Blackcoat’s Daughter (February) – Movie Review & Discussion

An exquisite specimen of the “slow burn” horror genre at its finest, Blackcoat’s Daughter replaces the cheap jump scare scenes with an increasingly unsettling atmosphere and ever-building tension which plays out to an excellent finale. With an incredible performance by lead actress Kiernan Shipka, and a unique twist on a classic theme, Blackcoat’s Daughter is a horror masterpiece that will likely be watched for generations to come.

I would say that this movie is a bit much for the casual viewer. It’s definitely not something you can watch and enjoy while playing on your phone. If you’re a fan of the genre in general, you’ll enjoy the ride. If you’re a sensitive viewer, beware of a few…. Dramatic scenes…. I myself had to close my eyes on multiple occasions, especially towards the end.

Aside from the gore which I wasn’t a fan of, this movie seems to me like it actually contains so much that you just wouldn’t even catch on the first viewing. It most certainly merits a second or even third watch to fully grasp it in its entirety.

There’s so much to say about this movie. I’ll start with the spoiler free version, and after that, I think I have no choice but to discuss the entire movie at length afterwards.

Also… Don’t watch the trailer, don’t even look at the posters. They both ruin the movie. (you will know that I went out of my way to not even put the poster in this review.) Just buy it, download it, whatever, and watch it.

(Don’t worry, this is the spoiler free part.)

Blackcoat's Daughter (2017) - Previously Titled 'Feburary'

The movie is set around two girls in a boarding school: one is the younger, innocent freshman, while the other is the older and more rebellious one. School break is here, but these two girls can’t leave, as their parents have not arrived yet. Meanwhile, there’s a third girl who is embarking on a mysterious journey in their direction, and who knows how their paths will cross. I try to keep the “plot paragraphs” to an absolute minimum. No point giving anything away, especially from a movie that I liked.

The very first thing I noticed about this movie while watching it was the tremendous soundtrack. I’m not too sure if there’s a word for this specific kind of hypnotizingly creepy, orchestraic style. >>> Check it out here <<< I’ve seen quite a few horror movies recently that tried it out, but it usually ends up more loud and annoying than anything else. In Blackcoat’s Daughter, this fabulous music arrangement not only builds the sinister and atmospheric tension of the movie, but actually creates it. An interesting fact is that the soundtrack is composed by Elvis Perkins, brother of the movie’s writer / director: Osgood Perkins. (I’m listening to it as I type, to get back into the mood of the movie.)

The leading girls in the story are played by Emma Roberts, Kiernan Shipka, and Lucy Boynton. While all three put on a stunning performance, all were out shined by Kiernan Shipka – by a longshot. I honestly don’t believe that I have ever seen an actress that young do something that well. Every smile, every twitch, every ever-so-slight movement of the eyebrow keeps you transfixed – all the while knowing something creepy is afoot, but never knowing quite what it is. I think it’s safe to say that Keirnan carried this entire movie just with her facial expressions.

See, now what kind of smile is that?

If you’re thinking that the themes of an all-girl boarding school and possible possession is something that’s been done too many times, don’t worry. This movie has a new take on both. You’ll see when you watch it.

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Final Rating: 8/10

Pros: Awesome Soundtrack, Amazing Acting, Beautifully shot & Directed, Unique, Suspenseful and Intriguing.

Cons: I think they could have eased up with the clues for the ending “twist.” It was quite obvious a bit too early on in the movie, but the carryout was amazing nonetheless.

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Distributed by: A24
Production Company: Paris Film INC, Unbroken Pictures, Zed Filmworks, Go Insane Films, Travelling Picture Show Company
Director: Oz Perkins
Cast: Emma Roberts, Lucy Boynton, Kiernan Shipka
Producers: Bryan Bertino, Adrienne Biddle, Alphonse Ghossein, Rob Paris Robert Menzies
Music: Elvis Perkins

The Blackcoat’s Daughter Ending

THIS SECTION WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

To me, it doesn’t seem like there can be multiple interpretations of this movie – unless of course, if you start to go down the path of “there is no demon possession and only mental illness.” Regardless of whether or not there is such a thing as demon possession in real life, I think it’s safe to say that that is exactly what happened in the movie.

Anyone that has watched the movie already knows that the movie actually takes place on two different timelines, and Catherine and Joan are actually the same person. If you don’t know that, you weren’t tuning in. Go watch it again.

You see why I didn't want to use any of the actual posters?

One of the most interesting things about this movie is the angle that it takes on demon possession, and also the effect on the victim as well. Upon first watch, we never quite see what happened to Catherine, or how she ended up getting possessed.

Upon second watch ( I haven’t seen it all a second time, but I’ve gone through select scenes that I thought may have been important), you’ll notice quite a few oddities.

In the very first scene where Catherine is dreaming, her hands are clasped together as if praying. To me, this indicates that she had been oppressed by this demon—or Satan – long before she starts acting weird. This is followed by the second scene where the father asks “is something funny?” and it appears that Catherine is looking at something in the corner. Although the viewer sees nothing, I’m going to put it out there, that she was already seeing the entity by then.

Note the praying hands? The 'Blackcoated Figure' only appears after she shifts position and her hands are no longer praying.

When Catherine’s parents don’t show up, she begins to feel alone and abandoned. Being left by herself again when Rose was supposed to look after her was the final straw which led her to communicate with and befriend the demon and do his bidding, before finally being possessed.

This is the one part that the movie doesn’t really answer: What the hell happened to Catherine’s parents? I’m gonna say that her dream in the first scene was more of a premonition, and they really did both die while on the way to see her.

I’m not too sure when the rest of you figured out that Joan was actually the same girl as Kat, but after that it got quite a bit more interesting, as I was trying to figure out what Joan was up to.

The key line in the movie which holds it all together would be after the demon has been exorcised. Rather than feeling relieved, Catherine reaches out to the demon and says “don’t go.”

"Don't go."

This is where I feel Blackcoat’s Daughter is very unique. This is also the first time where the viewer will see that perhaps Catherine is not just a victim after all. For the first time, we have a victim who wants to be possessed. The first set of killings done at the boarding school may have been carried out while Kat was not in her right mind, and was in fact, possessed.

However, the second set of killings were done by Kat/Joan’s own free will altogether.

I absolutely loved the opened-ended ending, which I didn’t actually think was open-ended at all.
Joan/Kat is covered in blood, weeping in the snow, after having just sawed the heads off two people with what looks like a kitchen knife. Is she crying because of the gravity of her actions? Absolutely not. She’s crying because her blood sacrifices were still not enough to bring the entity back. But then… she looks up.