Claire is approached by the father of her murdered childhood friend to help investigate the haunted moor he believes is his son’s final resting place.
“The Moor” tells the haunting story of Claire (Sophia La Porta), a woman still reeling from the tragic loss of her best friend, Danny (Dexter Sol Ansell), twenty-five years ago. The trauma of that day – abandoning Danny in an alleyway while they were shoplifting, only for him to vanish forever – has left an indelible mark on her.
As the man convicted of Danny’s murder is about to be released from prison, Claire returns to her hometown. There, she joins forces with Danny’s father, Bill (David Edward-Robertson), his friend Alex (Mark Peachey), and Alex’s psychic daughter Eleanor (Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips). Together, they embark on a perilous journey to the moors, a place Eleanor visions as the location of Danny’s remains.
But the moors hold a dark and terrifying secret. This desolate landscape has a malevolent history – it was once a site of child sacrifices to an ancient evil. As Claire and her companions delve deeper into the moors, they begin to experience strange and ominous occurrences. It becomes clear that their search has disturbed a malevolent force, one that threatens to consume them all.
Director Chris Cronin masterfully crafts a sense of dread and foreboding. He eschews cheap jump scares in favor of a slow-burning tension that permeates every scene. The moors themselves become a character, their fog-shrouded expanses and deadly peat bogs isolating and menacing. Cronin’s measured pace allows the audience to absorb the atmosphere, making the horror all the more impactful when it strikes.
The cast delivers standout performances, bringing depth and emotion to their characters. The cinematography is equally impressive, capturing the moors’ bleak beauty in stunning widescreen. These visuals serve as a stark warning, making the setting feel as much a threat as any supernatural entity.
In one scene, channeling the spine-tingling horror of “The Conjuring 2,” Cronin masterfully crafts a blood-curdling moment. A character’s voice warps and contorts, a terrifying hint at the presence of a malevolent entity taking hold. But the true horror lies in the background – the character, now a blurred figure, undergoes a physical transformation, becoming something entirely otherworldly.
The film’s climax is both unsettling and thought-provoking. The initial ending, with Claire recording a podcast and the screen fading to black, leaves the audience with a sense of unease and ambiguity. However, an additional ten-minute sequence somewhat disrupts this tone, feeling tacked on for the sake of mainstream appeal.
Despite this, “The Moor” is a masterclass in slow-burn horror. Chris Cronin’s deliberate pacing, combined with the cast’s strong performances and the moors’ natural menace, create a genuinely terrifying experience. This is a must-see for fans of supernatural thrillers, and it leaves you eagerly anticipating Cronin’s next project.
In UK Cinemas June 14th and on Digital July 1st
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