I wasn’t expecting a horror film to be both beautiful and freaking frightening at the same time, but Chris Cronin has given us a masterpiece that will leave a lasting impression on its viewers.
The Moor
Chris Cronin’s feature-length directorial debut, The Moor, had its World Premiere at FrightFest in August of 2023. This dark film about missing children, which was filmed around Yorkshire, stars Sophia La Porta, David Edward-Robertson, Bernard Hill, and Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips.Â
I honestly didn’t know exactly what a moor was, or just how dangerous it can be if you don’t know your way around the bogs. Bodies that are trapped in peat bogs can become mummified by the chemicals in the soil, the most famous of these is Tollund Man. The Moor sets the scene during the 1996 Summer of Fear in Yorkshire when children begin to mysteriously disappear, starting with little Danny (Dexter Sol Ansell) after his friend Claire (Billie Suggett) has him distract the local grocer so that she can steal some candy. Claire leaves the store and waits, but Danny is never seen again. He was taken by a stranger. The police finally catch the killer, but the body of Danny and several other children are never found.
Twenty-five years later, when the killer is scheduled to be released, Danny’s father Bill (David Edward-Robertson) encourages Claire (Sophia La Porta) to return and help him find his son’s body to stop the release of the killer. Retired Police Chief Thornley (Bernard Hill) is afraid that Bill is putting too much pressure on Claire. When all else fails, Bill seeks the help of a young medium, Eleanor (Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips) and her father (Mark Peachey).
Conclusion
Moors can be beautiful, but damn…when that fog rolls in, it is outright ghostly especially when you tie in the supernatural fears connected to these places. If you do your research, you will find that serial killers and Moors seem to go hand in hand. Chris Cronin succeeded in making the moor the real monster. This ghostly place was as real as the actors.
The Moor, which was nominated for Best Director, Best Film and won Best Scare at FrightFest Awards 2023 was released by Bulldog Film Distribution in the UK Cinemas in June and will be available on Digital HD in July. It will also be on Amazon Prime and Netflix.
The Moor is deep scary, the kind of scary that haunts your dreams. I loved it, and you will, too.
