Fantasia Fest 2021 has been a good year for Shudder acquisitions. The AMC Network platform scooped up The Last Thing Mary Saw, Hellbender, and Ruth Platt’s supernatural ghost story, Martyrs Lane. The story leans heavily toward the relationships between parents and their children. Leah, the youngest of the family is where the eyes of the lens focus most. It’s through Leah that this family’s mysteries are unleashed as she tries to figure out why her mother, sister, and father as so near but so very absent.

Leah’s home sits firmly in an estate within a religious vicarage. Her father is a minister and their house is filled with crucifixes, Virgin Mary statuettes, and of course Leah’s virgin rabbit. Her rabbit is pregnant and according to Leah, has never been around another bunny but yet is definitely in the family way. As her older sister taunts her with spooky stories about the woodland that surrounds them, Leah is cautiously curious about everything. Her mother wears a gold locket full of secrets, her father talks in whispers about the nice lady from the church, and her sister wants to leave as soon as she can.

A girl about Leah’s age appears one night, tapping at the window and asking to come in. They play games and whisper under the covers night after night before Leah realizes that the things this little girl tells her, all have a ring of truth. What’s more, everything she tells her causes her mother anguish and no one will tell her why.

Secrets and Hauntings | Martyrs Lane Review

Martyrs Lane is nothing new when it comes to stories about hauntings. Although a mysterious horror movie that pushes to uncover the secrets behind all the clues as they drop, the big reveal is not a big surprise. The sound design that reverberates throughout could be said to be scarier than the visuals at the forefront. Nonetheless, performances are what hold this particular spiritual undertaking in such high regard. The relationship that forms between Kiera Thompson’s Leah and the sometimes creepy girl (Sienna Sayer) with the blonde locks is expertly executed. Both are convincingly astute in conveying the subtle emotive contexts required for a believable exchange. And that is no mean feat for performers in their age range.

Leah’s religious structure has taught her to believe that kindness to strangers may result in brushing shoulders with angels. It’s with this innocent virtue that her ability to trust that this strange girl could never do her any harm. Even though the final third of Martyrs Lane is seen coming from a mile away, what is surprising is the choices of those around this small pre-teen girl. It’s in the final act that what befalls Leah may divide audiences.

The Martyrs Lane movie is rated

3 not all strangers are angels out of 5

Shudder made the Martyrs Lane movie available as a new horror release on September 9th, 2021.

Martyrs Lane Official Full Movie Trailer – Shudder Original

For all the details on suitability on whether to watch Martyrs with your kids or not, follow this link for the Parents Guide.

Martyrs Lane

Director: Ruth Platt

Date Created: 2021-08-19 21:53

Editor's Rating:
3