We Have Always Lived In The Castle is a 2019 thriller about a family living in isolation after a tragedy where a dark secret lies hiding.
Director Stacie Passon‘s adaptation of the critically-acclaimed 1962 Shirley Jackson novel of the same name is a curiously ambitious movie that is purposefully dark, like an ancient piece of folklore spun with new yarn. It captures the time and setting with saturated flavor that gives the creepy story plenty of style, making it a genuinely delightful tale, strange and inviting where the shadows come to rest.
On a large family estate in the recesses of Vermont, 18-year-old Merricat Blackwood (Taissa Farmiga) lives with her older sister Constance (Alexandra Daddario) and wheelchair bound Uncle Julian (Crispin Glover). A tragedy looms over the small family, the girl’s parents poisoned with Constance accused and arrested but never actually convicted, leaving the three to reside in complete isolation as the townsfolk turn against them, many openly shunning or accosting Merricat when she travels in for weekly supplies. Merricat falls upon black magic to try and protect them, bound to rituals she hopes keeps them safe, but when cousin Charles (Sebastian Stan) arrives, showing interest in Constance – and treasures Merricat buries – things spiral out of control.
We Have Always Lived In The Castle maintains a quirky sense of dread throughout, never quite reaching for horror but instead more playful in its mysteries. Passon knows the genre well – and those that have paved the path forward – competently clinging to some standards that make for some sturdy moments of clever visual storytelling, both within the walls of the castle and the streets in town where Merricat sometimes finds herself.
It’s not a black comedy per se, though it rightfully doesn’t take itself all too seriously, nothing about it meant to be authentic. This is a children’s morality tale led by three entertaining performances from the central cast, with Farmiga the film’s narrator (or rather commentator) traveling us through the artificiality of her confusing little world. Merricat is a broken child by any definition, trapped in a reality she desperately tries to keep hold of with spells and trinkets, while Constance appears like a Stepford Wife for much of it, layering every scene she’s in with some genuine weirdness.
The film is divided by days of the week place cards that feel like something very ominous is heading their way, heralded by the arrival of Charles, though there’s plenty else going about that keeps the audience wondering. The movie doesn’t pursue this with a lot of abstract commotion and large-scale action set pieces with Danny Elfman-esque music as the film seems geared for, instead sticking to a more subdued darkness with more mystery than madness.
For some, that might mean giving this a pass, but indeed We Have Always Lived In The Castle shouldn’t be missed. It’s a slow, trippy thriller that is sort of a hybrid of what might happen if Tim Burton and Wes Anderson joined forces. It has a terrific sense of place and commitment to its unusual style with its actors making it the best reason to stick with it, as Glover delivers one of his best performances in years and Daddario exhausting to watch as she keeps up appearances, though Farmiga steals the whole show. Recommended.