Boarding School
2018 · Directed by Boaz Yakin
Original language: English
- horror
- mystery
The story
When troubled 12-year-old Jacob Felsen is sent away to boarding school, he enters every kid’s worst nightmare: a creepy old mansion, deserted except for six other teenage misfits and two menacing and mysterious teachers. As events become increasingly horrific, Jacob must conquer his fears to find the strength to survive.
What it’s like
Dim, drafty interiors and a cold, isolated mansion set the tone, with the kind of gothic gloom that makes an empty corridor feel occupied. Expect a muted palette of grey stone, low lamplight and overcast daylight outside the windows, with the camera lingering on rooms that seem to hold their breath. The mood is uneasy and mysterious, building slowly from eerie stillness into escalating, increasingly frightening events. Its horror leans on creeping menace, sudden scares and the sense that the adults cannot be trusted, rather than long stretches of gore, though the later scenes grow harsher. The coming-of-age core, a troubled young boy learning to face his fears among a group of outcast classmates, gives the dread an emotional anchor. It suits a rainy evening with the lights half on, or a late-night viewing when a creaky-house atmosphere is the point. Viewers who like isolated-institution horror, school-set mysteries and misfit ensembles will find it most rewarding, and those wanting something gentle or purely comforting should look elsewhere.
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