History Film / BlackDeath

* BloodFromTheMouth: The symptom indicating that [[spoiler: Griff has been infected]]. {{Subverted}} in that, he [[spoiler: doesn't die but is [[MercyKill finished off by his friend]].]]

* ArtisticLicense: While otherwise historically accurate, the fundamental premise is wrong: Witch-hunts did not become a common phenomenon in Europe until a hundred years later. The usual culprits during the black death were the Jews, who were long before suspected of poisoning wells and spreading diseases among Christendom. On the other hand, outright heretics like the villagers would have been killed indeed, regardless of whether they practiced witchcraft or not.

* TheHeretic: A whole village filled with them.

* HollywoodAtheist: Hob, (and possibly the other villagers) who doesn't believe in God, heaven or hell. His work is performing {{human sacrifice}}s of Christians that refuse to give up their faith for the witch Langiva.

* SlutShaming: The men try this on Langiva, screaming "whore" when she presides over their captivity, even though she's done nothing even ''remotely'' sexual in her treatment of them, or anyone else for that matter (in fact, there's no sex or even nudity in the film, period).

* TheUnsolvedMystery: The whole thing. Was Langiva protecting the village from the plague, or was it just isolated? Was Averill brought back from the dead, brought from the brink of death with brain damage, or was she just drugged? Even the epilogue ends on an ambiguous note: is Osmund seeing Langiva's faces in every woman because of her magical abilities, or is it just his own impending madness?

* ArtisticLicense: While otherwise historically accurate, the fundamental premise is wrong: Witch-hunts did not become a common phenomenon in Europe until a hundred years later. The usual culprits during the black death were the jews, who were long before suspected of poisoning wells and spreading diseases among Christendom. On the other hand, outright heretics like the villagers would have been killed indeed, regardless of whether they practiced witchcraft or not.

* TheBlackDeath [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously]].

* BloodFromTheMouth: The symptom indicating that [[spoiler: Griff has been infected]]. Subverted in that, he [[spoiler: doesn't die but is [[MercyKill finished off by his friend]].]]

* CelibateHero: Averted. Even though Osmund is a monk, he secretly has a lover.

* ChristianityIsCatholic: Justified in that this is fourteenth century England.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Ulric's death (torn apart by horses)]] is horrific. Such punishment or its equivalent was historically reserved only for [[spoiler: grand treason and regicide]] mainly because it was considered extremely cruel.

* TheFinalTemptation: Played with. Osmund's scene with Averill in the barn is described as such, but it turns out that it may have been something else altogether.

** ...bordering on BlackAndBlackMorality on all sides.

* HumanSacrifice: Not played entirely straight, as [[spoiler: the "witch" knows full well she cannot perform magic and only kills people to keep the villagers in line. Perhaps, witches lie and we can never be quite sure of what exactly Langiva does is magic or chemistry, if she was a true witch then lying to Osmund then she contributed to his corruption, a witchy goal.]].
* IdiotBall: [[spoiler: The knights deeply distrust the villagers, know their leader knows her way with herbs and still drink and eat what they offer]].

* KnightTemplar: Ulric. [[spoiler: Later, Osmund.]]

** [[spoiler: Wolfstan]] gives one to [[spoiler: Griff when he reveals that he's got the plague]]. Characters also discuss the use of misericorde at the battlefield.

* RagtagBandOfMisfits: Ulric's retinue consists of [[ShellShockedVeteran two war veterans]], [[TheSpeechless mute soldier]], [[PsychoForHire crazed murderer]], [[TortureTechnician professional executioner]] and [[OnlyInItForTheMoney a mercenary]].
* TheOphelia: [[spoiler: subverted in that Averill was drugged, perhaps]].

* SecretlyDying: [[spoiler: Ulric]]

* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler: The group arrives to the village and discover the inhabitants are actually pagans. They are then drugged and when they wake up the whole group is killed off one by one in horrific ways and Osmund is tricked into killing his lover. In the end only Osmund and one other member of the party survive with Osmund's faith horrible shaken.]] We then discover that [[spoiler: the whole film was probably Osmund's StartOfDarkness as we get an epilogue showing that Osmund abandoned being a monk to search the land for the main witch, torturing and killing any girl that looks like her, and even ones that definitely ''don't'']].

* WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife: The whole damn thing, whether people are dying from [[http://www.alluc.com/stream/Black+Death TheBlackDeath]] or the [[WitchHunt Witch Hunts]] that follow.

* WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife: The whole damn thing, whether people are dying from TheBlackDeath or the [[WitchHunt Witch Hunts]] that follow.

* CrapsackWorld: If the plague doesn't get you the bandits or the witch-burners will.

''Black Death'' is a 2010 movie from Christopher Smith (director of ''{{Creep}}'', ''{{Severance}}'' and ''{{Triangle}}''), starring Creator/SeanBean, Eddie Redmayne and Creator/CariceVanHouten.

[[spoiler: Whether or not Langiva actually practices magic or is just a keen judge of character and manipulator of desperate people remains in doubt. Certain circumstances support either idea.]]

''Black Death'' is a 2010 movie from Christopher Smith (director of ''{{Creep}}'', ''{{Severance}}'' and ''{{Triangle}}''), starring Creator/SeanBean, Eddie Redmayne and Carice van Houten.

** ... Bordering on BlackAndBlackMorality on all sides.

* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler: The group arrives to the village and discover the inhabitants are actually pagans. They are then drugged and when they wake up the whole group is killed off one by one in horrific ways and Osmund is tricked into killing his lover. In the end only Osmund and one other member of the party survive with Osmund's faith horrible shaken.]] We then discover that [[spoiler: the whole film was probably Osmund's StartOfDarkness as we get an epilogue showing that Osmund abandoned being a monk to search the land for the main witch, torturing and killing any girl that looks like her, and even ones that definitley ''don't'']].

''Black Death'' is a 2010 movie from Christopher Smith (director of ''{{Creep}}'', ''{{Severance}}'' and ''{{Triangle}}''), starring SeanBean, Eddie Redmayne and Carice van Houten.

* TheUnsolvedMystery: The whole thing. Was Langiva protecting the village from the plague, or was it just isolated? Was Averill brought back from the dead, or was she just drugged? Even the epilogue ends on an ambiguous note: is Osmund seeing Langiva's faces in every woman because of her magical abilities, or is it just his own impending madness?

* ArtisticLicence: While otherwise historically accurate, the fundamental premise is wrong: Witch-hunts did not become a common phenomenon in Europe until a hundred years later. The usual culprits during the black death were the jews, who were long before suspected of poisoning wells and spreading diseases among Christendom. On the other hand, outright heretics like the villagers would have been killed indeed, regardless of whether they practiced witchcraft or not.

* ShootTheDog: Ulric [[spoiler: mercy-kills an accused witch instead of leaving her to a horrible death by burning.]] Also serves as his EstablishingCharacterMoment.

* WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife: The whole damn thing, whether people are dying from the titular BlackDeath or the [[WitchHunt Witch Hunts]] that follow.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Perhaps not so unusual for the period, but [[spoiler: Ulric's death (torn apart by horses)]] is horrific.
** Very unusual. Such punishment or its equivalent was reserved only for [[spoiler: grand treason and regicide]] mainly because it was considered extremely cruel.

** Justified in that they [[spoiler: are told not to raise any suspicion. And they are most likely unaware of potency of some natural poisons and hallucinogens]].
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Osmund ends up torturing and killing countless innocent women for her crimes, but Langiva gets off scot free.]]
** [[spoiler: Although Wolfstan (the narrator) also says that he heard Osmund eventually caught Lagiva. The movie remains ambigious as to whether or not Langiva got away]].

* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Wolfstan]] gives one to [[spoiler: Griff when he reveals that he's got the plague]]. Characters also discuss the use of misericorde at the battlefield.
** Ulrich also claimed that he killed the accused witch quickly in order to prevent her from [[BurnTheWitch death by burning]] - a far worse fate.

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: A woman who tried to protect her village with a blessing got accused of being a witch.
** Doubles as [[spoiler: IdiotBall, as even pretending to use magic is a bad idea among the superstitious folk in the times like this]].

* ShootTheShaggyDog: [[spoiler: The group arrives to the village and discover the inhabitants are actually pagans. They are then drugged and when they wake up the whole group is killed off one by one in horrific ways and Osmund is tricked into killing his lover. In the end only Osmund and one other member of the party survive with Osmund's faith horrible shaken.]]
** But wait! [[ItGotWorse It gets even better!]] [[spoiler: We discover the whole film was probably Osmund's StartOfDarkness as we get an epilogue showing that Osmund abandoned being a monk to search the land for the main witch, torturing and killing any girl that looks like her, and even ones that definitley ''don't'']].

* TheHighQueen: Langiva is this to her people.

* Ulrich also claimed that he killed the accused witch quickly in order to prevent her from [[BurnTheWitch death by burning]] - a far worse fate.

* DaydreamSurprise: When praying, Osmund [[spoiler: sees dead Averill calling his name, then he broght back to reality by Ulrich, who does the same]].

** [[spoiler: Although Wolfstan (the narrator)also says that he heard Osmund eventually caught Lagiva. The movie remains ambigious as to whether or not Langiva got away]]

** But wait! [[ItGotWorse It gets even better!]] [[spoiler: We discover the whole film was probably Osmund's StartOfDarkness as we get an epilogue showing that Osmund abandoned being a monk to search the land for the main witch, torturing and killing any girl that looks like her, and even one's that definitley ''don't'']].

Black Death is a 2010 movie from Christopher Smith (director of ''{{Creep}}'', ''{{Severance}}'' and ''{{Triangle}}''), starring SeanBean, Eddie Redmayne and Carice van Houten.

* TitleDrop: Averted. Though the movie is set during the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Black Death]], it is never named as such in any dialogue, usually referred to instead as "the pestilence." This is true to history, as the plague was not given its [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel popular name]] until much later.

* ChekhovsLecture: [[spoiler: The method of mercy-killing.]]

* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Ulric]]

!! ''BlackDeath'' contains examples of: