The Power Review

The Power is a period horror film that serves as the feature directional debut for Corinna Faith and premiers on the streaming service Shudder.

It is January 1974. Britain is suffering from miners strikes leading to blackouts at night. Val (Rose Williams) is a newly qualified nurse who works her first shift at a hospital in East London. After undermining Matron (Diveen Henry), Val is punished by being made to work the night shift. On that night Val must face an old bully (Emma Rigby), a perverted maintenance man (Theo Barklem-Biggs), and things that go bump in the night.

The Power bears some similarities to Saint Maud, even if it’s coincidental. Both films were horror films made by up-and-coming British directors, starred an up-and-coming British actor, and have main characters who work in healthcare and have a dark past. The Power starts with Val putting on her uniform which looks a little like a nun’s habit, wears a necklace, and says a prayer before going to work. If The Power is being compared to Saint Maud then filmmakers will probably be happy with that outcome.

Saint Maud was an art-house character piece disguised as a horror film. The Power was more of a straightforward horror film. There was a psychological element due to Val’s confrontation with Babs and Nev, and a supernatural story due to whatever was haunting Val.

The Power had a great setting. The darkness, lack of people, and medical noises made the hospital an eerie atmosphere. Faith taps into a primal fear because our senses are heightened in the dark and we are all easily more frightened because of it. Like Rose Glass, Faith does know how to create an atmosphere. The Power also taps into wider themes about gender, class, race, and sexual abuse. It’s the kind of film Mark Kermode and the YouTube essayist Ryan Hollinger would sink their teeth into.

The title of the film was not just a reference to electricity, it also referred to power structures. Val was in a powerless position because she was young, new, working-class, and an orphan. Everyone outranked Val and she had to do what they say, and her bully still holds power over Val. Babs called Val ‘dirty brown’ which had more meanings than just racism. The other power structures at play were the ones between doctors and patients and age.

Williams is possibly best known for her leading role in Sandition where she played a prim-and-proper yet strong-willed woman in Regency England. As Val, Williams was a kind and caring nurse who had a knack with patients, especially a young Indian girl, Saba (Shakira Rahman). She stands in contrast to the other nurses who were jaded. Sometimes it was for comedy with Terry (Nuala McGowan) making cynical comments whilst Babs hated her job and wanted to get out. This jadedness extends to the advice that Val shouldn’t get too close with the patients. On the surface this seems like standard advice, but it had darker reasoning later in the film. Plus, Val had a dark past that was slowly revealed as the film progresses. Viewers should be able to guess what happened to Val.

The Power was a great showcase for Williams’ talents. Williams perfectly encapsulates the kind-hearted nurse she was playing, and she got to perform with a convincing London accent. Rigby had a surprising turn in a villainous role and her character was still nasty to Val despite being adults. A small moment I liked was when Val tried to comfort Babs and the bully reacts spitefully. McGowan was a delight and with Gbemisola Ikumelo they did provide some levity to a mostly dark film (literally and figuratively).

The Power was an atmospheric horror film that was filled with talent in front of and behind the camera. Hopefully, there will be more from Faith, Williams, and everyone else that was involved.

The Power is available on Shudder on the 8th April.