I’ve never reviewed a Poe adaptation, so The Oval Portrait seemed like a good fit for a quiet Sunday afternoon. I’ll be honest, I think it’s challenging to do modern gothic horror correctly. Many of the stylistic elements, the crumbling moody houses and castles, and the oppressive gloomy, isolated environments are made challenging by the intrusion of modern convenience. Of course, many directors and writers have pulled this off effectively. I know you’re thinking of Del Toro and Eggers, but it’s harder for me to think of a modern director making gothic horror set in modern times.

• Directed by: Adrian Langley
• Written by: Adrian Langley. Edgar Allan Poe
• Starring: Michael Swatton. Pragya Shail. Paul Thomas

The Inspiration

The Oval Portrait starts with the feel of a movie from a bygone era. Big titles, sweeping dramatic music, a ghost, and a dead thief.  It would be easy to think that the filmmakers are imitating the horror movies of the time. This, however, feels like it’s inspired by a different genre altogether: Noir. 

While we do have a ghost, a rather dangerous female one at that, we also have a heist being planned.  These criminals intersect with Ana, a down-on-her-luck artist dealing with a painful past, and a mysterious shopkeeper.  The narrative moves slowly, taking the time to establish who these people are before bringing them together. This is the long way of saying this is a slow-paced movie.

The Characters

The characters are easy to watch, which helps with the deliberate pacing as the mystery tightens around them. The antique dealer, Ambrose Whitlock, has done something to keep the spirit of the oval portrait attached to him.  

As Ana and Whitlock become more drawn to each other, our spirit objects. The mystery around the painting and Whitlock deepens. Although we don’t get a real sense of why Ana feels compelled to research the history of the Whitlocks, it does make for a moody compelling mystery. 

The Look

The Oval Portrait was filmed in Ottawa, Canada. It honestly looks great. The library, subway station, and other places are atmospheric and moody. The scenes are full of angles and interesting shapes. It’s cool architecture well used. 

I have a couple of issues with the look and feel of the movie. First and probably most important: the portrait itself does not look…good. Nor does it look haunted. It looks like an old-timey picture you can get at an amusement park or state fair.  I’m pretty sure it’s not AI, but just a bad Photoshop job. 

The other thing is the music. I got the reference, but it’s a lot. At times, it’s out of balance with the other audio as well. Overall, it fits with the noir vibes and oppressive feel of the haunting. At the same time, it never gives the movie a chance to breathe.

The Issue

Then there is the ghost itself.  Like with most haunted things, the less I saw of it the better. The bright lights of the elevator did not do it any favors, although that was one of my favorite parts. In most of the scenes, the specter glides in and out of frame with haunting grace. It’s effective and memorable. It just hangs out a bit too long in this one scene. 

In the final act, everything is revealed as the macabre tragedy that Poe intended. In the original short story, the artist’s act of painting his bride robs her of her life. Capturing her essence with his final brush stroke finally kills her.  

This is the story of everything that happens after that moment: an artist who lives on, cursed by what he had done and is desperate to be free.  His attempt at a resolution is interesting, although I think it leaves some things out. 

What part of the process of painting Gora, his wife, cursed her and Ambrose? Was it the simple act of rendering her image on canvas?  That feels too easy, and as such would make the presented solution meaningless. What is required is obsession and devotion, neither of which are present when Ava paints Ambrose. She doesn’t need to love him. She needs to love painting him.  Had The Oval Portrait focused more on this part of Ava’s character, this would have been a much stronger ending for an otherwise-interesting character. 

Final Thoughts

It ends in ambiguity where it could have made a hard line on the price of artistic obsession. But overall, I dug The Oval Portrait. It’s moody and easy to watch. Although if you’re looking for jump scares or gore, skip this one. It’s much more about atmosphere and style. 

The Oval Portrait is available on streaming.