A group of activists hides out in an IKEA-like DIY store in the hopes of spending the night causing some mayhem to further their cause and spread the message about the destruction of the rainforest. Unfortunately for them, Jack (Aidan O’Hare) and his hulking brother Kevin (Turlough Convery), a hardcore primitive hunting nut who’s been pushed one step too far, are on security duty.
The filmmaking collective RKSS (comprising François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell), is best known for Turbo Kid and Summer of 84. Here, they take the generic fight-for-survival formula but with an accidental psychopath as the antagonist. None of the activists are particularly likeable, so it’s not hard to end up rooting for killer who’s picking them off in inventive ways (using his hunting know-how to fabricate traps from the everyday objects in the store. Even with the lack of empathy with the youngsters, there’s still plenty of tension built and some very brutal deaths. While the teens are less fleshed-out than the ‘adults’, the cast shows some admirable acting chops in what is essentially a trailer park version of The Most Dangerous Game.
While it may not have the crowd-pleasing qualities of the collective’s other films, it’s very well-made and boasts a gloriously cruel but satisfactory payoff.
WAKE UP screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Glasgow on March 8th.
