Consecration Explained Trippy Time Bender Layers A Murder Mystery With Religious Dangers

Films like Saint Maud and Agnes explore the dangers of blind faith and madness. They are told from very different perspectives and include elements of magical realism and ambiguity but have similar central themes. Less subtle is, of course, the Conjuring universe’s spin-off, The Nun, which has its charm but is by no means a mindful rumination on anything. Christopher Smith’s(Triangle) Consecration strikes an interesting balance between thoughtfulness, spirituality, and death in this trippy movie that defies time itself.

Starring Jena Malone(Swallowed), Danny Huston(IO), and Thoren Fergusen, Consecration is an unsettling film filled with atmospheric moodiness and creepy religious imagery. Malone’s presence in a movie all but guarantees a certain level of interest, especially for indie horror movie lovers. She is a reliable addition to any genre production. Playing off type, Malone is a young woman with a complicated past who goes to a remote Scottish convent when her brother is accused of a murder-suicide.

Grace is a nonbeliever, but her brother was a different story. This pair lost both parents when their father killed their mother and was convicted of murder. The siblings went to live at Mount Savior’s orphanage, and Michael chose a life devoted to God while Grace decided to dedicate herself to helping others through science. When she learns of her brother’s death, she immediately goes to investigate. She can’t believe her brother would hurt anyone, much less himself. When she arrives in Scotland, she finds the strict sect is plagued with controversy. Nuns gouge out their eyes after claiming to see the devil, and a shaky past, including crusading knights and mass suicide, are just a few of the things this ground has seen.

It’s a foreboding place that is as lovely as it is unsettling. Atmospheric and haunting with ragged cliffs, powerful surfs, and ominous skies, this part of Scotland feels as ancient as the stories Grace learns about it. Consecration makes good use of the lush countryside and the suffocating halls of the ancient quiet convent. The set pieces do a lot of the heavy lifting here as they feel steeped in history and ghosts. Before Grace even gets to the convent, though, she sees ghosts. Are they just the byproduct of a grieving mind or something else? Grace tells us her brother thought she had a guardian angel. She doubted him, but as the film hits its third act, it becomes apparent both siblings might be correct.

Clues are everywhere in this film that should be obvious but manages to stay as shadowy as the images Grace sees in numerous reflections. Mostly that is because they are lost in a tapestry of misery and a confusing side story that only makes sense in the final act. Family curses and tragedies intermingle, building layer upon layer of creepy ambiguity until you are not sure whose side you should be on. Primarily this is because Malone and Huston play their respective roles so well. They each deliver precisely the amount of vulnerability and confidence to allow our minds to fill in the details when none are forthcoming.

As the priest sent to assist in the investigation from the Vatican, Huston(Father Romero) is a looming presence. He does these kinds of roles well, playing just shy of menacing, so you are never exactly sure which side of the aisle he stands. He maintains this ambiguity throughout Consecration to good effect. Along with Detective Harris(Ferguson), he is one of the few people at least attempting to pretend things are normal. Almost absurd plot beats strip Grace of her agency and identity, and his normalcy balances that some.

Malone is a predictable bright spot using her signature fierceness to guide her. She is a more controlled version of the one we saw in Sucker Punch, yet she is no less steely. Her Grace is intelligent and capable but has secrets she is only beginning to discover. The well-paced film does an excellent job of doling out clues judiciously, allowing the viewer to form hypotheses about what is really going on. That early, patient work makes the finale an intriguing reveal that begs another watch.

Consecration sets up a fascinating question. If one thing is good, does that mean its opposite is evil? It’s an intriguing notion that is left deliberately vague even as the credits roll. Recently, Amazon’s The Boys has wrestled with the same questions. Are powers always destructive, even when used for good? The jury is still out on that with mixed results, but Smith’s film takes a similar approach in his movie that takes a page from his cult classic Triangle. Sometimes we are our saviors and our own worst enemy.

Beautifully shot by Rob Hart and Shaun Mone, the convent and its halls are captured in the shimmer of candlelight, cloudy days, and shadows as dark as night. Every reflection might show a long-forgotten truth, and even the nun’s pure white attire hides sinister motivations. Consecration wants you to question everything you see. Nothing is as it seems in this place of swirling mystery and fog.

IFC Midnight’s Consecration is less scary than it is creepy. It is full of weirdly unsettling set pieces and confounding behaviors that drive the plot forward until the back half twist surprises with a clear message. If you are a fan of Smith’s prior work, you will recognize the plot devices he uses. They aren’t used as smartly in Consecration, but it is still effective. Consecration is in theaters on February 10th, 2023.