The Awakening | Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      The Awakening

      R Released Aug 17, 2012 1 hr. 47 min. Horror List
      64% 75 Reviews Tomatometer 51% 5,000+ Ratings Audience Score In post-World War I England a writer and sometime-ghost hunter (Rebecca Hall) investigates a reported haunting at a boys boarding school. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Aug 23 Buy Now

      Where to Watch

      The Awakening

      Fandango at Home Prime Video Apple TV

      Rent The Awakening on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

      The Awakening

      What to Know

      Critics Consensus

      The Awakening never quite quickens the pulse the way it should, yet it remains a well-acted and handsomely assembled example of an old-fashioned supernatural thriller.

      Read Critics Reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (868) audience reviews
      Kam P Old fashioned ghost story set in a creepy English manor with a twist at the end. Viewers who want gore and blood will be disappointed and find it slow paced. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/09/24 Full Review Jeff M What starts out as a stylish if slowly paced old-fashioned ghost story unfortunately becomes muddled and incoherent with way too many plot twists that come across a little too clever for their own good. That's a shame, because there's a lot of good here, particularly a compelling lead performance by the underrated Hall. There's nothing particularly scary or goosebump-inducing here, but the first half does a good job of setting up the story. I think this could have been a family friendly scary film like POLTERGEIST were it not for a couple scenes toward the end and a totally needless moment of nudity. Neither earth shatteringly brilliant nor mind numbingly horrible, this is a perfect rainy Saturday afternoon film when you can't find anything else worth watching. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review Vasia Great movie with a very ineresting and uncalled plotwist! I will 100% watch again soon! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/18/23 Full Review Taylor L Such mixed emotions seeing Imelda Staunton play a kind and caring housekeeper when she left a mark on an entire generation as Dolores Umbridge. The Awakening is an interesting horror premise, a period supernatural fakebuster using antiquated gadgetry to investigate a haunting. It all takes place in an English country estate, and the setting, set decoration, and cinematography all come together really well to create a convincing boy's boarding school. While the buildup is relatively solid the conclusion ultimately falls flat, and Dominic West's character feels bizarrely out of place once the narrative starts to tie together. Apart from a somewhat tired ending that feels rather neatly tied up, the two biggest weaknesses in The Awakening are subplots that fizzle out without relevance or power, and the lack of any real scares in the film; there's not enough of a creep factor at play to sell the ghost story element totally convincingly. Decent performances, very nice visuals, and a few creative spooks (the use of the dollhouse was fun) aren't enough to bring this film together convincingly even though it's definitely made of good components. (2.5/5) Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/19/22 Full Review Audience Member I watched this movie for the first time recently and really enjoyed it. Emotionally resonant, haunting imagery and an excellent performance from Rebecca Hall. Makes this a very underrated film. That I highly recommend for anyone who are fan of films such as the others. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Mike J Sonic lord king evil evil king lord lord Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/29/22 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      13% 23% The Moth Diaries 57% 32% Citadel 68% 75% The Beyond 0% 25% Lost Boys: The Tribe 11% 17% Creature Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Now Streaming: The Babadook, Paddington, Marvel’s Daredevil, and More Digital Multiplex: Silver Linings Playbook and ParaNorman Critics Consensus: The Expendables 2 Is (Mostly) Big, Dumb Fun

      Photos

      View All The Awakening photos

      The Awakening

      The Awakening (2011) The Awakening (2011) The Awakening (2011) The Awakening (2011) Rebecca Hall as Florence Cathcart in "The Awakening." Rebecca Hall as Florence Cathcart in "The Awakening." Rebecca Hall as Florence Cathcart in "The Awakening." Rebecca Hall as Florence Cathcart and Dominic West as Robert Mallory in "The Awakening." Rebecca Hall as Florence Cathcart in "The Awakening." Rebecca Hall as Florence Cathcart in "The Awakening." View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (75) Critics Reviews
      Wendy Ide Times (UK) For all its pedestrian qualities, there are a couple of big plus points in its favour. They are Rebecca Hall and Dominic West. Oct 26, 2022 Full Review Moira MacDonald Seattle Times Though the story spirals a little out of control in the film's final scenes, "The Awakening" offers the low-key pleasures of an old-fashioned thriller and a lovely central performance. Rated: 3/4 Aug 30, 2012 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Whatever. Rated: 2/4 Aug 30, 2012 Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh The core cast and gothic setting makes for a time-honored and entertaining ghost story. Rated: 4/5 Sep 22, 2023 Full Review Jason Best What's On TV Nick Murphy has crafted an elegant haunted-house chiller that turns the screw of mystery and suspense with some cunningly judged surprises and scares. Dec 22, 2020 Full Review Katie Smith-Wong Musings of Guitargalchina It is beautifully shot and the scenery and the ambience of a large haunted house is wonderfully captured, but can this film be the upstart for the modern British horror? Rated: 2/5 Dec 11, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In post-World War I England a writer and sometime-ghost hunter (Rebecca Hall) investigates a reported haunting at a boys boarding school.
      Director
      Nick Murphy
      Screenwriter
      Stephen Volk, Nick Murphy
      Distributor
      Cohen Media Group
      Production Co
      StudioCanal, BBC Films
      Rating
      R (Some Violence|Sexuality/Nudity)
      Genre
      Horror
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Aug 17, 2012, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 1, 2013
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $90.3K
      Most Popular at Home Now