An American drifter in England unwittingly steps out before a moving car. Knocked to the road, she is carted to the local hospital and watched over by the mother who accidentally ran her down. Showing a surprising lack of injuries aside from a slight case of amnesia, Marion (Kerry Fox) invites Cassie (Christina Ricci) to stay with her family for a few days until her memory returns.
Marion's husband Simon (Stephen Dillane) has just returned from studying a recently uncovered church. Filled with a bas relief of Christ on the cross as well as a group of people watching the crucifixion, the newly discovered church opens a host of speculation and worry from the Catholic Church. Simon begins to slowly uncover the mysteries of the buried church and as his mysteries begin to come to light, Cassie begins to have visions of violence and death involving those around her.
Mislabeled as a horror film, in reality The Gathering comes across as more of a suspense thriller in the end. That said, it's a top notch suspense thriller. With a slowly unfolding plot mystery centered on the crucifixion of Christ and those that came to watch, we tread into deep and heady waters. My one gripe with this one is that it is so steeped in Christian and bible history, it might take some work for those unfamiliar with the subject matter to get through.
Once you do get through it, however, we have ourselves a great film with Shyamalan-style twists and surprises. I have my own gauge for the quality of a movie that some may not agree with, but it works for me. When I hit the power button on the player after a movie is finished and proceed to spend the next hour talking, theorizing, and researching on the Internet? That's a sign of a good story that makes one think, and that is exactly what we get from The Gathering.
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