A holiday to a remote Swedish island turns into the set of a folk horror film when the all-English (plus one Irish) Smith family pick faraway Svalta as their choice of idyllic escape. Shaun of the Dead star Nick Frost acts from his own screenplay, playing cuddly daddy Richard. He’s joined by Aisling Bea as mummy Susan, with the family unit completed by Sebastian Croft and Maisie Ayres as the bickering teenage children.
Arriving on a hostile island ahead of the locals’ annual Karantan festival (Swedish for ‘quarantine’), the Smiths quickly become aware that all is not right on the isle of Svalta. What follows is a brutal awakening for those who are about to fall victim to a terrible ritual.
Between this, Krazy House and Black Cab, recent months have seen a resurgence of Nick Frost, the horror star. Get Away is another subverted take on horror tropes, this time turning the vacation-gone-wrong subgenre on its head.
Don’t let the Sky Cinema packaging put you off – while Get Away isn’t as transgressive, blasphemous or, uh, krazy as his other recent escapades, Frost’s fingerprints are all over the thing, from the cheeky sense of humour to the generous bloodshed. Frost and Bea share an electric sense of chemistry as the queasy-sweet man and wife (a savage swipe at parents who refer to each other as ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’), with the comedian having great fun with her horror debut. Meanwhile, Croft and Ayres bring depth to the usual bratty teenager stereotypes, relishing every word of Frost’s swear-laden screenplay.
While the bawdy humour gets in the way of its effectiveness as a horror film, the Swedish contingent (including a scene-stealing Eero Milonoff as creepy B&B host Matts and Anitta Suikkari as the community leader) help maintain a Wicker Man-esque sense of unease. Director Steffen Haars brings Svalta to life with a vibrant supporting cast and rich visuals from cinematographer Joris Kerbosch. The film does the Swedish tourist industry no favours, even if it is gorgeously shot (in Finland!)
In Frost and Haars, Get Away finds an evenly-matched meeting of minds, pitting the creepy Swede (see also: Midsommar) against the obliviously interloping Britons abroad – and all the cultural baggage (colonisation, the whole Brexit thing) that comes with it.
The blood-soaked third act will prove a divisive one, hinging on an unsubtle tonal shift, which gives the slow-burn action a shot in the arm but is too heavily foreshadowed and sends the story down a narrative dead end.
Clumsily introduced finale aside, Get Away is an inventive take on the comedy horror film, featuring energetic performances from a talented cast and a well-staged massacre to top it all off.
GET AWAY is available on Sky Cinema and streaming service NOW from January 10th.
