Review Category: DVD/Blu Ray

A Haunting in Cawdor is a low-budget horror film that pits a bunch of young offenders attempting to stage a production of Macbeth, only to find that the play is actually cursed. It doesn’t sound great does it? Surprise, surprise…The film is just as bad as its premise sounds.

Vivian Miller (Shelby Young) is a troubled twenty-something who is sent to serve her last ninety days of probation at the Cawdor Barn Theatre. The rural complex serves as a quasi-summer camp, which also apparently doubles up as a low-security penitentiary. Weird. Anyway, the theatre is run by a once successful, but now forgotten, director Lawrence (Cary Elwes). Lawrence is determined to put on a production of Shakespeare’s Scottish play, despite heavy hints that he’s already had a couple of disastrous attempts to do so in the past. After being cast in the play, Vivian decides to do a little research by watching an old taping of a Macbeth stage production. Unfortunately this little viewing session accidently releases a supernatural, murderous evil spirit. Well shit, Vivian. Way to go.

One of the major difficulties whilst watching this film is the quality of the performances. Young and Elwes aren’t bad at working with the clusterf**k of a script but that is clearly due to their professionalism and experience ascertained from established works such as American Horror Story and the Saw franchise. The rest of the supporting cast are painful, and in particular the other campers. They simply don’t act like real people – convicts or not. They are instead a hideous amalgamation of stereotypical, hormone driven, childish campers and volatile, insolent delinquents.

It’s honestly a shame, because this film had the potential to be so much more. As works like Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp proved, the camp setting is ripe for a horror film but A Haunting in Cawdor never utilises the isolative milieu to its advantage. The film does have minor, minor moments of experimental intrigue, such as the illusory images of the three witches that plague Vivian. Ultimately though, this is a dull affair that is only made more frustrating by an incomprehensible ending.

We will always forgive low budget horror for below par effects, score and even acting if we are presented with an engaging or intelligent plot, but unfortunately this film offers neither. It isn’t really ‘A Haunting in Cawdor’ at all, its far more ‘A Bore in Cawdor’.

A HAUNTING IN CAWDOR / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: PHIL WURTZEL / STARRING: SHELBY YOUNG, CARY ELWES, MICHAEL WELCH, SCOTT T. WHITESELL / RELEASE DATE: TBC

With Season 3, The Bridge appears to come to an end, but not until we’ve enjoyed a further ten episodes, all of which are collected here on three Blu-ray discs. Saga Noren (Sofia Helen) is back, but this time she has a new counterpart – Henrik Saboe (Thure Lindhart). Henrik replaces Martin Rhode who appeared in the first two seasons.

Of course it all starts with a murder, as a body is found in Malmö (in Sweden), the victim is identified as Helle Anker from Copenhagen; Saga is paired with a partner in the form of Hanne Thomsen (Olesen). As the complex interwoven plot unfolds, the reluctant Thomsen is side-lined and replaced by the more enigmatic Henrik Saboe. Here the season finds its own rhythm as Henrik understands Saga’s autism and their relationship grows, as the storyline moves forward.

Of course Hans Rosenfeldt’s story needs careful attention, as it is rich in detail, character and diversion. We have vloggers, more murders, war veterans and the central idea of murder as art. In the middle of all this Safa’s relationships with her colleagues change and challenge her, but no more so than the appearance of her mother Marie-Louise (Petrén) and the exploration of the suicide of Saga’s sister Jennifer. The writing doesn’t overlook Henrik either and there are many revelations about his own life. As the murder plot reaches its dénouement on the island of Saltholm (part of Denmar, but reassuringly next to the Øresund Bridge itself), Saga and Henrik face some of their demons and find the strength to move on. Fabulous stuff, and in many ways the best of the three seasons.

If you’ve collected the previous two sets, buying this one is the easiest decision you’ll ever make. If you haven’t, you could do worse than buy them all.

THE BRIDGE SEASON 3 / CERT: 15 / SCREENPLAY: HANS ROSENFELDT / STARRING: SOFIA HELEN, THURE LINDHART, KRISTEN OLSEN, ANN PETRÉN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Hercules, originally released in 1983, has been given a re-release by 101 films as a Blu-ray. This is part of their Cult Movie Collection. When originally released, this film was met with criticism and was a commercial failure at the box office. However, it does have some appeal.

Lou Ferrigno stars as the titular character Hercules. The films follows the story of Hercules as he is granted power by Zeus. He must then battle King Minos, an evil ruler who is trying to gain power by using science. Hercules meets Cassiopeia, he falls in love with her in a matter of seconds and must then save her from King Minos, who intends to sacrifice her. Hercules is helped along by sorceress Circe as he tries to save his beloved.

There is no denying it, this film is terrible. The script is full of awkward dialogue, which isn’t helped along by the dreadful casting, which resulted in no emotions being made throughout the film by any character. The start of the film is truly bizarre as we see the creation of Hercules and follow a ball of light on its journey down to earth. The special effects are pretty bad, but with a low budget in 1982, this is natural. One of the main positives of this film is the stop motion effects, which are pretty impressive. These effects are used to show giant metallic creatures as they attack Hercules, which are rather odd as Hercules just throws logs at them.

However, this film does have some appeal. As with all cult movies, they are for a very specific audience. Fans of cult fantasy films will love this. It is a fun adventure film, by the poor dialogue and awful characters making it more of a comedy than a serious fantasy film. It has a cult status because it’s an awful film, but has enough of a story to make it slightly entertaining.

In terms of this specific Blu-ray release, there are no added bonuses apart from the original trailer. Therefore, the only people really interested in buying this Blu-ray may be existing fans. The thin plot that the film does have makes it a slightly amusing feature and there could be some appeal to certain audiences. If you have seen this before, it may not be worth the buy. However, if you haven’t seen it and don’t mind a thinly plotted movie and possibly a bit of a laugh, it may be worth the buy, just don’t go expecting a seriously made film.

HERCULES (1983) / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: LUIGI COZZI / STARRING: LOU FERRIGNO, WILLIAM BERGER, INGRID ANDERSON, SYBIL DANNING, BRAD HARRIS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

The Nutty Professor is a bittersweet treat. On one hand, it’s a perfectly entertaining family comedy, chock to the rafters with not one but two brilliant Eddie Murphy performances (the rest are debateable) and some good jokes. On the other, it marks the beginning of the Eddie Murphy we know today (Norbit).

Retrospect’s a bitch, huh? Still, whatever Murphy may have done to his reputation in the years following its release, there’s still much to enjoy in The Nutty Professor. You know the plot, unless you somehow managed to miss the late nineties and everything which followed (or the preceding Jerry Lewis vehicle upon which this remake is loosely based): Murphy plays Professor Sherman Klump, a lovely, obese genius desperate to lose weight and impress the apple of his eye, Carla Purty (Jada Pinkett Smith). Enter Klump’s formula, a potion which temporarily alters the user’s DNA: hey presto, instant weight loss. Here enters Buddy Love, the Hyde to Klump’s Jekyll, a smooth-talking, confident motormouth who threatens to overwhelm the professor’s entire life: starting with Miss Purty.

We’re used to seeing Murphy putting on silly voices and playing multiple characters by now, but what we may have forgotten is just how sensitive his portrayal of Sherman is, making the character easy to love and sympathise with, in spite of the crass caricature which surrounds him. Years later, Sherman’s ordeal at the hands of Dave Chappelle’s stand-up comedian remains genuinely heartbreaking and difficult to watch. His Buddy Love is less nuanced, but there’s an impressive physicality to it, not to mention a surprising sense of menace beneath all of the charm and pomp. As upsetting as Klump’s humiliation is, Buddy’s revenge is equally satisfying and easily among the best work Murphy or Chappelle have ever done. 

And then, of course, there are all the fart gags. The Nutty Professor is as puerile as you could hope for from a late nineties comedy about a morbidly obese family and their flatulence, including (but not limited to) the imbibing of animal turds, fart jokes, off-colour old lady sex jokes, and even more fart jokes. And that’s fine! There’s a time and a place for that sort of thing, and The Nutty Professor is very much that time and place.

The film itself isn’t the only nineties throwback available – the no-frills disc’s special features consisting of a trailer and a series of text descriptions in place of a Making Of documentary or audio commentary. Even more quaint – you have to exit the film (which plays automatically) to access the menu. Precious memories!

The Nutty Professor remains fine family fun (depending on the family) buoyed by Eddie Murphy at the top of his kiddie-friendly game (depending on the kiddie) and special effects which still hold up well today. The sequel, though? Well, you can have too much of a good thing – just ask poor Sherman and his rapidly expanding waistline.

THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1996) / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: TOM SHADYAC / SCREENPLAY: DAVID SHEFFIELD, BARRY W. BLAUSTEIN, TOM SHADYAC, STEVE OEDEKERK / STARRING: EDDIE MURPHY, JADA PINKETT SMITH, LARRY MILLER / RELEASE DATE: 29TH FEBRUARY

“Klump in charge, Klump in charge, Klump in charge…” So chants determined Sherman Klump (Eddie Murphy), desperate to keep the resurgence of skinny, sleazy alter ego Buddy Love (also Eddie Murphy) at bay. It’s not Buddy Love the film needs to watch out for though – it’s the Klump clan itself. Klump(s) in charge? That might just be the problem.

Like a horror sequel over-sharing its villain, so The Klumps (the klue’s in the title) finds itself unable to resist filling the screen with kretinous Klumps at every opportunity, forgetting that such things are inevitably better in small doses. Surprisingly, there’s less farting, but there’s far too much of everything else: too much Mama Klump (another Eddie Murphy), too much Papa Klump (Eddie Murphy, again), far, far too much Granny Klump (yes, Eddie Murphy), too much Ernie Klump Jr (not Eddie Murphy!) and, okay, surprisingly, not enough Ernie Klump Sr (guess who). 

The hook, this time, if you didn’t see The Klumps during or since the dawn of the millennium, is Sherman’s latest concoction – a magic potion capable of temporarily de-aging whoever might partake. At the same time, there’s the re-emergence of Buddy Love, now a separate entity from Sherman and having taken on the characteristics of a dog, mostly so as he can stick his head out of car windows and leer at humping hounds in the street.

Nobody suffers from the excess Klumps like Sherman and Buddy: the former side-lined in favour of a subplot about his daddy’s erectile dysfunction, the latter losing all of his potency, charisma and surprising menace, as a series of punchlines at the chubby hands of the Klumps. Still, nobody suffers quite like Dean Richmond (another non-Eddie Murphy), anally raped by a giant gerbil in a ‘joke’ which truly has not aged well in our day and age of sensitive thought and not laughing at people being raped by things (Internet trolls and Dapper Laughs fans notwithstanding). 

Unlike its predecessor, The Klumps comes packed with a veritable buffet works of special features, designed to prolong your Klump experience. This includes an extended restaurant sequence (why would you do that to yourself), a deleted scene, outtakes and a music video by Janet Jackson. Janet Jackson, who is in this movie but is so forgettable in it that I barely remembered to mention how poorly she compares to Jada Pinkett Smith.

Like Sherman Klump, there are two Eddie Murphys. There’s the talented, funny man who performed Raw live and made the likes of Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America. Then there’s the Eddie Murphy helming endless Shrek sequels, Norbit, Meet Dave and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Sadly, it has become all-too clear which one seems to be running the show these days. 

NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE KLUMPS / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: PETER SEGAL / SCREENPLAY: BARRY W. BLAUSTEIN, DAVID SHEFFIELD, PAUL WEITZ, CHRIS WEITZ / STARRING: EDDIE MURPHY, JANET JACKSON, JAMAL MIXON, JOHN ALES / RELEASE DATE: 29TH FEBRUARY

Dylan O’Brien is a great runner; no, he’s a fantastic runner. He moves with reckless exuberance, straining with every fibre, to push himself across the ground as quickly as possible, constantly giving the impression he will tumble over through uncontrolled momentum. Given that the film is called Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, and as such involves a fair amount of running, you might think this is a just a happy coincidence. O’Brien, though, drives the story along, forcing all around him to match a break-neck pace, through energetic and unmistakable charisma. And because of this, he reminds you just a little bit of a young Tom Cruise.

As for the film itself, it is an impressive sequel to The Maze Runner, building on strong foundations and avoiding obvious pitfalls. Picking up where the last film ended, the maze survivors find themselves in a faintly sinister compound overseen by the blatantly sinister Janson (Gillen). When the truth behind their rescuers becomes apparent, they escape into The Scorch, a barren wasteland haunted by radiation infected humans known as Cranks. Teaming up with other survivors including Giancarlo Esposito’s mysterious Jorge, the group search for a safe haven.

The Scorch Trials successfully avoids one major issue, and that is not just being a by-the-numbers recreation of The Maze Runner. This is an entirely different film, but one that retains the frenetic pacing of the original (apart from one strangely tedious section in the middle) and then presses even harder on the accelerator. This is where O’Brien comes to the fore; more so than last time this is his film. The supporting cast are excellent, especially Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Kaya Scodelario, who impresses in a role that could have been unnecessarily clichéd, but O’Brien is clearly the lead. He is in virtually every scene, shows the audience how to feel through simple yet effective emotional beats, and emerges from what is a slightly overly dramatic finale as a fully formed film star.

There are some moments that will make you think “sorry, what now?” and “who’s that again?” and there are some deeply contrived plot coincidences, but these are quickly skipped over, as returning director Wes Ball keeps the fun-filled pace rushing along, leaving you almost as breathless as the cast.

As the young adult fan base slowly begins to recover from a post-Hunger Games hangover; as the Katniss-shaped void threatens to overwhelm, The Maze Runner series provides the perfect antidote, with characters you can truly root for and empathise with. The Scorch Trials is terrific fun and builds superbly on the success of its predecessor. Forget any unnecessary prejudice you might have and just allow yourself to enjoy Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. You won’t regret it. And there isn’t a love triangle in sight!

MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: WES BALL / SCREENPLAY: T.S. NOWLIN / STARRING: DYLAN O’BRIEN, KAYA SCODELARIO, THOMAS BRODIE-SANGSTER, AIDAN GILLEN, GIANCARLO ESPOSITO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Following on from 2014’s Looters, Tooters and Sawn-Off Shooters, King Brothers Productions tread familiar territory in this low budget gangland thriller, depicting the struggle to earn redemption in a violent, dangerous world. Reformed gangster Grace (Paul Lee King) is determined to atone for his former life of crime; a task not made any easier when he is ordered to kill his, recently released, best friend Paul (Micky Curate) on the instructions of antagonist crime-lord Ray (Steve Collins).

Right from the start, Grace isn’t your typical criminal, reformed or otherwise. We first meet him indulging in a heart to heart with a creepy looking priest on how to earn forgiveness from God, in light of his horrific misdeeds, before he then proceeds to promptly assist his neighbour pick her shopping bags up from the pavement (hey, it’s a start). He returns home to find Paul enjoying a post-incarceration shower and shave, but rather than following orders, Grace whisks him off to the local café for a bacon sarnie, before a not-at-all-sleazy daytime trip to the local brothel.

Paul fails to perform sexually (if you see the film you’ll understand why), following which, Grace reveals to his sceptical buddy that he has found God, as a way of making sense of his troubled history. This divine explanation takes place whilst they’re waiting for a visit from drug dealer Darren (a genuinely strong cameo from writer/director Darren James King) after which we’re a third of the way into this 60 something-minute feature and not much has happened.

Grace eventually confesses that he has been ordered to murder Paul at ‘midday tomorrow’ (not an obvious time to shoot someone but we’re not professionals) but Paul seems reasonably chilled about it, waving his arms about and letting out a “tsk” of disapproval, before stomping off to find his ex girlfriend. Matters don’t really progress much from there; it’s pretty obvious Grace isn’t going to kill Paul nor does Paul act like somebody about to be executed by his best friend. The duo undertake a few redeeming acts (rescuing a hooker/stripper/scantily clad young lady from a car boot), before they head off to Ray’s office (yes, office), for a final showdown. 

The film’s meagre budget shows but that’s understandable; the performances are a little shaky but the main problem lies in the writing. The script, though peppered with flashes of potential, is all too often to blame for the lacklustre pace and at times baffling narrative. Dialogue is frequently wasted in irrelevant conversations, which do nothing to drive the story forward or tell you anything about the characters we’re supposed to invest in. There’s a nice subplot involving Grace and his estranged daughter that isn’t given enough time to breathe, but the film would have benefitted from less talk and more action.

It’s hard not to admire the drive and determination that writing/starring in/directing an indie feature takes, and we suspect that with decent financial backing and the guidance of an experienced screenwriter, that the King Brothers could one day have a hit on their hands, but as far as Blood Feud goes, it’s an unfortunate misfire. 

BLOOD FEUD / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: DARREN JAMES KING / STARRING: PAUL LEE KING, MICKY CURATE, STEVE COLLINS / RELEASE DATE: 29TH FEBRUARY

Directorial duo Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury are a brilliant force in French horror. Behind them they have Inside (2007) and Livid (2011), both are thought provoking, intense and grisly pieces of work. Among The Living is their most recent French feature film and though this horror has a more innocent and lighter tone, it is still filled with lurid scenes that will get your heart beating. Bustillo and Maury have the talent for creating perfectly timed jump scares, built up with spine-tingling moments. Among The Living does just that but with a hint of satire and some classic slasher movie tropes. 

Three boys, Victor, Tom and Dan, skip school to start their summer holidays early. They soon get themselves into trouble, that eventually leads them wandering through an abandoned film lot. It is here they encounter a nightmare when they become witnesses of a screaming woman being dragged across the lot by a masked man. Foolishly they decide to be heroes, attempting to save the woman themselves. When seen, they run for it, after getting away they try to tell the police, but when all the police find is a bunch of mannequins, they assume it’s just their imagination and their reputation for trouble make them less believable. The boys are then dropped off at their respective homes but little do they know that the masked man is close behind them.

Although the premise is fairly basic, there are multiple layers in the storyline with each character having their own motivations and story. The character development is done extremely well. You care for the three boys, and you especially care for Victor and his family. It’s mixed bag of themes, which they manage to make work as a drama and a horror film, which the French are so good at doing. You could say the film is very much a creature feature, the film hints genetic mutation that must be linked to our monstrous slasher known as Klarence. Klarence is an abnormally large being and appears to be asexual, as we see him largely naked throughout the film. He seems inhumanly strong and fast, so one could argue he is some king of superhuman or freak which is why his father hides him away.

What actually ties the film all together is the very first scene. Typically it’s Halloween, but a struggling family is avoiding trick ‘r’ treaters, a pregnant woman suddenly driven with torment and madness attacks her husband, beating him down, she then goes upstairs to her son, Klarence, who is hiding behind the curtain, she tries to stab him but he swiftly moves from her reach. The husband finally intervenes. Heartbroken and traumatised, the husband runs away with Klarence, evidently different from other little boys, he promises his son that they will start a new family and disappear from the world.

The cinematography is beautiful and because of the settings, much of it looks more like an indie drama rather than a horror film. The contrast of the serene natural settings against the derelict film lot drastically changes the tone just as it drastically changes the characters, which are no longer carefree or having fun. They’ve taken themes of a coming of age film and flung it into the macabre. Bustillo and Maury are able to present death in many interesting ways, both on and off camera, where your imagination can take over which, for some, can make the scenes even more horrifying. The duo will be focusing on boyhood once again with the upcoming prequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchise, Leatherface. The two have a definite cinematic style that brings a sense of quality and beauty to the genre, that should be a good step to reviving a classic franchise.

AMONG THE LIVING / CERT: 18 / DIRECTORS: ALEXANDRE BUSTILLO, JULIEN MAURY / STARRING: ANNE MARIVIN, THÉO FERNANDEZ, FRANCIS RENAUD, ZACHARIE CHASSERIAUD, DAMIEN FERDEL, FABIEN JEGOUDEZ / RELEASE DATE: 7TH MARCH

Think of truly great war films. I bet Apocalypse Now springs to mind. Saving Private Ryan? Don’t mind if you do. Pearl Harbour? Just kidding.

But if we said that any list of truly great war films should include Underground, chances are you don’t have a clue.

Well 20 years after its Palm D’or win at Cannes; this astonishing film gets a new BFI Blu-ray release, offering both the 3-hour cinema and 6 part TV versions, giving us the chance to revel in this cinematic genius of the highest order.

Underground spans 1941 to 1992, outlining the war torn history of Yugoslavia, as it gets dragged into WW2, invaded by Nazis, liberated by the Communists, then enters the Cold War, only to have the country torn apart during the horrific Yugoslav Wars of the early 1990s. Against this fable-like backdrop of Yugoslavia’s unenviable fate, we are presented with an extended family of characters, and we watch their own fates rise and fall with that of their country. At the same time, it’s a brilliant work about film itself, especially when revealing how movies can distort the truth for the sake of entertainment or propaganda.

At the centre, black marketeers Marko (Miki Manojlovic) and Blacky (Lazar Ristovski) manufacture and sell weapons to the Communist resistance in WWII Belgrade. Theirs is the good life – drinking, gambling, womanizing and seemingly followed by their own crazy Balkan band, providing a live soundtrack to their reveling. Brilliant performances from the two leads make this friendship burst with energy and passion. But when Blacky is badly injured, Marko hides his friend in an underground shelter where other war-ravaged friends and family are hiding. Seizing upon this opportunity to steal Blacky’s girlfriend and make himself rich via arms manufacture, Marko goes to great lengths to convince those underground that the war is not over, and they remain in the shelter for the next 20 years, as he becomes a high-ranking member of Tito’s Communist party. Meanwhile, thought dead, Blacky is a national hero, and a film is in production about the lives of the two friends. But things can’t stay underground forever…

Vast in its ambition, beautiful in its execution, allegorical in its intent, Underground is remarkable. Not only is it fantastically entertaining – funny, dramatic, thrilling and incredibly moving – its depiction of chaos and control, of politics as pragmatic and exploitative, of lives lived above and below the surface, grips entirely. Just in terms of imagination it astounds, as situations become increasingly surreal, for example, the actors playing their characters also play them in the film of their lives within the film, if you follow…

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, get lost, find your way back, you’ll think, and the final extraordinary scene is breathtaking. Whilst it isn’t without its critics who, perhaps fairly, seek a more balanced political narrative, as a piece of filmmaking, it’s hard to imagine ambition of this level actually managing to succeed, with only the phenomenal The Tin Drum coming to mind as a rival.

UNDERGROUND (1995) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: EMIR KUSTURICA / SCREENPLAY: EMIR KUSTURICA, DUSAN KOVACEVIC / STARRING: MIKI MANOJLOVIĆ, LAZAR RISTOVSKI, MIRJANA JOKOVIĆ / RELEASE DATE: 29TH FEBRUARY

Sometimes you just have to see something for what it is and ask yourself if it succeeds on its own terms. 

The Dark Place is a thriller, in which a troubled young man, Keegan Dark (you can see what they’ve done there), returns with his new love to his mother’s vineyard estate to make amends for former conflicts. But, much to his surprise, his mother has remarried in the two years since they last met, and has a new ‘son’, one who seems very protective of his new step-mom, and of her potentially lucrative wine-making business. Keegan’s former beau pops up too, and it’s clear that things didn’t end well for the pair. But Keegan has a skill, which is also a curse – he has perfect recall, and forgets nothing.

So much for the plot, which reveals itself in a pretty traditional way. It’s simple enough – not bad for a basic thriller, not offering any real surprises. Except for one. We’ll get to that. 

As written and directed by Jody Wheeler, The Dark Place could best be described as efficient in terms of storytelling, with a script which serves its characters well and, for the most part, unspectacular but far from bad directing (although the action sequences are pretty bad). Some of the dialogue, when trying not to be too expository, works well and is helped by the performances, which are surprisingly good for what feels like a TV movie of the week. 

As the mother, Shannon Day, calling to mind Barbara Hershey, is terrific, and there’s a genuinely fine turn by Blaise Embry as Keegan, who manages to turn a petulant, arrogant, initially unsympathetic character into one we are rooting for. Sean Paul Lockhart as the usurper son portrays just the right amount of innocence and threat, something you don’t expect of an actor more noteworthy for his roles in, well, porn (he takes his kit off a lot in this). Even the minor characters are quite well fleshed out. So, as a modest thriller, The Dark Place works, just about.

But then there’s that surprise, and what a refreshing one it is. And the surprise is that Keegan is gay, and his new and old loves are too, of course. And? Well, the difference here is that, unlike other stories where someone’s sexuality is offered up as some big reveal, here it isn’t used as a plot device at all. It’s part of the opening scene between Keegan and his new boyfriend. They simply are, from the off set. At no point is it any kind of issue or trick, and if the gay characters were replaced with straight ones, the script would be pretty much the same.

And that’s something we don’t get to see very often, if at all, and it’s something, which elevates The Dark Place above its own humble thrills.

THE DARK PLACE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: JODY WHEELER / STARRING: BLAISE EMBRY, TIMO DESCAMPS, SEAN PAUL LOCKHART, SHANNON DAY / RELEASE DATE: TBA