Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

A new horror movie hits UK cinemas on Monday – the day they reopen for 2021 – based on James Herbert’s novel The Shrine.

The Unholy follows Alice, a young hearing-impaired girl who, after a supposed visitation from the Virgin Mary, is inexplicably able to hear, speak and heal the sick. As word spreads and people from near and far flock to witness her miracles, a disgraced journalist (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) hoping to revive his career visits the small New England town to investigate. When terrifying events begin to happen all around, he starts to question if these phenomena are the works of the Virgin Mary or something more sinister.

The Unholy is produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Evan Spiliotopoulos, written for the screen and directed by Evan Spiliotopoulos, and is based upon James Herbert’s best-selling book Shrine. The film stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Katie Aselton, William Sadler, Cricket Brown, with Diogo Morgado and Cary Elwes.

The Herbert family said: “Our father was a huge movie fan and would have been delighted to see Shrine on the big screen scaring new audiences around the world. The film captures the creeping feeling of classic Herbert horror that his fans knew and loved, bringing his English voice to a modern American setting. We’re thrilled that The Unholy will once again gather people together in cinemas to be terrified out of their wits – Dad would have loved that! How better to end a year of horrors than in a cinema with a story by Britain’s Grand Master?”