By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The dark side of religion and folk horror combine in THE CURSE OF AUDREY EARNSHAW, world-premiering tomorrow, and we’ve got the first look at the shiver-inducing teaser.
THE CURSE OF AUDREY EARNSHAW debuts tomorrow, August 22 at 7:15 p.m. as part of the on-line Fantasia International Film Festival, followed by a live Q&A with writer/director Thomas Robert Lee, producer Gianna Isabella, actors Jessica Reynolds and Sean McGinley and cinematographer Nick Thomas. The cast also includes Catherine Walker (A DARK SONG), Hannah Emily Anderson, Jared Abrahamson and Don McKellar; the synopsis: “Young Audrey Earnshaw [Reynolds] and her mother, Agatha [Walker], live clandestinely as occultists on the outskirts of a remote Protestant village. Having gone to enormous lengths to hide Audrey’s existence from the community over the years, in part due to her having been born in secrecy, in a context that would never have been accepted by the superstitious townspeople, Agatha kept her close and guarded at home. As a consequence, a controlling relationship has developed. One day, a mourner from town catches sight of Audrey, and whispers begin. The community has recently been left reeling from a series of inexplicable tragedies and hardships. Now, livestock and crops are falling prey to an unknown disease. Somehow, the Earnshaw farm has remained unaffected. Suspicions grow. Hysteria mounts. Meanwhile, Audrey’s upbringing around ritual magic has borne fruit. Her abilities are blossoming, becoming stronger and more forceful by the day. Alongside her anger.”
