THE LAST WINTER

An opening credits sequence reveals via TV footage that the Arctic tundra has been frozen for centuries, and that a team of scientists is being transported there to explore what lies beneath.

In actual fact, we learn the team are already based there - headed by Ed (Ron Perlman, CRONOS; HELLBOY) - and that they are to see if they can drill oil from it's resources.

Claustrophobia and in-fights ensue initially, as the THE LAST WINTER begins as an overly familiar foray into "people stuck in the middle of nowhere, failing to get along" scenario. With beautiful cinematography.

But then it all goes wrong. Badly!

When one of the team dies under mysterious circumstances, tensions rise - as does paranoia. The group disintegrate into a maelstrom of craziness amongst each other, proving to be their own worst enemies. But is there worse to fear ...?

It's unfair to give any more away, as this is a great little film that has been unjustly treated by being shunted straight onto sell-thru DVD.

Director Larry Fessenden has produced some of those most interesting independent horror films of the last 15 years, from his no-budget vampire flick HABIT through to the interesting but flawed WENDIGO. One thing remained true in all of his earlier features: he never subscribed to the easy option of grossing out his audience with gore.

Rather, Fessenden favours good characterisation and storyline, allowing a slow build-up to create both empathy towards the onscreen players and an atmosphere that unsettles before the audience even realises it. He's a talent to watch in this respect.

My fear with THE LAST WINTER was that he may have lost this edge when working with a slightly bigger budget. No such worries.

Fessenden handles the bigger production superbly, eliciting convincing performances from all concerned (even peripheral characters) and keeping a steady eye on the pace while delivering some stunning widescreen compositions that draw comparison to those from John Carpenter's THE THING remake. That's no mean feat.

Perlman is excellent (watch his character shift in strength as the script progresses - impressive) as the head of a cast who deliver consistently throughout, and it's testament to them that this film becomes so tense - in truth, it holds back on the grue somewhat. But it can do that, because the tone and tension carries the film - you WILL be hooked, after the initially slow first-third build-up.

Look out for Fessenden too, as the hapless Charles ...

What violence there is, is pretty low-key - but all the more realistic and arguably disturbing for it.

Fessenden has grown as a director. His understanding of allowing his actors space to live and breathe as their characters is admirable, as is his measured yet assured pacing of the storytelling. And the widescreen compositions - I've already mentioned them, but they deserve a second mention surely. Incredible.

This is a very enjoyable film, and impressive in it's scale. It's not shot on a huge budget by any stretch of the imagination, but is certainly the most cinematic of Fessenden's efforts so far. It's fair to say it's his best film to date, and I look forward to where he's headed next.

This disc from Revolver was a screener disc and as such offered only the uncut film in a nice, sharp and bright non-anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer.

It looked great, and the English 2.0 soundtrack served it extremely well.

There were no menus or extras on offer.

Alas, I have very little information about the UK DVD release (other than it's a nice price online), but can recommend the film itself wholeheartedly. Fans of Fessenden will know he handles his horror in a subtle, matter-of-fact manner that draws you in completely ... and THE LAST WINTER is no exception.

That, coupled with the stellar performances and visual nods aplenty towards Carpenter's THE THING make this a very attractive proposition indeed.

Recommended.

Review by Stu Willis