It’s almost Halloween, which means one thing – horror movies all month long. Trying to find something to watch should be much easier this year as Blumhouse and Amazon have once again teamed up to create some great new feature film frights. This year’s selection will begin on Friday 1st October when the first two titles go live, with the final two following quickly after on Friday 8th October. Whilst the first two movies, Bingo Hell and Black as Night, celebrate the lighter side of horror, the second batch offers more of the expected frights.
One of the spookier movies on the roster is The Manor. Written and directed by Axelle Carolyn, The Manor is an excellent twisted tale that tackles the nightmares of ageing. When a sudden stroke diminishes her ability to care for herself, 70-year-old Judith Albright (Barbara Hershey) moves to Golden Sun Manor, an assisted-living facility with a sterling reputation. But despite the best efforts of the staff, and a budding friendship with fellow resident Roland (Bruce Davison), strange occurrences and nightmarish visions convince Judith that a sinister presence is haunting the historic estate. As patients begin to die mysteriously, Judith’s frantic warnings are dismissed as pure fantasy. With no one willing to believe her, Judith must either escape the confines of the manor, or fall victim to the evil that dwells within it herself.
Although The Manor may be a film that revolves around the character of Judith and Barbara Hershey’s stunning performance, the screen is littered with brilliant support, including the work of Bruce Davidson. Davidson’s career spans not just decades, but also stage, television, and screen, and over the years Davidson has time and again proved himself to be one of the most consistent actors working today. In The Manor he plays Golden Sun Manor’s resident playboy Roland, who immediately sets his sights on seducing Judith. It isn’t the first time that the pair have worked together; they previously starred together in the 1969 film Last Summer. Ahead of The Manor’s arrival on Amazon we spoke with Davidson to get his thoughts on the project and to find out what it was like reuniting on-screen with one of his earliest co-stars.
The Manor arrives on Amazon Prime on 8th October 2021.
