The Quiet Ones

Supposedly based on real events, this sinister story—set in 1974—stars Jared Harris as Oxford University psychology professor Joseph Coupland, who recruits geeky cameraman Brian McNeil (Sam Claflin) to document his highly unorthodox experiments on Jane Harper (Olivia Cooke), a teenager apparently possessed by a malevolent entity named Evey. Coupland wants to prove that Jane is creating ghostly Evey through her own psychic powers, which would be a significant breakthrough in the treatment of mental illness. For inexplicable reasons, Coupland continually subjects the already traumatized Jane to loud rock music; after the neighbors complain and Oxford suspends his funding, Coupland relocates to a spooky country estate, bringing along shrieking Jane, skeptical Brian, and his romantically entwined assistants (Erin Richards, Rory Fleck-Byrne). Predictably, Jane's telekinetic energy grows, wreaking diabolical, supernatural havoc. Although director John Pogue draws very loosely on Dr. A.R.G. Owen's legendary “Philip Experiment” in Toronto in 1972—when academic researchers tried to prove that ghosts and poltergeists are constructs of the human mind—The Quiet Ones is an uneven film that suffers from a cliché-filled, derivative narrative. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director/co-writer John Pogue and producer Tobin Armbrust, deleted scenes (12 min.), outtakes (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “Welcome to the Experiment” making-of featurette (35 min.), “An Ominous Opening” title sequence segment (9 min.), and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)