The Sisterhood of Night Film Review

Sorority Girls Tell All Secrets In Suspected Cult Girl Group

The plot begins when Mary Warren, played by Georgie Henley, is humiliated by the disclosure of her intimate text messages online by one of her classmates. She decides to retaliate in a subtle way.

Mary takes her revenge on her disloyal classmate, Emily Parris, played by Kara Hayward, by humiliating her too. Mary calls Emily a whore, by chalking on the schoolyard wall. This sequence of events leads to Mary developing the idea of forming The Sisterhood, a secret society for females, that meets in the woods in the middle of the night.

Initially, the main goal of the sorority is to correct common retaliation acts, and rather than behaving like bitchy backstabbers, the members would promise to respect each other’s privacy while offering a shoulder to cry on as they share their personal problems.

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Georgie Henley in 2008.

The first two recruits are social zeroes, homely Catherine Huang, played by Willa Cuthrell, and Lavinia Hall, aplayed by Olivia DeJonge, the troubled daughter of the school librarian, played by Laura Fraser. To join the sorority, the girls must take a vow of silence about what transpires during their confessional sessions around the campfire.

As word spreads about the safe space they’ve created for females, the group’s numbers gradually increase.

In the safety of their group, one admits to having had an abortion, another says she’s afraid she’ll never be kissed. One says she wants to be in love with the boy she surrenders her virginity to; while the next wants her chronically-ill mother to either recover or die.

That’s how it goes, as they tell their personal secrets.

Of course, nothing is perfect, and outside of the group, vicious rumors start to circulate around campus. It is suggested that The Sisterhood might be a coven of witches or a sex cult. It doesn’t take long for this innuendo to reach the ears of the guidance counselor, played by Kal Penn, the principal, played by Gary Wilmes, and even a reporter, played by Brian Berrebbi. Of course the local tabloid reporter just wants to write sensational stories.

With pressure building on the group, we have to wonder whether the girls will stick together when it appears that everyone in town is against them?

Directed by Caryn Waechter, The Sisterhood of Night is a compelling cautionary tale inspired by Steven Millhauser’s short story of the same name.

It is a daunting test of teen loyalty in our Electronic Age, but there are parallels to the Salem witch hunts.

The Sisterhood of Night

Very Good (3 stars)

Rated PG-13 for mature themes, suicide, sexuality and prescription drug abuse

Running time: 103 minutes

Distributor: Freestyle Digital Media

Watch The Sisterhood of Night trailer:

Kam Williams is a popular and top NewsBlaze reviewer, our chief critic. Kam gives his unvarnished opinion on movies, DVDs and books, plus many in-depth and revealing celebrity interviews.

Sadly, Lloyd Kam Williams passed away in 2019, leaving behind a huge body of work focused on America’s black entertainment community. We were as sad to hear of his passing as we were overjoyed to have him as part of our team.