Legend has it that after the Spanish Armada has invaded Great Britain in 1588, three significant crowns were buried at the Sussex shore to protect the country from ever be invaded again. Two of these crowns were found since, with one of them being robbed, the other so eroded from being buried too close to the sea that it had lost all of its value and sheen. And it must have been hidden so well that a general search for it was abandoned long ago. Just ever so often, an archeologist uncovers the crown's secret burial ground, but none of them survives the dig - or so it's told.

In present days, Rattlebone (Pette Tindal), a blues musician and hobby archeologist, thinks he has found the secret of the crown, and thus moves into Arnold's (Peter Richardson) bed and breakfast in a sleepy Sussex village to do some research. He finds out the crown's hiding place has always been guarded by the Hagar family, so there might be truth to the rumour that everybody has come too close to it has vanished - but then again, the last of the Hagars, William (Ian Kaer) has died decades ago, leaving the crown for the taking - in a way. Thing is, the more research Rattlebone does, the more he has the feeling he's followed - but he attributes this to his nerves and goes through with the thing and digs up the crown - a find too big to not at least share it with his new friend, painter Blackman, the only other tenant at the bed and breakfast. But this is when the horrors really start, and after a time Rattlebone feels so haunted that he decides to bury the crown again where he found it. Unfortunately, it's not quite that easy ...

And in the best sense of the word old-fashioned horror movie, one that admittedly does nothing to re-invent the genre as such, but one that really understands horror, and atmospheric filmmaking (also greatly helped by its beautiful locations), and that's playful in its approach to the genre - and properly scary when needed. And a nice ensemble that pleasantly breaks away from the teen horror mold really help bring this to life, as does beautiful camerawork and a fitting score.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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