By contributor Gabby Foor
Most tragedies have come and gone by the time we arrive at the funeral, but our journey is only beginning in The Haunting of the Lady-Jane when we arrive in a church half-full of mourners. Kneeling and distressed is Lily (Natasha Linton), straining to absorb the priest’s words through her grief after her father’s passing and through the tense, judgmental looks from her family. Only once communion is given does the tension explode, and what were only looks exchanged between the pews become venom spat at Lily from her own mother and sister. She broke her father’s heart, she is a sinner, how can she live with herself? This tirade would be enough to drive anyone away in their weakest moment, and paints a picture in muted shades and bright lights of where the religious overtones and family discord might carry our protagonist.
We jump six months into the future where Lily has found success as an author and is also somewhat of a feminine icon, it seems, from the reaction of her fans at a book signing. She is far from home and even though her sister Kayleigh (Rosanne Priest) does her best to convince Lily to return home for some form of reconciliation, it seems Lily is still too wounded by the funeral encounter and abruptly ends the call. She is instead off to meet Zara (Bryony Harvey) whom she has met through her blog, and who also seems to be haunted by some family trouble. They intend to travel together, both seemingly bonded by a love for art, feminism, and wanderlust, and Zara is thrilled to supposedly be included in Lily’s new book. As they traverse Camden, Zara sees a flier for a barge ride to Birmingham and the two are taken by the benefits of the peace, quiet and isolation on the water. Zara books it immediately and they begin their day long trip to the canal through trains and long walks through bleak uninhabited fields and railroads.
They finally arrive at the vessel the Lady-Jane and meet their oddball captain Willard (Sean Botha), who carries with him a love of superstition and a seemingly sad backstory, told mostly through flashbacks. A word on these, as they do expand the story: you’ll need to pay careful attention when our director cuts these flashbacks and voiceovers into the film, as there is almost no warning when the story begins to cut to the past and sometimes it can leave you with more questions than answers. Continuing with our story, Willard welcomes our ladies aboard with more religious iconography; there’s a weirdness about him, to be outright, forming an unwanted addition to the trip for both passengers, but they’re willing to overlook it for the free ride.
As the ride progresses, the eeriness of the canals begin to make themselves apparent in shifting shadows and sounds carried on the water; a short stop to let the girls get a drink becomes deadly. This leads them to a late night drink with their captain, and the tragic tale of RÀN.
As for the film’s spectre, RÀN, her backstory and her appearance make her troubling, but not overly frightening. She works in the background and haunts the three travellers on her own schedule, as a good phantom should. The trauma and emotional burden of the passengers, tormented in various ways by their memories and by the symbol of RÀN’s arrival, make for a worthy ghost story. The director drew connections to The Woman in Black, which I can clearly see as this figure moves in the shadows, or a feminine face is only seen briefly and harshly close up. The atmosphere doesn’t call for constant jump scares or a special-effects generated boogeyman, and this spirit’s appearance and her tortured story, along with the loss these three travellers share, is enough to generate tension. Human or supernatural, the damage done by RÀN will remain in question, and her appearance and her story of violation reminds me in some ways of the legend of La Llorona, but that’s my Latin heritage kicking in.
The Haunting of the Lady-Jane is a sizzling cinder with mostly strong performances for its first two acts, providing a couple of disquieting moments and forcing the viewer to ask questions about what is haunting the water. As I try to leave you with virtually no spoilers, don’t let the leisurely pace of the film deny you; you will need to reach the end of The Haunting of the Lady-Jane to get your answers and an interesting payoff. It is an unsettling folk view that hides its monster literally and figuratively very well, never giving too much away up front, but unfortunately also not providing many answers. This is undoubtedly a well-told tale that would have only benefited from a little more transparency. However, by my measure, this is a ghostly chiller that delivers unease throughout with a little twist, solid acting, and interesting color and camera work leaving a lasting visual impression as our travels through this film end.
The Haunting of the Lady-Jane is currently on its festival run and will be available to wider audiences in 2024. You can find out more about the film here.