Really Surprised!

Let's be realistic.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

It was initially the DVD cover that lured me in, because the front looked rather interesting. I read the synopsis and it sounded like this could have been an entertaining horror movie.Let me just be bluntly honest and say that I lasted a staggering 25 minutes before giving up. And believe you me, those 25 minutes were indeed a struggle to get through.The storyline in "A Haunting at the Rectory" was incredibly boring. And the fact that it was so slow paced didn't exactly help anything either.It is also weighed down by incredible shallow characters. But not only were the characters themselves part of the downward spiral, because the characters were portrayed by some questionable acting.I have absolutely no intention of returning to finish watching "A Haunting at the Rectory", because the storyline didn't appeal to me in the least, nor were I interested in the characters. And honestly, just too little was happening in the movie to make it even moderately interesting.

First of all, this is nowhere near a 'horror', it's not even a reasonable ghost story. Neither is it a reasonable thriller or suspense movie, nor a drama worth any weight at all.Just because a film is low budget doesn't mean the fundamentals of film making should be abandoned.If a film is being presented as a certain time period make sure it looks the part. In other words, camouflage modern fitments for starters, even if it means using a bit of painted cardboard!! Modern light switches slap bank in the middle of the frame.Next is don't shoot your own equipment! In several scenes attention to framing is non-existent. For example a massive light rig in the garden during a night scene.Shaky shake works SOMETIMES. Hand-held effects can bring drama to a scene when used appropriately. In this movie it is used far too much when the emphasis should be on the characters and becomes annoying and distracting (someone MUST have watched this before finalising the shoot).Learn to direct. So many many times in this movie the actors appeared to be left hanging wondering what to do next. Long pauses that made actors look like they had lost the plot became another annoyance.As with directing - learn to edit! Many of the annoyances because of the lack of direction could have been addressed in editing. Conversations between characters were often slow and laboured - totally artificial.Make sure your story reflects what you claim. The marketing for this film is as a horror. As in my opening comment, it isn't - nowhere near.Having said that, if the technical problems with the film had been addressed and the actors given direction and the opportunity to rehearse more this could have been an interesting movie to watch.The production team had the equipment, but the lack of attention to detail has yet again let down what could have been a decent film.

Got this in a pound shop. 99p over priced. No relation to the true Borley Rectory story at all. No supernatural goings on worth reporting. OK, the actors weren't bad, but I felt embarrassed for them . Hope Suzie gets better exposure though, she's good . So slow, and not 1930's at all.

The story goes: "In 1930, Reverend Lionel Foyster and his wife Marianne move into the Borley Rectory when Reverend Foyster is named rector of the parish. The couple's peaceful existence is soon shattered by a series of unexplained occurrences which quickly escalate into a heart stopping nightmare." I think they must have put the wrong description on the cover. Actual film is: Reverend hires handyman. Reverend's wife has sex with handyman. Reverend finds out. Handyman and wife plot to kill reverend. Reverend kills handyman and wife instead. The End.Unexplained occurrences? Handyman gets beaten up in bed. Scarecrow found in bed. Bones found in cupboard. Woman walks about in graveyard in white frock. Some person in a black hood and white mask appears a couple of times. If there was anything else I must have missed it when I dozed off. Summary: One big yawn and a waste of time and money. Dreadful.