Genre documentarian David Gregory has contributed wonders to the horror community. A co-founder of Blue Underground – one of the most respected genre DVD companies in the market place – and responsible for helping produce some 130 ‘making of’ featurettes for classics such as The Wicker Man, Don’t Look Now and Repulsion, Gregory now owns Dark Sky films, another distribution/production company dedicated to the promotion and preservation of beloved cult favorites. Thus, it was only a matter of time before the filmmaker within would one day emerge and direct his own fright feature for the world to see.
In a throwback to 1970s survivalist horror, killer kid movies and several other evident loves clearly held by Gregory, Plague Town presents the outwardly predictable appearance of a traditional stranded-dysfunctional-family-being-hunted-by-crazed-murderous-rednecks movie. However, by the time the mayhem kicks in and the body count begins to rise, this neat if not overly remarkable little shocker has the good sense to put a twist or two on the more familiar attributes associated with the subgenre, specifically those that often bog down so many tiresome imitators.
Jerry (David Lombard) has instigated a family getaway with his new partner Annette (Lindsay Goranson) and two daughters, the emotionally scarred Molly (Josslyn DeCrosta) and the rebellious Jessica (Erica Rhodes) who also has a tag-along in the form of British would-be-boyfriend Robin (James Warke). The already contentious relationships that exist between the group are greater escalated when they miss their ride back home, forcing them on a trek through the countryside to find the nearest phone and call for help. With nightfall approaching and exhausted of both energy and luck, they stumble across an abandoned car near the woods and decide to crash inside until morning, that is until strange sounds begin emanating from the vegetation beyond...
From the get go it’s clear where Gregory’s influences lie and Plague Town displays many well-worn staples of the genre, all of which are incorporated as per usual for this type of fare. But while the screenplay builds itself upon a stock scenario it never completely surrenders itself to it, giving Gregory and co-writer John Cregan enough leeway to have a little fun toying with audience expectations. For example, much of the films’ weathered visual aesthetic (and I mean that in the best possible way) resembles a style more akin to 1940s-50s period pieces than anything out of latter day grindhouse cinema. The deeply strange and unusual villains - evidenced strongly through the dominant mother figure ruling the farmhouse and the girl with the sewn eyeballs - are uniquely bizarre and out of left field for a film of this ilk. Furthermore, the demise of one particular character ritualistically hung from a tree in a field whilst a group of youths look on in mesmerized fulfillment conjures up some mighty disturbing images of events past. These noticeable artistic choices all serve in helping make the movie a little different than your average hillbilly hack-em-up.
Much of the cohesion in style comes from Plague Town’s deliberate slow-burn structure, a very conscious decision employed by Gregory and one that pays off in the films’ ability to systematically creep you out one scare at a time. From the point when we’re introduced to the characters to the moment of the first kill a good fifty minutes of screen time has elapsed, proving the patience of the screenplay and its insistence on the building of crucial tension in order to maximize each bloody blow. It’s an exacting production and requires the audience to fully invest itself in the predicament of the hapless family, the duty of which is well worth the effort.
There are definitely a few weak spots in Plague Town, mainly consisting of the occasional misfired performance and minor lapse in logic, however none are glaringly obtuse enough to throw the movie into the realm of being unwatchable. Ultimately, this is an astutely atmospheric, effectively eerie fright film lovingly crafted by a real student of the genre and a filmmaker who understands the importance of treating their audience with admiration by allowing the mood created to dictate the ensuing mayhem and not the other way round.
Dir: David Gregory
Writers: John Cregan and David Gregory
Cast: David Lombard, Lindsay Goranson, Josslyn DeCrosta, Erica Rhodes
Country: USA
Run Time: 88mins
Rating: MA15+
0 comments:
Post a Comment