[Film Review] Spencer (2021)

Spencer follows Princess Diana and the Royal Family during Christmas at Sandringham Palace in 1991. We get a window into the tradition, procession and strict rules ALL of the Royals must follow while Diana tries to keep her sanity during the final months of her marriage to Prince Charles. You are probably thinking ‘I thought I was on Ghouls Magazine – I want horror content and Spencer isn’t a horror.’ And yes, this film is not being advertised as such and I went into the cinema expecting a standard biopic about one of the most iconic women of our time. But very soon, through Pablo Larrain’s direction and Jonny Greenwood’s score, it’s evident that this isn’t your run of the mill ‘Diana’ film. 

We start with sweeping, grand bird eye shots over Sandringham Palace to show the enormity of the building and land, and the moat which literally cuts off the Family from the rest of the world. The choice to have Kristen Stewart’s Princess  in the centre of many of the shots allows us, the audience, as well as the other characters to always look at her – Diana is always the centre of the attention. The score, with dread-inducing strings and alarming trumpets, keeps you on edge, adding to the conspiratorial view of the world Diana is increasingly divulging into. Who to trust, because you can’t trust the score to be what is expected. 

The film asks the audience to be a voyeur into a world far away from our own, where we are weighed before and after Christmas, where we must curtsey to the Queen when entering any room -  bearing in mind the Queen is your Mother-In-Law, where you must keep your curtains closed for fear a paparazzi gets a picture of you. While you are contemplating how you would cope in such a strict, cold world with these ‘traditions’ – you are also pulled to viewing the world through Diana’s increasing paranoia. There are grotesque eating scenes alluding to the eating disorder Diana suffered from, scenes of Diana briskly walking down ever long and empty corridors either on her own as the camera chases to keep up, or being followed by dutiful maids who have been told to keep a close eye on the ‘troublemaker’ and the constant knocking to inform her she is running late and the family is waiting for her. A family she no longer feels a part of. 

Timothy Spall plays Major Alistar Gregory who is our main antagonist. All of Diana’s fear is aimed at him. He tells her that his duty is to protect the Crown. Even though Diana is Royal (by marriage of course) he views her behaviour as in opposition of the Crown, an opposition of what soldiers have died to protect – he doesn’t see the Crown as a family or as real people but a symbol of order, order that Diana is disrupting. 

Kristen Stewart is such an interesting choice for the role of Princess Diana. Many locals would have scoffed at her being cast as such an iconic woman. Many who haven’t followed her career past the mainstream entries will falsely believe she is a limited actress. However, as a person, she has been ridiculed by the press herself, due to personal events which garnered widespread attention and the ever-present question of whether she is even talented because they judge her on a performance she did 15 years previous. I hope Kristen would agree that her media attention isn’t at the same level as Diana’s, but there are similarities and I am sure she pulled on those experiences, the fear of the press but also knowing you need the press to help rise a star. This performance is one of my favourites from the year and I expect Stewart to get the various nominations she deserves. 

Spencer is not being marketed as a horror film, and I understand the many reasons why they will be avoiding the genre tag. But as a horror fan, you can see the cinematic choices to invoke feelings of isolation, fear and repulsion against the grandeur of the pageantry. The real life situation of Diana and Charles’ marriage and the tragic end to the Princess’ life all play into the ever present dread while watching this film play out. Ultimately Spencer serves as a reminder that this genre doesn’t need to be about serial killers or monsters or ghosts – real life ‘mundanity’ can be just as horrifying. 

Spencer is in cinemas now. 

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