The Haunting of the Tower of London (2022) (UK)

aka The Haunting of Bloody Tower

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Following an unearthing of the remains of two missing princes within the Tower of London, a closeted priest aligns with a troubled young man who possesses the supernatural (and horrifying) ability to commune with the dead. The duo attempt to expose who is behind the double homicide. A duke hungry for power may have something to do with the dead boys but he holds enough of a twisted reputation to get someone to confess to the crimes. Mistress Blythe doesn’t buy into his bullshit and believes there’s other mischief in the works. She’s the one that places the priest on the case and brings in the man who can speak to the dead to help them unravel the crime. Well, Duke Dick does away with Blythe when confronted with his treason and the spirit whisperer, Henry Pedrick, gets his hairy ass thrown in the dungeon for being dragged along to the tower. His gift would royally fuck Dick’s plans and the young priest begins to question if the man’s gift is a force of evil or a divine tool which can prevent a grave injustice. Also, if they can prove the guilt of the Duke it will go a long way to sparing Henry who is a few days away from a fiery execution. On top of this regicide bullshit, the specters of the dead princes are creeping around, getting into supernatural shenanigans and causing violence. Charlie Steeds releases another bit of wet horror under his Dark Temple Motion Picture label and it’s just as enjoyable as his other output. Think Hammer films by way of Eurociné and you’re somewhat in the right ballpark. Some lovely grotesque specters populate the runtime along with a healthy amount of splatter, a twist that works and some bits of demented violence. Duke Richard is a wonderful piece of shit, earning his name and giving the viewers someone vile to root against. The period setting is fun and none of the performances are offensive, with the leads actually being pretty damn solid. James Swanton throws in a hilariously memorable portrayal as the duke’s head torturer and should be applauded for having some fun. The ending is fucking ridiculously wonderful… unless you’re really into history… then maybe avoid this one.