In 1921, in London, the arrogant and skeptical Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) is a famous for exposing hoax, helping the police to arrest con artists. The stranger Robert Mallory (Dominic West) tells her that the headmaster of the boarding school in Rookford had invited her to travel to Cumbrio to investigate a ghost that is frightening to death the pupils. He also tells that many years ago there was a murder in the real estate and recently the pupil Walter Portman had died. The reluctant Florence finally accepts to go to Cumbrio.

On the arrival, she is welcomed by the governess Maud (Imelda Staunton) and the boy Thomas Hill. Sooner Florence discovers what had happened to Walter and then the students, teachers and staff are released on vacation, and Florence remains alone with Robert, Maud and Tom in the school. Florence is ready to leave the boarding school and strange things happen. Florence comments with Robert and he tells that there is only three persons in the boarding school, leaving Florence scared.

"The Awakening" is a ghost story that begins with the information that between 1914 and 1919, the war and the influenza claimed more than one million lives in Britain. The storyline is very similar to the 1995 "Haunted", with a woman that exposes hoax and swindlers traveling to her home town to investigate a ghost that is haunting the students of a boarding school. Nevertheless the supernatural story is engaging and has many plot points with new revelations. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Despertar" ("The Awakening")