Emma (Corrinne Mica) stands to inherit the estate of her aunt Milda (Jane Hammill) if she agrees to abide by a specific and somewhat odd set of stipulations. Faced with financial problems, Emma sees this as a serendipitous – if tragic – way of getting both her and boyfriend Gabriel (Guillermo Blanco) out of their current situation. However, the rules and regs of the agreement seem to focus on keeping Gabriel out of the picture at much as possible and he is not happy about that at all, especially when all and sundry are behaving in strange ways, including Emma…
Writer/director Nicholas Bain’s bio mentions that he’s a student of film history, that he incorporates styles of the past and emphasises the structure of story. All of these points play into the overall feel of Voice Of Shadows, which is distinctly old fashioned when it comes to both its tone and its key props. It favours atmospheric chills over noisy jump scares, although it allows itself one or two trips into the latter. The lingering, carefully constructed, well-lit shots of the interiors serves up a pleasant contrast to the rat-a-tat editing of many a contemporary genre piece and there are several occasions where the drift around the rooms holds just long enough to make the viewer wonder if there’s something lurking in the shadows or on the other side of a door frame.
As a feature debut, there’s a confidence in the material that allows it to skate over some of its shakier moments. The performances are generally decent, but there’s a slight tendency for some of the line delivery to be overcooked, which would be fun in a more schlocky context but risks taking the viewer out of the spooky set pieces which are aiming for admirable straightness in the way they’re played.
There’s also a handful of great ideas which unfortunately feel a tad underdeveloped. One of the tasks Emma must undertake in the house is to answer the phone whenever it rings and talk to whoever has called. Initially, this leads to a chilling moment in which Gabriel picks up the phone and is told bluntly to leave the house or everybody will die. There’s mystery to be had in not knowing just who Emma is conversing with but, to disagree with Elvis, a little more conversation and a little less action would have fit the bill nicely for me.
Likewise, the story’s subtexts concerning faith and the role of religion are potentially fascinating, but aren’t given enough time to be explored fully. An opening scene has Gabriel wrestling with his present and his past in a confessional booth, his backstory soon revealing that he has previously carried out an act which may make him a perpetual sinner in the eyes of God. Any conflicts of true faith are left until late in act three and any doubt cast upon Gabriel’s belief never properly materialises, as is the avoidance of an ecumenical ding dong with Michael Paul Levin’s shady Father John.
Voice Of Shadows belies its low-budget indie trappings with a distinctive, striking visual style and a reliance on suggestion rather than splatter. In fact, it’s only when the film feels the need to throw in a dollop of screen mayhem that its footing becomes less sure. The VFX are certainly serviceable, even pleasing in some cases, but the drive to deliver a big bang of a climax shows both the filmmakers’ knowledge of what is saleable in the horror market but also ends up being exactly the kind of thing that can undercut the often thoughtful build of the previous seventy minutes.
As with many debut offerings, there’s a lot going on in terms of plot detail and much of it threatens to get lost in the shuffle. In addition to the aforementioned faith crisis, there’s comment concerning the working classes and the hindrances to social mobility, a performatively weird will executor played by Martin Harris (who looks like he’s enjoying the character’s stilted speech patterns and odd ticks), a strategically placed book on the occult, a cult, the afterlife, a pentagram 101 plus a subplot involving Gabriel’s sister Celeste, which threatens to be by far the most interesting left turn in the whole thing right up to the point it’s sidelined for about three quarters of an hour.
It’s easy to see why Voice Of Shadows ditches the slow burn for a fiery denouement and, in spite of itself, it does work as a closer even if there’s a last minute “Aha, but…” delivered as part of the fade to black, but this is perhaps a case where less would have been more, especially considering the previous approach pacing. Having said that, fans of slow burn horror will appreciate the attention to the setting’s natural eeriness and it’s clear that Bain already knows how to make a film look fab. A slightly sharper focus on the tale itself in subsequent work could result in something special but for now, this is a curious glimpse into raw talent being honed.