while Morven grapples with not just loss, but how to survive as well. 

The film reunites Game of Thrones stars Sophie Turner and Kit Harington. The former siblings Sansa Stark and Jon Snow now play Anne, a grieving widow; and Jago, Anne’s childhood friend who offers hope despite the fact that her husband Seamus, has been killed during the war. The hope comes in the fact that Jago and Anne could be falling for each other. Although it is now without their complications, especially with Anne getting visions of her husband’s possible death and seeing others die especially in front of her at the hands of her mother-in-law, she finds herself grappling with reality with the lines slowly being blurred.

Marcia Gay Harden has played unlikable characters before, but this is perhaps her darkest role yet as Morven, who has lost her son in the war and will do whatever it takes to survive. And that includes killing unsuspecting visitors and others in the area much to the chagrin of Anne. It gets more complicated when Anne tells Morven she plans to run off with Jago, in which things really add quite a few twists and turns that go the supernatural route in this. Where Onibaba had the use of an old samurai mask, this film uses a knight’s helm. 

The Dreadful is actually pretty good. It starts out a bit of a slow burn until the second act starts to unleash so much with a Game of Thrones reunion along with a very dark turn by Marcia Gay Harden. 

The film will be released in select theaters, VOD, and Digital on February 20.