Let's get the things I like about this film out of the way really fast. In general, the shots and sequences that take place in the rocks is very well done. The imposing visual and audio style causes a real fearful tone to exist throughout the film when in this area. The first longer sequence in the rocks is very good as well, I was hooked onto the movie as of that point. However, pretty much everything else apart from this was subpar at best. This is based on a novel which was based on a true story, so obviously the plot isn't going to seem extremely polished like it would be if it was written from scratch. However, while the plot is nonsensical, meandering, and unsatisfying, that's not the main issue for me. The character writing is just not very good, not to the extent that it should be. In a period piece drama like this one, character writing is often the best option for making the movie relatable and entertaining. However, none of the characters here have much depth. They are very one-dimensional for the most part except for maybe Appleyard, but the movie does her character injustice in other ways. I think some of the mysterious elements and themes in the film are cool and add to the overall feeling of mystic that the film was trying to build up, but it doesn't really matter all that much in the face of an overwhemingly uninteresting cast of characters and story.