After achieving relative recent success with 2010's Let Me In (directed by Matt Reeves) and 2012's Victorian frightener The Woman in Black, the recently revived Hammer return to UK screens with The Quiet Ones (2014), a stylish and ably acted yet ultimately lacklustre psychological horror that's as predictable as it is almost entirely devoid of bona fide scares. Mad Men star Jared Harris heads up the cast as Joseph Coupland, a paranormal expert who believes he can isolate and eradicate negative energy from troubled teen case Jane (Olivia Cooke). The only problem is that his funding has been cut off, leaving him with little choice but to recruit pupils from his lecture group to assist him in his work. With the help of eager-to-impress students Harry (Rory Fleck-Byrne) and Krissi (Erin Richards) and cameraman Brian (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire's Sam Claflin), Joseph relocates the study to a suitably spooky Georgian house in the middle of nowhere, where his controversial methods soon raise questions with Brian, Harry and Krissi, and Jane is driven to the brink of insanity, causing all manner of supernatural events to transpire. With its beautifully executed 1970s setting and old fashioned tone that harks back to the films of Hammer's prime, The Quiet Ones succeeds in constructing an unnerving sense of tension and terror through Matyas Erdely's sharp cinematography and Lucas Vidal's moody score, yet fails miserably to back that up with a worthwhile narrative. The film's script, with contributions from no less than four screenwriters, is flimsy and cluttered, with interesting threads (Joseph's unbridled dedication and Brian's ever-increasing feelings of protectiveness towards Jane) that could have made the film infinitely more compelling had they been allowed a little extra room to breathe. Instead, they're cast aside in favour of an over-reliance on shock tactics and twists and turns that can be seen a mile off. In terms of performances, it's only really Harris and Cooke who are able to command their respective characters in ways that patch over the scripts shortcomings, leaving Claflin, Rory Fleck-Byrne and Richards lingering awkwardly in the background. But none of The Quiet Ones strengths are ever greater than its weaknesses, meaning the film does what it does (and not very good, for that matter) for a brisk 98-minute runtime, before fading into a distant memory, never to be thought of again.

But the movie is very interesting to watch. Although, as with most English movies, the director leaves out key information about the characters so you go crazy trying to figure out what the theme (s) was or whether there was one to start with. Confusing but FUN! Enjoy!

This horror movie is a throwback to the early 70s horror movies. Things take a while to get going and has a very slow burn to it. Not necessarily for fans that like the way horror movies are made today. Good picture and sound.

I am not happy with the quality of these horror movies that I have chosen. I hope to get something that is really going to catch my attention and leave me wanting to watch it again. This did not do it!

The movie has a nice story, but really takes a while to build to any really scares. It almost felt like watching a clinical documentary (which might have been the point) for most of the film.