Martyrs Lane (2021) Review by Phil Newton
Martyrs Lane (2021) Review by Phil Newton
This month’s Shudder Original release is a haunting tale of loss and self-discovery from writer/director Ruth Platt. Leah (Kiera Thompson) is ten year old girl who lives with her family in an old Victorian vicarage. By day the place is bustling with activity, Father Thomas (Steven Cree) busy working in the church and older sister Bex (Hannah Rae) often teasing her, but by night the shadows close in and Leah’s sleep is beset by dreams and nightmares. Mum Sarah (Denise Gough) always seems a little distant and distracted and Leah is curious to understand why, a curiosity which will ultimately reveal hidden secrets…
One night Leah is awoken by a tapping on the window. She gets up and finds a young girl of a similar age (Sienna Sayer) outside and over the course of a number of late night meetings the pair become friends. This strange new girl claims to be her guardian angel and guides Leah to find various trinkets that have been lost or hidden around the property: a lock of hair; a button; a dish of baby teeth; and always one more letter from a child’s charm bracelet. We can sense there’s some hidden trauma here and it’s only a matter of time before Leah puts the pieces together.
Ruth Platt – who first came to my attention with the excellent classroom drama The Lesson – was inspired by her own childhood upbringing in an old vicarage to craft this beautifully told ghost story. Everything seems finely detailed and the pacing is assured, with everything happening from Leah’s perspective so that we (the audience) discover new information at the same time that the character does. It also means that we get to experience that imagination and sense of adventure and curiosity that children that age have. Sure, there are dark elements at play here but this is a more subtle piece of cinema, designed to heighten the emotions and make you think rather than to shock and thrill the viewer.
The two young actors are both impressive here, especially Thompson who anchors the film and portrays the asthmatic Leah with such conviction. The supporting cast are equally able to draw you into the film and make you feel like an additional member of this troubled family. We really do seem to be in a boom time for female voices in the horror genre right now – directors such as Julia Ducournau, Mimi Cave, Prano Bailey-Bond, Chloe Okuno and Emerald Fennell are making some of the boldest, most exciting films right now, and Martyrs Lane ought to help establish Ruth Platt as another name to watch.
