Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Consecration Blu-ray Movie Review

Powerless in the blood.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 24, 2023

Christopher Smith's Consecration is the not-so-rare supernatural horror film that puts religion front and center, albeit decorated with European window dressing. After the sudden death of her brother, a Catholic priest, ophthalmologist Grace (Jena Malone) travels to the scene of the crime -- a remote, ultra-fundamentalist convent in Scotland -- after a briefing from detective chief inspector Harris (Thoren Ferguson), who has ruled his death as the suspected second part of a murder-suicide. Doubtful that her brother would ever kill anyone or himself, she decides to investigate his former church from the top down, including Father Romero (Danny Huston) -- fresh from Vatican City -- and Mother Superior (Janet Suzman). Not surprisingly, staunch atheist Grace approaches the tense situation as a skeptic.

What begins as a vaguely supernatural mystery with light horror elements (this is not a scare-fest or particularly gory) eventually develops into more of a character study as Grace looks deeper into the odd circumstances around his death. The Catholic Church's intentions are clearly seen as deceptive, despite assurances from Father Romero that's he's only there to help, and Grace's stay at the convent -- which includes all-white clothes, at Mother Superior's insistence -- eventually makes her look into the past for possible answers. Riddled with mostly traumatic memories of her abusive father Vincent (Ian Pirie), as well as unsettling visons of possible future events, Grace begins to pick up long-dormant clues and other signs that all point towards an earlier time within the same walls where she now stays.

It's an interesting story, or at least Consecration starts that way. Director and co-writer Christopher Smith explained in a recent interview (and I'm paraphrasing here) that his fear of and fascination with religious buildings are what fueled the creation of this film and, from that angle, it's understandable why everything plays out like it does. The extremely skeptical Grace, clearly at least a partial stand-in for the director, is dismissive of the convent and its authority; exactly the approach one might take as a total outsider. And while the mostly serious treatment of its dramatic developments leads to a reasonably intriguing climax, its circular logic and wishy-washy approach to the legitimacy of supernatural elements leave a bitter aftertaste. A handful of home-stretch revelations even suggest that Consecration might play differently on a second watch... but as-is, it just feels like a barely above average example of the dozens -- if not hundreds -- of Exorcist wannabes that have been vomited out during the last several decades.

One other negative is the (perhaps intentional?) ineffectiveness of its police subplot. Detective chief inspector Harris is extremely ineffective in his limited presence, enough so that his character could have been dropped altogether with no losses except for a bit of clumsy exposition. Perhaps with a bit of police procedural drama, Consecration could have achieved a more satisfying balance of exploring its central mystery from more than two sides?

That's a roundabout way of saying the Consecration feels like a compromised production, one that doesn't say what it really needs to say and settles for a middle-of-the-road approach instead. This makes for a film that's fine enough for genre enthusiasts to sit through, but it doesn't leave much of a lasting impact despite its other fundamental strengths such as cinematography, production design, and most of its performances. (Just try to ignore what might be the worst "falling off a cliff" CGI in recent years during one unintentionally funny scene.) IFC Films' Blu-ray adds only a modest level of support for the main feature, serving up a decent A/V presentation but no extras of any kind.

Consecration Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Elegantly made with a handful of extremely well-done camera tricks (an extended mirror shot involving a presumed body double early in the film warranted at least two quick replays), Consecration is nothing if not a visually pleasing film whose predictable mix of cold, overcast exteriors and mostly warm indoor lighting capture an atmosphere both inviting and kind of repulsive. As expected, it's mostly naturally lit yet still impresses on this 1080p transfer, a capable but occasionally slightly bit-starved effort that's heavy on black levels but features only stray amounts of compression artifacts and banding. (Although this is a single-layered disc, that should be more than efficient enough for essentially 90 minutes of 2.39:1 HD content and only one 5.1 track.) Yet this is still far from disappointing from just about any perspective, as fine detail and textures are quite good under the right circumstances and its overall color values seem very well-represented with no blooming aside from a few intentionally hazy sequences. Overall, it may be filled with more than a few grim sights but Consecration still looks pretty damn solid on Blu-ray.

Consecration Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Consecration plays pretty much exactly how'd you expect on this DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, a decently full-bodied and satisfying sonic experience that combines crisp dialogue with well-balanced background effects and music cues. Discrete activity is ample under the right circumstances, which ranges from echoing locations to explore -- just try and count how many times says "Hello?" in an empty room -- to occasionally crowded convent rooms and other gatherings. Several key moments are particularly convincing, such as the removal of a heavy stone slab that slides menacingly overhead to reveal a secret dungeon below the floor. All things considered, it's a solid effort though it doesn't exactly break any new ground for the mystery/horror genre. Just a good, clean mix; nothing more, nothing less.

Consecration Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with provocative cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and no inserts of any kind. Somewhat disappointingly, absolutely no bonus features are included either -- this is the kind of film where an audio commentary or interview with the writer/director would have gone a long way.

Consecration Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite its good intentions and a fairly intriguing premise, Christopher Smith's Consecration is an ultimately kind of unsatisfying exercise in religious mystery/horror, although its cinematography, production design, and performances are all quite solid. Those with both feet in the genre may see something here that I didn't, but this is still very much a case of "YMMV". Sadly, IFC Films' Blu-ray doesn't exactly tip the scales in its favor: the A/V presentation is solid, but the complete lack of extras is a big negative despite its reasonable price tag. Try before you buy, surely.