The Haunting Of The Tower Of London

Sometimes when you hear a certain name, you might remember that person for different reasons. It could be that the person have made a positive impression on you, or that you enjoy the personality. In the case of director Charlie Steeds, i can honestly say that i have become a big fan of him, for delivering so many wonderful independent horror films over the years. I am always excited to see that he is working on several films, so i am really looking forward to see what he has to offer, no matter what the genre is. I still remember the first time i saw his film Winterskin, released in 2018. Since i am no fan of snow, winter landscapes and winter movies in general, director Charlie Steeds helped me overcome my winter fear with this wonderful film. This film tells the story of Billy Cavanagh ( David Lenik ) who is shot out in the wilderness, and taken to the cabin of old lady Agnes ( Rowena Bentley ). At first you may think that this cabin is completely safe, but Billy is about to find out, Agnes is not the only one around this cabin. Winterskin reminded me a little bit of the 1990 film Misery with actors James Caan and Kathy Bates, in the sense that Billy is being taken care of Agnes, just like Annie helped novelist Paul in Misery. Of course these films are very different from each other, but i liked that director Charlie Steeds told a different kind of winter story, with horror elements that seemed inspired by similar ideas as Misery. I also enjoyed the twist in the plot towards the late part of Winterskin, that reveals what is really going on in this cabin. If you did not think there are any good winter horror films out there, i recommend that you pick up Winterskin on DVD. Director Charlie Steeds have released several other great films such as The Barge People and of course A Werewold In England ( wich i really enjoyed ), and i always try and check out every film he works on. I finally got a chance to sit down and watch a DVD copy of his latest film The Haunting Of The Tower Of London, excited to see what this film could offer. Is this one of the best films in his career so far, or is this film not as good as i was hoing it would be?

When the remains of two murdered Princes are discovered at the Tower of London, a troubled Priest named Isaac ( Reece Connolly ) must put his beliefs aside to befriend a mysterious prisoner, who have supernatural powers. Together they must solve the mystery of who murdered the Princes. 

There is no doubt that you can´t feel that this is a Charlie Steeds film. The Haunting Of The Tower Of London have all the right elements that you could wish for, when it comes to capturing the feeling of the mind set of director Charlie Steeds. He knows how to make old school independent horror films, and i have to say that this film actually manage to bring back some nostalgic feelings from Hammer Films ( the classic British film horror company ). The story of this film is pretty simple, and i actually appreciate that. You don´t need to make a haunted horror film complicated to make it work, and this is something director Charlie Steeds is aware of. One of the things that i especially appreciate with The Haunting Of The Tower Of London are some of the characters in this film, and let us begin with the most powerful one. And that is of course actor Tim Cartwright as Richard III. Tim have been in several of Charlie Steeds films, and everytime he shows up on screen you can feel his magical screen presence. And you really feel that in this film, as he is perfect as Richard III, both for his way to portrait this character, but also delivering dialogue that matches so well, I actually have a feeling that if director Charlie Steeds would ever consider making a viking film, i know that Tim Cartwright would be the perfect choice for viking king. Wonderful actress Emma Spurgin Hussey gives a solid performance as the character Mistress Blythe, a woman who is clearly not shy, and knows how to express herself. The scenes between Emma Spurgin Hussey and Tim Cartwright are especially entertaining, because you can feel that they have a great chemistry on the big screen. Reece Connoly ( who i especially enjoyed in A Werewolf In England ) as the priest Isaac, shows that Reece knows exactly how to portrait this character. I have to mention one especially funny character known as Solomon The Torturer, played by actor James Swanton ( who played The Jack, the demonic clown in The Jack In The Box: The Awakening ). The scenes where we get to see him in action, both preparing the torture chamber but also the torture scene with a prisoner, is really funny. So how does the haunting elements work in this film? Considering that this film is an independent horror film, i have to say for the most part it works well. Of course you can tell that they tried to do their best with the budget they had, and i appreciate that. The costume design is fine with the time period, and the castle gives a nice historical approach to the story. Director Charlie Steeds deliver once more another solid horror film, that will especially be appreciated by fans of his previous films. Definetely worth picking up on DVD to support both the film maker, but also his film crew, as we hope for more wonderful films in the style of The Haunting Of The Tower Of London.

Rating: DDD