The Convent

In early seventeenth-century England, a young woman named Persephone is accused of witchcraft and brought to trial, where her fate seems sealed. At the last moment, a Reverend Mother intervenes and offers her refuge in an isolated priory, where she is to live as a nun and atone for her sins. Instead of finding forgiveness, Persephone is tormented by terrifying visions and comes to realise that a greater evil waits within the convent walls, turning her stay into a struggle for her own soul.

The Convent is a British historical horror film directed by Paul Hyett, who wrote the screenplay with Conal Palmer. It is Hyett's third feature, following The Seasoning House and Howl. Hannah Arterton plays Persephone, with Clare Higgins as the Reverend Mother, Michael Ironside as the Magistrate, Dilan Gwyn as Alice Langley, Sian Breckin as Sister Lucilla and Ciarán McMenamin as William Carpenter. Marcia Do Vales and Michael Riley produced the film, which runs 86 minutes.

The film drew limited attention on release. It holds a rating of 4.1 out of 10 on IMDb from around 1,800 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.4 out of 10 from roughly 135 votes. A critics' rating of 5.3 out of 10 from five reviews places professional assessment slightly above the audience score on TMDB, though the small numbers involved limit how much weight these figures can carry.