The Blackcoat’s Daughter is like walking through someone else’s dream, telling the story of two teenage girls, Kat and Rose, stuck at their boarding school over a break. Following the loss of her parents, freshman Kat begins to demonstrate some odd behavior and begins to act out. Rose, an upperclassman who is hung up in her own problems, dismisses her and finds out very quickly that that was a bad idea. This film creates an eerie and otherworldly feeling, trusting the viewer to infer key ideas as it goes along. This trust builds a sort of dialogue between the viewer and the characters.
As the storyline splits with the introduction of another character, Joan, we see the more moving pieces of the puzzle. These three characters show the stages of adolescence and how kids deal with trauma, stress, and loss with the addition of a supernatural aspect. As the true source of Kat’s change is revealed, the satanic nature of her brutality reveals how seductive even the most terrifying company can be when you find yourself alone. It makes you almost feel sympathetic for Kat.
This film definitely brings the horror. I began watching one night only to have to stop because I was so frightened and finish it the next day. Starting with the unsettling mystery of Kat and her ominous premonitions and continuing with her violent actions, this story advances like Kat’s possession. From an enigmatic admission to violent acts, it draws you in, and violence is this movie is taken seriously, Not like the usual gore for shock values, the bloody acts in this film have real impact. Even though I was still stunned, it felt useful to the story. It was portrayed in a way that felt that it had real weight to it.

An ephemeral film with an amazing score that increases the terror of an otherwise silent film with few lines of dialogue and the quiet backdrop of winter. The slow-mo, repetition of imagery, and quick, almost split-second flashbacks tell the story in an implicit way that keeps you interested as it keeps you engaged. A film that surprised me, I definitely recommend it on its merits of imagery and intricate storytelling that is well laid-out and very satisfying to watch. I can’t reveal too much in this review, because as someone who went into this movie with no knowledge of its subject, I think the best way to view it is with unsuspecting eyes.