Sleepwalker

This short film, largely set in a marvellous, rambling, yet crumbling country cottage begins brilliantly. There are ominous shadows and attractive shafts of light only partially illuminating the interior before a storm thunders above creating havoc. The film also concludes in great style with much blood curdling action more reminiscent of an Italian gallo than an English old dark house tale. Unfortunately the two siblings are visited by their sister and her husband. He is played by Nickolas Grace and regrettably his over acting is evident from his first appearance in the car as the couple try to find the cottage. Because of storm damage the four go to a local inn for dinner and for some reason director Saxon Logan has the dialogue become something of a diatribe for and against Thatcherism and with Grace allowed full reign, this is a rather embarrassing episode. As I say, back at the cottage the sinister and brilliantly conceived horror develops. Just a shame about that dinner break.

Siblings Marion (Heather Page) and Alex (Comrades (1986) director Bill Douglas in a rare acting role) share a crumbling cottage in the countryside. With Alex seemingly under constant stress due to his writing job, their relationship is somewhat strained, and things get worse when they are visited out of the blue by city-dwelling husband and wife Richard (Nickolas Grace) and Angela (Joanna David). Richard in an appalling, outspoken yuppie with a fondness for homophobic slights, and tensions mount as they go out for a dinner and the alcohol starts to flow. Afterwards back at the house, things start to get weird when somebody starts to sleepwalk with murderous in mind.

Re-released recently as part of the BFI's 'Flipside' series, which celebrates anything British, obscure and bizarre, Sleepwalker is an extremely odd yet mostly absorbing experience. While the tone is certainly British, the style is distinctly Italian. The first two- thirds consists of amusing, well-scripted character building, as the foursome clash and size each other up, while the remaining portion set back at the house goes into full-blown horror mode, turning the relatively small house into a disorientating labyrinth. It's a giallo at heart, with the work of Dario Argento in particular no doubt an influence on director Saxon Logan (cool name). Running at just over 50 minutes, the movie passes by in a flash and will probably leave you scratching your head when the screen fades to black, but it's also a film that didn't leave my mind for days afterwards, and left me itching to experience it again.

I suppose this is an arty attempt at a slasher, and it simply doesn't work.

The acting is stilted, much more suited to a stage play than a film, and what's more it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

There's no explanation for what's going on, and as for a storyline, what's that?

The whole thing comes across as a college project,and not a very good one at that.

Obnoxious well-to-do businessman Richard (Nickolas Grace) and his wife Angela (Joanna David) are invited to dinner and to stay the night at the remote home of brother and sister Alex and Marion (Bill Douglas and Heather Page). When the storm raging overhead causes the meal to be ruined, the foursome go to a nearby inn, where personalities clash.

Arriving back at the hosts' home, Richard continues to be abrasive, and the evening comes to an abrupt end. During the night, one of the group turns to murder.

Someone at the British Film Institute deemed this obscure mid-'80s horror worthy of a DVD release, with all the bells and whistles. I don't understand it, myself: even though the film has a scant run-time of just over fifty minutes, I found the whole thing an insufferable bore, with loathesome characters, dull conversation, very little in the way of plot, and just one reasonable death scene (a meat cleaver in the chest).

I seem to be in the minority in disliking the film (IMDb currently has four positive reviews, although one appears to be written by the director), so it seems as though I may have missed something that others enjoyed. Or maybe I'm just being honest because I'm not connected with the making of the film or its release on DVD.

Finally granted a release after too long in limbo,director Saxon Logan's sublime SLEEPWALKER hits DVD courtesy of the BFI in a dazzling,all-singing-and-dancing edition. Packed with extras,including two witty,earlier shorts from Saxon,as well as a great feature length interview with the man that is both enlightening and deeply moving,this gem of a movie,a 50 minute masterpiece,could best be described as "Mike Leigh meets a Nightmare on Thatcher St via Italian giallo's" (all will become clear when you watch it). I was fortunate enough a decade ago to meet with Saxon on a number of occasions and see this tremendous prize winner at the Berlin film festival play to appreciative audiences as it should have done back in the 80's - especially at the Festival of Fantastic Films in Manchester - and so it is a real treat that this much neglected film of it's era,stupidly denied a release in the UK,finally has it's day,and emerges blinking into the light,more relevant than ever! Funny,scary,politically charged,stylistically beautiful,please do yourself a favour and buy this DVD and tell all your friends, the wait is over.. Mike Wesley