A family seek a fresh start but their new home isn’t the haven of tranquility they were hoping for in this interesting but predictable thrillerThis slowburn psychological thriller has come up with an interesting slant on the house-with-a-terrible-secret storyline. Based on a novel by the Guardian’s books editor Charlotte Northedge, it’s the story of Jess (Liz White), a charity fundraiser who’s swapped east London for Suffolk, buying a country pile with her husband Pete (Ray Fearon). The move is a fresh start for their marriage, but inevitably the couple’s problems follow them. And Jess’s identity, put on hold by a career break and motherhood, seems to unravel in unfamiliar surroundings, giving the movie an unsettling atmosphere.The house is a fixer upper. So when Pete leaves to catch the six o’clock train to London, Jess’s job, after dropping their son Archie off at primary school, is to manage the building work (there is a vague plan for holiday lets on the grounds). But nothing is going to plan, beginning with the discovery of the dreaded Japanese knotweed in the garden. There’s worse danger lurking in the house, which predictably turns out to have a terrible past, which might explain why the locals are so unfriendly. Jess makes only one new friend in town, brooding local artist Eve (Imelda May). Archie is becoming worryingly withdrawn. Continue reading...