Harbinger (2026) – Film Review
Director: James Crow
Cast: Gary Webster, Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott, Peter Woodward
Certificate: 18
By Roger Crow
I love old-school British horror movies, especially those that don’t take themselves too seriously. And if I know one thing about the genre, it’s that the more money spent on a chiller, the easier it is for things to go off the rails. Check out the 1999 revamp of The Haunting for a prime example.
Director James Crow (no relation) helmed this offering, which nods to the Tom Hanks movie Big, but also has one foot firmly in the Hammer camp.
Based on an idea by producer Jonathan Sothcott and penned by Simon Cluett (who worked on the forthcoming spy saga Knightfall), Harbinger’s storyline is also reminiscent of the Denzel Washington thriller Fallen, and Child’s Play.
“Evil spirit”
We begin with a scenery-chewing performance from Peter Woodward as psychotic killer Decker. After attacking anyone who crosses his path, including Julia (Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott), he is killed by law-enforcement officers, but transfers his evil spirit into a fairground fortune-telling machine. Yes, it’s a case of scream if you want to go nastier.
Haunted by memories of Decker, Julia is lured back to the house she shared with the late killer for a ghost-hunting TV show, Spectre Investigates. Minder veteran Gary Webster is on top form as the man who makes the cash-strapped Julia an offer she can’t refuse. (Webster really has matured into a fine character actor, and this is one of his best performances of recent years following his time toiling in soapland).
Doctor Who fans will be thrilled by a cameo from Carole Ann Ford, aka Susan Foreman, as Julia’s occult-TV-obsessed mother. Whovians may also feel that the eponymous fortune-teller is a throwback to those clockwork antagonists from The Girl in the Fireplace episode 20 years ago.
“Spooky”
It’s a good set-up, and when the retina-searing third act arrives, there’s enough grue and spooky moments to satisfy horror lovers.
At a mere 82 minutes, there’s little danger of Harbinger outstaying its welcome. It’s also far more fun than Shogun’s Dr Plague from a few months ago. (Fans of the Dr Phibes movies should get a kick out of the proceedings, and there’s no greater praise than that).
Stay tuned for the inevitable post-credits cookie and, with any luck, there will be a Kickstarter campaign for a possible sequel. Full disclosure: I did throw in a few quid to help get this off the ground, and I’m very glad I did.
Adopted Yorkshireman Roger Crow developed a passion for film and TV in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been a published film and TV reviewer since the 1990s; a world travel and restaurant critic since the noughties, and for the past decade has assessed the pros and cons of live gigs and theatre productions around the UK. His ideal day would involve reviewing a performance of Bat Out of Hell, followed by a Pad Thai while being serenaded by Texas on a cruise around Europe.
crowsfeat.com; nostalgiahhh film podcast
