TV Series and Book Review - Midwinter of the Spirit
Is it horror? Is it crime? Is it a supernatural mystery? This genre busting series set in rural Herefordshire involves a crucified body, Satanism and an exorcist, a young girl and her wayward friend. When you mix all this together you get intriguing, dark and creepy for sure, and altogether hugely entertaining. Bafta winner Stephen Volk wrote the screenplay for the three part ITV series Midwinter of the Spirit, which is based on the supernatural crime novel of the same title by Phil Rickman (1999). Single mother, priest and newly appointed diocesan deliverance expert (aka exorcist) Merrily Watkins is played convincingly by Anna Maxwell-Martin. Her priest is not a lovable cartoon character from some sit com or a Chestertonian Father Brown, full of certainties and confidence in his vocation. Following closely to the characterisation in the books by Phil Rickman, Merrily is a well-drawn protagonist, full of flaws, doubts and uncertainties and as human as you can get. Her encount...