Review: The Fixation / Author: Mark Morris / Publisher: Hammer Chillers / Starring: Miles Jupp, Camille Coduri, Ewan Bailey, Jacqueline King, Lauren Kellegher, Danny Horn / Release Date: Out Now
Bafflegab and Hammer Films continue their new Hammer Chillers range with The Fixation, another thirty minute, full cast production written by Mark Morris (Toady, Vampire Circus and Torchwood: Bay of the Dead).
Ian and Beth Hibbert (Jupp and Coduri) moved to the Darwell Estate back when their daughter Sam (Kellegher) was a baby. In those days it was a lovely place to live but over the years the estate has taken several turns for the worse. Arguing with a hoodie dumping rubbish on the street outside his house is the final straw and Ian forms the Clean Up Darwell group (or CUD) to try and return some decency to the estate.
Support is minimal with just a couple of neighbours joining in and they soon find that the residents don’t want the rubbish cleared. As events progress the group are threatened, a van sabotaged and Sam herself attacked on the way from school. All this time the police show little interest. Events escalate and the story builds to a dark conclusion, first with the disappearance of one of the group and then a final encounter between the Hibberts and the dark secret at the heart of the insidious corruption.
This tale works well as it is set in a situation most of us can identify with and we all share Ian Hibbert’s frustration with vandals and litter louts. At the same time, as listeners we recognise that Ian is pushing events along and his pig-headed approach to the litter problem is likely to lead to trouble.
Again the sound and recording quality are spot-on and the script, acting and directing blend seamlessly leaving the listener to enjoy this all too convincing story. So far, this series has impressed and we eagerly await forthcoming releases.
