marc-hollis

From the opening titles, filmed in black and white, this film grabs you by your scary bone and never lets it go. More psychological and inferred scares than out and out in your face jumps and shocks, it slowly builds to a gut-wrenching finale where we a re re-introduced (or introduced for the first time, as it is kind of a prequel) to our friend The Owlman, a creature of such dread and horror, he will surely go down in the annals of monsters in fims in years to come. With his clawed hands, and otherworldly appearance, he stalks the stately home in the remote Scottish highlands, and no doubt the future dreams of all who watch this, and its unchronological sequel, Lord Of Tears. He pops up in shadow, and out of the corners of the eyes of our protagonists, and never fully reveals the true horror of his dread purpose and appearance until almost the end of the film. But it is worth the wait. Featuring the wonderful talents of Lexi Hulme and Jamie Scott Gordon (who was so powerful and haunting in Brewster and Daly's last film The Unkindness Of Ravens) and set in Baldurrock House in the Scottish Highlands, the remote setting and claustrophobic feel created by the black & white photography, really add to the all-pervading feel of doom and dread through which our Owlman prowls with sinister intent. Macarena Gomez, stars as the dememnted ballet teacher, trying to rebuild the confidence and career of a prima ballerina (Huime), somewhat over zealously. Hulme shows such innocence and fragility in one moment, and is boistrous and coquettish the next, it is hard to determine who out of the two is most damaged. Into this mix comes Gordon's psychologist, fresh from his own version of hell, after losing a patient at the hands of her deranged uncle, he sets out to redeem himself by trying to cure Elisa (Hulme) of her stage fright. Little by little, the madness that is inherant in the very walls of the house spreads to all concerned, bringing murder, decapitation and the aforementioned Owlman to a masterful and bloody conclusion. Dircted with panache and a real feel for the noire films that this draws so heavily upon by Lawrie Brewster, and with a soundtrack so evocative and creepy contributed by Joni Fuller, what you have here is a throwback to an age when scares were more in the mind and just out of view of the eye, rather than full-on total blood-bath crazy of todays horror movies. A welcome change to sit through and an immensely enjoyable trip back in time. Don't miss this. It is a real feast for the senses.

I knew what to expect, having seen teaser trailers of this film on the Kickstarter page, to which l pledged my money and got my frights. I also did the same with these guys first film "Lord Of Tears" and second time around they have really notched up the terror tenfold. The images come thick and fast like a nightmare you cannot wake from, and the unease that pervades the whole film is testament to the craft and skill of Lawrie and Sarah in the choice of actors and brilliant script, and the settings, costumes and effects all add to the feeling of doom they were surely going for. The ravens morph into man-sized denizens of evil and torment our hero almost to death. I do not want to give anything away in case some people have not seen this and want to (l highly recommend you do by the way) but suffice it to say it was the most unsettling film l have seen all year, and will ever see l think. Fans of good psychological horror films will love this and rightly so. It is a tour-de-force, and l cannot wait for film 3 from Hex Media.