The Eternal

Alcoholic, trust fund baby Nora, (The Spitfire Grill star Alison Elliott) and her sponging husband, Jeff (Happiness's Jared Harris), travel to native Ireland to introduce their young son to her Uncle Bill (Christopher Walken) and her dotty grandmother (Lois Smith). As soon as they arrive, Nora, who's already prone to debilitating headaches and blackouts, begins having flashbacks about a repressed traumatic event she witnessed as a youth. Nora's headaches have only just begun, though, for she soon learns that her legally blind Uncle Bill has a mummified, 2,000-year-old Druid witch stashed in the basement, a mummy he is trying to resurrect. Soon the Druid is up and about, bumping off Nora's Uncle (Walken is only in the film 20 minutes) and prowling the hallways looking for a less moor-worn body--preferably Nora's--to commandeer for a second Earthly go-round. This modern Gothic horror film by Nadja director Michael Almereyda starts out promisingly, with above average performances, a spooky score, and some nice lensing, but it soon turns pedestrian. Not recommended. (S. C. Nickles)