DVD Review: The Shadow Within

The Shadow Within opens with a woman giving birth to a “lovely little boy.” Oh, yeah, and one that’s not so lovely, Jacques. Fast forward nine years. One of the twins, Maurice, is a schoolboy working on an exercise book at the kitchen table. His mother is forcing him to go to the funeral of another boy who has died from diphtheria.

It is soon obvious that Jacques died at some point in the past nine years. Was it at birth? From diphtheria? The village in which Maurice (Laurence Belcher) and his mother (Hayley J. Williams) reside includes very few men, due to the war (WWII). The diphtheria epidemic is threatening, and a female doctor (Beth Winslet; yes, Kate’s sister) is trying to insure that the children of the village are inoculated against it.

A thriller with an emphasis on the supernatural, The Shadow Within is more creepy than scary. Chilling, yet low-key, special effects join with sinister locations to provide a dark, depressing Old World atmosphere that is as much a part of the story as the characters. There are camera shots that are stunning in their artistry, which add even more to the total effect.

Maurice is somehow in contact with Jacques; he is also threatened by him. Maurice knows what Jacques wants, but is unable to share this information. His mother, Marie Dumont, still mourns the death of the second twin and behaves as though he was the cherished child, resenting Maurice. She is cold, remote, and emotionally cruel to her living son.

Marie is a rude recluse who claims to be home-schooling her son at a time when school attendance was compulsory. She limits Maurice to the house and grounds, and–should he cross a line drawn in the snow–she is severe and punishing.

At the dead boy's funeral there are a number of disturbing images that hint at Jacques' presence and the cause of his death. Maurice believes he sees the dead boy move, and his reaction and behavior convinces the local women (who have all lost children) that Maurice has a “gift.” (The film’s funniest line occurs at the funeral when the priest arrives and one of the mourners notes that he doesn’t seem to be drunk yet.)

A medium influences Marie into using Maurice’s “gift” to help other mothers contact their dead children. Reluctant at first, Marie gives in. Big mistake. At a creepy séance, five mothers sit around a table, bringing forth relics of their deceased children, hoping Maurice will let them enjoy, once again, their company. The audience knows nothing good can come of this. And nothing does.

Article Author: Miss Bob Etier

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