THE QUIET ONES is another disappointing effort put out by the new and revamped Hammer Films. It's a generic science-team-researches-ghost type effort, obviously modelled on old-fashioned epics like THE STONE TAPE, yet the material is so sub-standard and predictable that it becomes very difficult to sit through, let alone enjoy.

The entire blame for the failure can be laid on the script, which took at least four people to write; four diverse folk who between them wrote everything from URBAN Gothic and RAMPART to THE UNINVITED and QUARANTINE 2: TERMINAL . Everything else is adequate APART from the script: Sam Claflin is an acceptable lead actor, and Jared Harris is pleasingly old-fashioned in his approach to his role. I liked the idea of the 1970s setting and the film-within-a-film type material is always fun.

Unfortunately, the story boils down to all the old possession clichés, and even a few ridiculous CGI scenes here and there (thankfully they're kept extremely brief). Attempts to build mystery are negated by having an exceptionally dull explanation at the end, plus one of those stupid last-reel twists It's hardly a wonder that Hammer have gone very quiet recently, as none of their new films are remotely like their classics of old.

In 1974, in Oxford, Professor Joseph Coupland (Jared Harris) invites his introspective student Brian McNeil (Sam Claflin) to film his research about the supernatural with his two assistants, Krissi Dalton (Erin Richards) and Harry Abrams (Rory Fleck-Byrne),and the subject Jane Harper (Olivia Cooke).

Jane is a young woman with no memory from the past that has been abandoned that believes she is possessed by a doll named Evey that gives telekinetic power to her. She is kept awake in an isolated house with a doll, where Prof. Coupland intends that she puts her evil energy in and then destroy the doll to healing Jane. Strange things happen in the house and Brian feels sorry for Jane and he researches her tattoo, learning an evil secret about the past of Jane.

"The Quiet Ones" is a lame, unoriginal and boring movie by the new Hammer. The predictable story is not totally bad, but the screenplay is tedious and the camera work is awful. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "A Marca do Medo" ("The Mark of the Fear")

The Quiet Ones is a low budget but routine supernatural horror film but it lacks scares despite giving out noisy jolts on a regular basis.

Three students from Oxford University help Professor Joseph Coupland (Jared Harris) in an experiment in abnormal psychology. A young disturbed woman Jane is seemingly possessed by another entity called Evey. Once the university funding is cut, they move to a house in London, where Jane is effectively tortured.

Jane is deprived of sleep, played loud music so evil Evey can manifest itself. Coupland seems to be unconcerned of Jane's wellbeing or the ethics of his experiments. He believes that nothing is supernatural but explained by the power of the mind which can be cured rationally. However things go bump in the night, visions and symbols are seen and a flaming long tongue shoots out at one point but Coupland seems to put a rationale explanation for it all.

Brian (Sam Claflin) is the cameraman who records everything but becomes uneasy about lecherous Coupland's approach and is concerned about Jane who he believes is possessed.

The film has a nice retro look about it as it is based in 1974 but it is cliched and generic. It is empty when it should had been eerie.