The Power is a horror movie set in London during the early 1970s, a period marked by social unrest, economic recession, and political uncertainty. Against this backdrop, Val, a young trainee nurse, arrives at the East London Royal Infirmary, an old and dilapidated hospital that is about to close down due to government budget cuts. Val is assigned to work the night shift, along with a few other nurses and a grumpy caretaker named Ted.
As soon as Val enters the hospital, she feels a sense of unease and eerie quietness that makes her nervous. The hospital is poorly lit, with flickering bulbs and faulty wiring, and the halls are full of shadows and creaky noises. Val soon learns that most of the patients have been transferred to a newer and safer hospital, leaving only a handful of critically ill patients behind. Val is put in charge of checking their vital signs, administering medications, and comforting them, but she soon realizes that something is not right with the place.
As the night unfolds, Val hears strange whispers, sees ghostly apparitions, and experiences bizarre episodes of electricity fluctuations. She discovers that the hospital is haunted by the ghosts of past patients who died in terrible circumstances during a previous blackout in 1959. The ghosts manifest themselves through the electrical wiring and devices of the hospital, causing power outages and surges that threaten the lives of the remaining patients.
Val tries to persuade her colleagues and the hospital authorities to evacuate the patients and leave the building, but her warnings fall on deaf ears. The hospital is reluctant to lose its reputation and funding, and the staff is skeptical of Val's claims of paranormal activity. Val is forced to confront the ghosts alone, facing not only supernatural terror but also her own traumatic memories of abuse and abandonment.
The Power is directed by Corinna Faith and stars Rose Williams as Val, along with Emma Rigby, Theo Barklem-Biggs, and Charlie Carrick. The movie blends atmospheric horror with social commentary, exploring themes of power dynamics, gender inequality, and historical trauma. The Power is a tense and unsettling movie that takes the audience on a haunting journey into the dark and hidden corners of a neglected institution.
