It was announced today that Fantasia’s 24th edition would open with a special screening of Neil Marshall’s (Dog Soldiers, The Descent, Doomsday, Hellboy) latest genre offering, the recently completed The Reckoning, which they describe as “a poignant and horrific period thriller” set in 1665 against the backdrop of the Great Plague and the subsequent witch hunts in England.
“The Reckoning follows Evelyn Haverstock (Charlotte Kirk), a young widow, haunted by the recent suicide of her husband Joseph (Joe Anderson), who is falsely accused of being a witch by her jealous Landlord, Squire Pendleton (Steven Waddington), after she rejects his unwanted advances.
“Grace must endure physical persecution at the hands of England’s most ruthless witch-hunter Judge Moorcroft (Sean Pertwee; Dog Soldiers, Event Horizon) and face her own inner demons as the Devil himself starts to work his way into her mind.”
Also starring are Matt Ryan (“Constantine”), Ian White, and Emma Holzer.
Marshall co-wrote alongside Edward Evers-Swindell and Charlotte Kirk.
Fantasia, who provides two brand new shots from the film, writes that The Reckoning is “a vivid, compelling and confrontational film whose themes are frighteningly pertinent to today’s concerns”, adding that “it will knock the wind out of you.”
The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 24th edition as a virtual event accessible to movie lovers across Canada, with a wild assortment of scheduled screenings, panels, and workshops taking place online from August 20 through September 2, 2020.
