AS NIGHT FALLS

A sepia-tainted pre-titles sequence throws us into a breathless scenario where young girl Amelia (Grace Chapman) is fleeing through the woods, her father (Michael Ellison) chasing her with an axe in his hands. When he eventually catches her up, he swings his weapon ... and she's dead.

That was 1933. The house where they lived, along with evil matriarch Nelly (Debbie Rochon), remained dormant for the next five decades. Even when a family eventually moved into it in 1988, tragedy ensued.

So you have to ask yourself why, in the present day, would anyone move into said building. In the case of teenager Elizabeth (Deneen Melody) and her younger sister Holly (Lily Cardone), their parents unwittingly bought the house - a remote Amityville-type dwelling perched on the neck of the woods - before swiftly becoming absent. Elizabeth has since been left in charge of her sister with only their older brother, ranger Charlie (Joe Davison), to call in on occasion to check that they're doing okay.

Things aren't ideal for this dysfunctional family, but they appear to at least be ticking over. Elizabeth has her idiot Samurai-wannabe boyfriend Otto (Dwight Cenac) who looks a tad like Zed from the POLICE ACADEMY films; Charlie is always nearby, keeping the peace in their quiet community.

But ... Elizabeth has invited a bunch of her greaser friends round to the house for a party. Holly is consigned to her bedroom and, for some time, the young adult guests revel in their evening of drinking, making cheap gags and offering each other out.

Elizabeth is the first to see Amelia's glowing ghost, however. She's not sure how true her vision is, until Otto later sees her and becomes obsessed with tracking her down in the surrounding woods. Pretty soon, everyone else in the house starts seeing her and the tone of the party is considerably dampened. Especially when Amelia tells one party-goer that they are all going to be killed.

Sure enough, the slayings begin soon after. It's then up to Elizabeth, Otto and Charlie to protect their friends from the zombie reincarnations of Amelia's parents and fathom what it is they need to do to vanquish them for good...

Writer-director Joe Davison has fashioned a good-looking, proficiently shot and edited picture here. From the opening titles, it's clear that the makers of AS NIGHT FALLS have taken that extra step in a bid to make their film look and feel as cinematic as possible.

The initial premise intrigues too, and is handled with agreeable style. I also found the dynamics of the three lead siblings offered more than the average low-budget splatter-fest: Davison invests time and interest into his characters, and it pays off in terms of viewer interaction.

Everything, aesthetically and tonally, points towards AS NIGHT FALLS being an unexpectedly good film despite its clichéd set-up ... until the house party gets invaded. Suddenly everything gets really generic, complete with FRIDAY THE 13TH-style music cues and predictable quick-kills (though you'd be wise to only expect very minor bloodletting, save for an impressively edited bathroom slaughter set-piece). It doesn't help that, as the film progresses, the level of humour also becomes too broad for these entry-level actors to do justice to.

Still, as flawed as it is, AS NIGHT FALLS enjoys a consistently agreeable pace and never falters from looking great for a low budget flick. It's entertaining enough; it just falls short of repeat appeal - heavy metal soundtrack, and all.

Breaking Glass Pictures present AS NIGHT FALLS uncut in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, enhancing the picture for 16x9 televisions. The transfer is clean and sharp as you'd reasonably expect it to be; it also boasts strong natural colours and a keen sense of depth. It's an all-round excellent transfer.

English stereo audio is suitably clean and clear too, offering an evenly balanced and problem-free playback throughout.

This being a rudimentary screener disc, there were no extra features or even menu screens on offer. The press release suggests that the retail disc will contain some behind-the-scenes footage.

AS NIGHT FALLS fails to cover new ground but does approach its crossover stylisms with energy and a fair degree of style. It may not be great, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Breaking Glass Pictures, on the evidence provided, seem to be providing it with a decent DVD release.

Review by Stuart Willis