THE HARBINGER (REVIEW)

Dir. Andy Mitton

Reviewer. Martyn Wakefield

FrightFest hit THE HARBINGER finally hits home cinema and is a stark reminder of how quickly we've moved on from the very short lived COVID era.

Dealing with the transition from hands, space, face, Monique (Gabbie Beans) sees long lost friend Mavis (Emily Davis) who has not dealt with the isolation well. Coming together, Monique sets out to relinquish Mavis of her fears and return to normal but reality isn't what it used to be as a supernatural entity now has hold of her, and will soon grab hold of Monique too.

Transitioning between life and dreams, Andy Mitton's film feels like a lucid nightmare and at times becomes hard to follow. Thankfully it's all piloted around Beans' fantastic central performance that's muted but never silent.

THE HARBINGER has many connotations but works best when played alongside the real experiences of the pandemic and as such the themes of isolation, and erasure from society is a nightmare that became oh so real. While there are jump scares throughout, it's this longer lasting thought that would have been a footnote had the real world horror not unfolded and as such THE HARBINGER becomes a reminder of what can happen, rather than the supernatural escapism it would have been only 3 years earlier.