Richard Rowntree’s debut feature film Dogged adds fuel to the recent revival of folk horror. Films like Ritual, Kill List and, most recently, Hereditary all revel in unleashing ancient pre-Christian cultures on unassuming, modern audiences. Dogged, a Kickstarter-funded movie, doesn’t quite have the budget of those other films but manages to hold its own in a surging subgenre.
Sam (Sam Saunders) is a twenty-something student heading home for the funeral of a local girl. When he arrives, the isolated island town is stranger and more secretive than ever. Along with his childhood crush, Sam begins to unravel the mysteries of the island, creeping closer and closer to danger as he does so.
If The Wicker Man feeds off class (Rich Lord Summerisle keeps the working people in check via paganism) then Dogged goes for gender. Patriarchy through a prism of folk horror; it’s a nicely updated take on the trope, with the prodigal son returning from the modernising influence of University to the ritualistic confines of small-town life. It’s a culture shock that students the world over have dealt with for years now; the subtle feeling that home is never the same once you leave. Granted, for Sam, there’s more at work than simple gentrification and coming of age, but you get the point, it’s a fresh contemporary approach to a stuffy genre.
Saunders is a decent newcomer, easily able to hold our attention, but, as with many of the film’s issues, the longer it goes on, the more cracks appear. Toby Wynn-Davies overacting threatens some of the film’s most intense sequences with uninvited comedy, but there are some superb scenes where his flamboyancy totally works. Especially when his role in the film’s mystery is revealed. That seems to happen to most of the film’s inconsistently over-dramatic talents. Actors like Debra Leigh-Taylor, Tony Manders, and Philip Ridout are not bad at all, but the inconsistent direction seems to leave their performance mismatched with the tone.
At a run time of 116 minutes, Rowntree goes for the slow-burn but can’t quite hold the tension. Nor does he try. Dogged rarely feels like a traditional horror film: it’s a wrought drama with some great momentary chills, but it’s rarely really terrifying. Which probably doesn’t help with the feeling that the runtime is a bit indulgent. There’s so much fluff; long silent shots of nature, reactions, or surplus footage that just could have been edited a bit tighter. It’s a shame because the film, though not outrageously stylish, is well filmed and atmospheric.
The bottom line is that Dogged is a decent enough story that could use an edit and a bit more focus. Rowntree has crafted a fresh-feeling folk horror script, but it’s too long-winded to summon the impact it could have had.
DOGGED / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: RICHARD ROWNTREE / SCREENPLAY: MATTHEW DAVIES, RICHARD ROWNTREE / STARRING: DEBRA LEIGH-TAYLOR, NADIA LAMIN, PHILIP RIDOUT, TONY MANDERS, AIYSHA JEBALI / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
