The Shrine

Bite-sized Review

Overview: A journalist, her photographer boyfriend, and her 3rd wheel intern, travel to Poland to investigate mysterious disappearances linked to a remote village. The trio uncover a creepy sect that are not happy to have anyone nosing around their business. Horrific times ensue.

Impressions: The opening scene shows a man strapped to some sort of altar and someone using a heavy hammer to smash a metal-spiked plate into the victim’s face. Great start but I expected that the movie might end up like Hostel, just some “Americans in a strange land” torture porn. I was surprised that there was more to offer! The village is positioned near a wooded area covered in perpetual fog. In that fog, the journalist finds a creepy demonic statue that appears to follow her gaze and hold a beating heart in its clutches. Also, in addition to the “suspicious of outsiders” villagers, we also catch a glimpse of a man in some religious garb who acts very hostile towards the outsiders. The token “friendly” villager in this film is a little girl who tries to help the trio find out what happened to the missing travelers but that help ends up backfiring… big time. I don’t want to give too much away but the film takes a great supernatural turn and the creepy cultists get to have some refreshing depth.

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