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The Banishing

Play trailer 2:02 Poster for The Banishing 2020 1h 37m Drama Mystery & Thriller Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
65% Tomatometer 60 Reviews 24% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
1930s, England. Linus, his wife Marianne and their daughter Adelaide move into town, where Linus has been posted as the new reverend. He’s been tasked by the Church to renew the villagers’ faith, which has been lost after the disappearance of the previous reverend’s family, who lived in the very same mysterious manor where Linus and his family have settled into. Soon after their arrival, strange events start to occur: ghostly voices, dark figures dressed as monks, mysterious totems, and Adelaide’s behaviour becoming stranger by the day. It soon becomes clear that a malicious entity seeks to possess Adelaide and that the Church is hiding a terrible secret… As the menacing spirit grows stronger, Linus and Marianne have to confront their beliefs and enlist the help of Harry Reed, a famous Occultist. Together, they must uncover the terrifying truth about their house and the paranormal force which inhabits it… and hope it isn’t already too late for Adelaide.
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The Banishing

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Critics Consensus

The Banishing never truly taps into its full potential, although this gothic haunted house story still exudes a certain stately chill.

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Critics Reviews

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Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News Apr 22, 2021
2.5/4
"The Banishing" loses its nerve and succumbs to commonplace plot devices rather than going for the jugular. Still, Smith and Findlay make it watchable. Go to Full Review Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Apr 21, 2021
2.5/4
Can a 30-second scene right at the tail-end of a motion picture derail what had been up to that point 90 minutes of solidly creepy, emotionally authentic old-school haunted house fun? Go to Full Review Leila Latif AV Club Apr 17, 2021
C
All of which sure sounds like a great time, and in many ways, it can be. But the incoherence grows more grating as the movie shuffles along... Go to Full Review William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews Jul 11, 2024
3/5
The Banishing offers very little new or revolutionary, but remains relatively enjoyable and features impressive performances and sumptuous production design. Go to Full Review Kristin Battestella InSession Film Jul 25, 2023
It wonderfully tackles the 4th century strife between paganism, slavery, philosophy, science, Judaism, and Christianity in Alexandria before the fall of the Roman Empire. Go to Full Review Paul Lê Nightmare on Film Street Jul 23, 2023
7/10
When it comes to modern films about haunted places, The Banishing sits somewhere between tolerable and average. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Lovell T @Lovell 5 days ago While Smith's earlier works "Black Death" and "Triangle" are immersive horror classic, this flick is a glacier-paced muddy mess. Most of what it's shown is a wide-eyed, frantic Jessica Brown running in the corridors, stairs and dungeon. Any commentary about religious oppression, the occult, and even the insidious interest of the Third Reich are simply thrown in with little significance. See more Horror fan 4 @Horrorfan4life Nov 25, 2025 Look the effects were really good. The standout effect was with the mirror. The story we've seen done millions of times but in this case it was to predictable. Tim Treakle See more Benjamin H @RT54005248 Nov 4, 2023 Though the visuals are fine, the acting serviceable and some of the designs befitting, The Banishing is a generic, wearisome and unemotional horror film that lacks interesting characters and is largely devoid of suspense. See more Hugo S @Hugo_Shudder Jun 5, 2023 1938, England. A young reverend is assigned to serve as the new priest of a rural community. He is soon joined by his wife and daughter as they move to an estate provided by the church. Once settled, the family starts dealing with macabre hallucinations and other paranormal events. "The Banishing" relies on the familiar formula of the haunted house subgenre but without being able to innovate in terms of storytelling. Only the well-crafted gothic atmosphere is worth the viewer's attention. See more Mar 18, 2022 confused and slow, I have no idea what happened here See more Luke S @LS253 Jan 3, 2022 Oh good lord. Why on earth do they insist on including children in ghost stories? Utterly irritating almost from the get go. Tries hard to use imagery and pathos to convert a really tired story that just doesn't hold any kind of suspense or dread. Lazy and uninteresting. See more Read all reviews
The Banishing

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Cast & Crew

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Christopher Smith

Director

Jessica Brown Findlay

Marianne

John Lynch

Malachi

Sean Harris

Harry Price

John Heffernan

Linus

Adam Hugill

Frank

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The Banishing

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The Banishing

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Movie Info

Synopsis 1930s, England. Linus, his wife Marianne and their daughter Adelaide move into town, where Linus has been posted as the new reverend. He’s been tasked by the Church to renew the villagers’ faith, which has been lost after the disappearance of the previous reverend’s family, who lived in the very same mysterious manor where Linus and his family have settled into. Soon after their arrival, strange events start to occur: ghostly voices, dark figures dressed as monks, mysterious totems, and Adelaide’s behaviour becoming stranger by the day. It soon becomes clear that a malicious entity seeks to possess Adelaide and that the Church is hiding a terrible secret… As the menacing spirit grows stronger, Linus and Marianne have to confront their beliefs and enlist the help of Harry Reed, a famous Occultist. Together, they must uncover the terrifying truth about their house and the paranormal force which inhabits it… and hope it isn’t already too late for Adelaide.
Director
Christopher Smith
Producer
Maya Amsellem, Laurie Cook, Sharon Harel, Jason Newmark
Screenwriter
David Beton, Ray Bogdanovich, Dean Lines
Production Co
WestEnd Films
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 15, 2021
Runtime
1h 37m
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