“They came only to see, from the east and from the west, from the city and from the plain. They came not, in holy reverence to the lord, but in lust.”
A young woman tries to protect the boy in her charge when she sees brutal visions of death and eerie strangers.
In 2008, I published a brief movie summary for The Gathering in my library sponsored blog The Lair of the Undead Rat. I’m reprinting it with some revisions, here in …With Intent to Commit Horror.
Remember, if you are interested in this movie, click the mouse on the movie cover to order it from an online bookseller through an affiliate link.
TITLE:
THE GATHERING
Director:
Brian Gilbert
Writer:
Anthony Horowitz
GENRE:
Horror, Mystery, Suspense,
DESCRIPTORS:
Horror, Horror Movie, Religion, Amnesia, Archaeologist, Church, Supernatural, Curse, Precognition,
RATING:
Rated R
CHARACTERS:
Cassie Grant, Hit by a car, Cassie has amnesia and settles with the Kirkmans while she recovers.
Marion Kirkman, The woman who accidentally hits Cassie with her car.
Simon Kirkman, A researcher investigating a recently discovered ancient church.
Michael Kirkman, Simon’s son who becomes attached to Cassie.
SUMMARY:
American Cassie Grant was hiking to a small British village of Ashby Wake when she is struck by a car and loses much of her memory.
The driver of the car, Marion Kirkman, is relieved to find out that the girl, far from dead, is alive with just a cut. She offers to take Cassie to her home until she regains her memory.
Meanwhile, the controversial archaeologist Simon Kirkman is called in to evaluate a recently discovered underground church that may have been built during the first century A.D.
Other than losing her memory, Cassie is fine and she bonds with Marion’s step children, especially Michael. Marion and her new husband Simon ask Cassie to stay until she regains her memories.
Before she can settle in she begins to have bad dreams, visions of people sporting fatal wounds during the day and some of the villagers are staring at her with dour expressions.
Meanwhile Simon is puzzled by the odd arrangement of the alter. The stone crucifixion of Christ is at the front, turned away from where the worshipers would assemble. On the back wall, which the cross faces, are a cluster of people in bas relief. The church proves to be quite anxious to keep a tight lid on this discovery until Simon’s work is done.
For Cassie the visions are disturbing and they soon lead her to suspect that many lives are in danger — especially the life of her young charge, Michael.
APPEAL:
This movie was very low key. If not for the language and the few brief scenes of mortal wounds, I’d have called it a cozy horror movie. Its suspense is derived more from mystery and just a touch of dread. If hardcore horror is not for you, you might enjoy this movie.
There are some problems with historical accuracy surrounding the buried first century church which you may have to put out of your mind to enjoy this movie. Also the fact that the church could hide the church from the government — who would probably send its own selected team to excavate it — especially after the first few minutes of the movie is a little bit of a stretch.
However, Christina Ricci as Cassie, turns in a good performance as Cassie and the other actors did well enough. And it had a bit of a surprise twist towards the end which I saw coming only seconds before it was revealed.
WATCHALIKES:
If you enjoyed this movie, you might enjoy Sixth Sense starring Bruce Willis. A child psychologist with a troubled past tries to help a little boy who sees very realistic ghosts of dead people.
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