Horror Movie Review: The Banished (2024)

Written and directed by Joseph Sims-Dennett, The Banished is such a frustrating watch and all because the writing wants to be so mysterious, that it becomes downright irrational.

The film begins near the end, a trope that needs to stop, where we meet a young woman named Grace (Meg Eloise-Clarke). She is lost in the wilderness, having become separated from her guide, Mr Green (Leighton Cardno). How did she get here and why? Let’s go back as we see she is a city dweller who left home years before to escape an abusive father.

In doing this, she left her brother, David (Gautier de Fontaine) behind, something she feels guilty about, especially as she refused to come to his aid when asked.

Returning to her childhood home upon the death of her father, Grace discovers that David has disappeared. Desperate to make up for her neglect, she sets about trying to find out where he went, discovering that he may have joined a remote and secretive commune deep in the woods. Well, that’s that then. Maybe call the police and report him as a missing person, right?

Hell no, grabbing a guide, her old teacher Mr Green who claims to know where the commune can be found, she heads off, completely unprepared. It’s infuriating, even if it is kind of believable. I know I wouldn’t be prepared for the Australian wilderness, but I’d like to think that I’d step back and give the wandering into the Australian wilderness some thought at least. That’s what makes her such an infuriating character, she just doesn’t seem to think, so it’s no surprise she ends up in trouble.

It’s a methodical process that does fill in the story gaps nicely so that when we finally reconvene with Grace at the start of the film, we can move on safe in the knowledge that we know how she got to this point. The film then starts to resemble something more akin to a thriller, as Grace begins to suspect she is being watched/followed and the more she searches for a way out, the more lost she seems to get.

Is something supernatural going on? There’s certainly implications that something mysterious is at play, which is further enhanced by the film’s final third. Here, Grace finds the commune and her brother, discovering that it’s got a bit of ‘cult’ vibe and realising that she also needs to find peace. Confronting her past and present, literally. At least that’s what I think the ending was trying to express. It’s hard to say as it is well and truly open to interpretation. A story writing aspect that I am often in favour off, provided the film gives some tangible threads to begin with.

The Banished doesn’t do that, unfortunately. Choosing ambiguity over all.

Happily, I’d say the journey makes it worth it, even with its frustrating elements, slow pacing, and lack of clarity. The cast is solid, the locations realistic, and there is a potent sense of folk horror, particularly at the end. Which isn’t a genre that Aussie horror tends to dip into. That alone makes The Banished a worthwhile watch, even if your mileage for mystery will decree the level of interest you have in it.