Consecration: Release Date, Trailer, Cast, and Everything We Know

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Nuns have always been a source of mystery and trauma for religious-themed horror movies. They are driving forces in movies like Veronica (2017) and The Crucifixion (2017). Last year's Prey for the Devil saw the lead nun character, Ann, play the hero and final girl of the story, but movies like The Nun place the wimple-wearing women in a more menacing light. The Nun 2 is set to release later this year, but fans will get an early dose of convent chaos with IFC Midnight's newest film, Consecration, hitting theaters in February. Consecration isn't only centered on religious horror. It puts us in the mind of films like Shutter Island (2010), and A Cure for Wellness (2016), where the main character visits a remote community looking for answers and ends up trapped, terrorized, and driven to madness. Deeply hidden secrets are revealed and the psyche of the POV character crumbles under questions of what is and isn't real. The film depicts a cult-like institution for women, in this case, a convent, whose treacherous hidden occult practices are brought to light by the lead character. The film is shadowed, eerie, and ritualistic. It seems to balance foreboding feelings of dread with jump scares in a seamless fashion.

Although most religious horror films focus on demonic entities, it seems Consecration might lean a little more toward pagan practices and ferocious feminine entities. There appears to be an underlying reverence of womanhood in the film beneath the appearance of blasphemy and sacrilege. Consecration may just be a horrific portrayal of the divine feminine, perfect for a Valentine's Day trip to the cinema, and here's everything you need to know about the movie.

Related:Best Romantic Horror Movies to Watch For a Bloody Good Valentine's Day

Watch the Consecration Trailer

The trailer depicts a truly claustrophobic and anxiety-ridden film. We can guess who is aligned with whom, as the trailer begins with Grace crying alone in the dark over her brother's corpse and Father Romero leading a procession of nuns. The entire film looks to be contrasted in black and white, mirroring themes of spiritual battles, with an overall filter of gray. In discussing the death of Michael, Grace's brother, Father Romero talks of how the nuns of the convent used to confess their sins while backing off of a cliff. If (when) they fell, that was God's decision of punishment. There are intercut clips of nuns, all clad in white garb, performing unusual rituals, and dark figures lurk behind Grace whenever she is alone. It depicts a film draped in force-fed delusion, sacrilege, and religious trauma.

When Will Consecration be Released?

Consecration comes out in theaters on February 10, 2023. Following its initial theater run, it will be available to stream exclusively on Shudder the following month on March 3. IFC Midnight had a good run of releases last year with See for Me, A Banquet, and Burial. Skinamarink, released in theaters on January 13, 2023, was a box-office success as well. Tickets for Consecration are now on sale.

What Is the Plot of Consecration?

After receiving news of her brother's suicide, Grace, played by Jena Malone, heads to the secluded Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland where her brother was a priest. When identifying her brother's body, Grace sees that not all of his wounds were due to his fateful fall and, with further investigation, it becomes apparent that there's more to this supposed suicide than meets the eye. The nuns at the convent hold sinister secrets, some of those secrets pertaining to Grace's own past. She enlists the help of a Vatican priest, Father Romero, played by Danny Huston, but even he seems to be hiding something. What follows is a discovery of malicious impiety and inverse religious reverie that traps Grace in a darkly occult nightmare.

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Who's In the Cast of Consecration?

Jena Malone, known for The Neon Demon, the Hunger Games movies, and Antebellum, takes the lead role as Grace. Danny Huston, who many know as the Hatchet Man in American Horror Story: Coven and as Dan Jenkins in Yellowstone, plays Father Romero. Steffan Cennydd from The Feast plays Grace's brother, Michael. Viewers will get to see him as more than a corpse in flashbacks of his backstory. Janet Suzman is the head nun, Mother Superior. Her acting career includes the role of Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra (1974), and this is not her first time playing the head nun in charge, as she played Sister Superior in the 1990 film Nuns on the Run. Eilidh Fisher (Call the Midwife, The English Game) is the creepy nun Meg, and Alexandra Lewis (Miss Marx) and Jolade Obasala (Top Boy), are also playing nuns. The rest of the convent cast includes Angela White, Emma Hixson, and Rachael Joanne Brown. Ian Pirie (The Last Duel, Halo) is a character named Vincent, and Thoren Ferguson (Matriarch) plays DCI Officer Harris. Victoria Donovan plays Mother, possibly a dark deity or perhaps someone connected to Grace's past.

Who Made Consecration?

The film was written and directed by Christopher Smith, director of Creep, The Banishing, and Severance, in partnership with writer and producer Laurie Cook, who produced the films Don't Hang Up and Alien Outpost. Laurie Cook has produced a number of Smith's other films, including Triangle and The Banishing. Executive producers include Alastair Burlingham (Moonfall), Stuart Ford (Vampire Academy), Ed Fraiman (The 100), Linda McDonough (Donnie Darko), Adam Nagel (The Banishing), and Miguel Palos (Voyagers). Other producers credited include Casey Herbert (Containment), Xavier Marchand (Eye in the Sky), and Jason Newmark (Detour). Composer Nathan Halpern (Emily the Criminal, Watcher) created the film's ominous score and Rob Hart and Shaun Mone directed the film's hauntingly beautiful cinematography. The movie was produced by AGC studios, Moonriver Content, Newscope Films, and Bigscope Films. Consecration is being distributed to theaters by IFC Midnight and on streaming by Shudder.