The Awakening

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The Awakening

R

2012

1h 47m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In post-World War I England a writer and sometime-ghost hunter (Rebecca Hall) investigates a reported haunting at a boys boarding school.

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Critics Consensus

The Awakening never quite quickens the pulse the way it should, yet it remains a well-acted and handsomely assembled example of an old-fashioned supernatural thriller.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

10/26/2022

For all its pedestrian qualities, there are a couple of big plus points in its favour. They are Rebecca Hall and Dominic West.

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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

08/30/2012

3/4

Though the story spirals a little out of control in the film's final scenes, "The Awakening" offers the low-key pleasures of an old-fashioned thriller and a lovely central performance.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

08/30/2012

2/4

Whatever.

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

07/12/2025

Set at the peak of spiritualism in the wake of World War I, The Awakening pulls from fertile storytelling material to infuse its scares and shocks with a vibrant undercurrent of charged emotional and historical context.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

09/22/2023

4/5

The core cast and gothic setting makes for a time-honored and entertaining ghost story.

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Jason Best

What's On TV

12/22/2020

Nick Murphy has crafted an elegant haunted-house chiller that turns the screw of mystery and suspense with some cunningly judged surprises and scares.

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Rick S

@RickyBoy Jun 28

Pretentious incomprehensible drivel

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Natalee P.

@PurplePaisleyNat Jun 23

This was really really good! Surprised the lower rating “popcornometer” or whatever. Really great story.

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Kashgar A

@AllFunAndGames Mar 28

The best ghost stories are the ones that make you sad. This is one of them.

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Alain E

@AlainE Feb 14

Kind of boring. The exact opposite of what you expect a horror/magic movie to be. Additionally, the color image is definitely dated. Watched 42 minutes.

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Mirko T

@pro-secco Feb 12

Chilling film, script and direction take you inside this mystery mansion, excellent setting, perfect acting, perfect foreshadowing throughout the film, unfortunately everything ruined by a third act not up to the rest of the film disconnected from the main plot that completely ruins the bases of the first acts

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Ross M

@RT14420929 Jan 17

An effective chiller, weighed up by atmosphere and solid performances but down by its final act.

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Nick Murphy

Director

Rebecca Hall

Florence Cathcart

Dominic West

Robert Mallory

Imelda Staunton

Maud Hill

Isaac Hempstead-Wright

Tom

Shaun Dooley

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Synopsis

In post-World War I England a writer and sometime-ghost hunter (Rebecca Hall) investigates a reported haunting at a boys boarding school.

Director: Nick Murphy
Screenwriter: Stephen Volk, Nick Murphy
Distributor: Cohen Media Group
Production Co: StudioCanal, BBC Films
Rating: R (Some Violence|Sexuality/Nudity)
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 17, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $90.3K
Runtime: 1h 47m