Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- brooding
- atmospheric
- late night horror
- rainy evening
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the film is atmospheric, handsomely photographed, and well acted, but considered its mystery conventional and its ending convoluted or disappointing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Florence investigates supernatural disturbances and a past murder within the isolated Rookford boarding school.
Florence is famous for exposing spiritualist frauds and approaches the school as a debunker before strange events undermine her certainty.
The investigation repeatedly leaves Florence and the audience questioning whether the haunting has a paranormal or human explanation.
The 1921 English setting, remote estate, school interiors, and shadowy cinematography supply the film's central aesthetic identity.
Films like The Awakening, and why
The Others
shared old-fashioned supernatural mystery, haunted institutional setting, and atmospheric period horror
The Orphanage
shared postwar psychological unease, ambiguous haunting, and gothic domestic atmosphere
The Woman in Black
shared historical ghost investigation, repressed trauma, and bleak supernatural suspense
The Innocents
shared skeptical investigator, haunted house conventions, and twist-driven gothic mystery
Movie Details
- Director
- Nick Murphy
- Release Date
- 2011-08-17
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (1555)
Cast
- Rebecca Hall
- Dominic West
- Imelda Staunton
- Isaac Hempstead Wright
- Lucy Cohu
- Cal MacAninch
- John Shrapnel
- Diana Kent
- Richard Durden
- Alfie Field
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Awakening about?
- A skeptical ghost debunker confronts an apparently impossible haunting at an isolated English boarding school still marked by murder and loss.
- What is The Awakening like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Awakening as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Awakening violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Awakening as mild.
- What did critics think of The Awakening?
- Critics broadly agreed that the film is atmospheric, handsomely photographed, and well acted, but considered its mystery conventional and its ending convoluted or disappointing.
- Which films are like The Awakening?
- Films with a similar feel include The Others, The Orphanage, The Woman in Black, and The Innocents.
- How long is The Awakening?
- The Awakening runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Awakening?
- In United States, The Awakening streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
