WAKE WOOD

WAKE WOOD

On her birthday, little Alice (Ella Connolly) sets off for school wearing the locket her mother Louise (Eva Birthistle) has just given her and a smile on her face. However, the fact that her father Patrick (Aidan Gillen) is a veterinary surgeon gives her a false sense of confidence around animals and, when she approaches the wrong canine, it mauls her to death.

Patrick and Louise are devastated. Gradually picking up the pieces, they relocate to the small rural village of Wakewood in an attempt to start again.

However, Louise in particular won't let go. She's keeps bags full of Alice's belongings, even allocating their late daughter a room in their newly acquired country cottage. Patrick is more determined on the surface, burying himself in his job as village vet under the watchful gaze of the imposing Arthur (Timothy Spall). But even he shows signs of failing to overcome the tragedy, believing he spies Alice one afternoon in a field.

One evening while out driving the pair break down and jump over a fence to approach the nearest house for help. It turns out to be Arthur's farmhouse, and Louise witnesses a strange rebirthing-type ritual that sends her fleeing.

Over the next few days, Louise becomes more aware of the clientele in the local chemist where she works. This odd community seem friendly enough, but quirky to the extreme and almost occult-like in their ritualistic ways. She can abide this until one young girl stops and tells her "Alice has a beautiful voice".

Threatening to leave the village, the couple are visited by Arthur. He gives them a bizarre proposition: he can bring Alice back to them for three days, if they agree to stay in Wakewood and tend to the local animals for good. The only other stipulation of the deal is that the returning Alice - who he promises will be just as before - must not leave the village.

Louise is eager to seal the deal. Patrick reluctantly agrees, largely for her sake.

And so, a creepy rite ensues which involves lots of gentle brooding from Arthur, the use of a fresh cadaver (handily, one of Patrick's colleagues died in a farm-bound tragedy the day before) and the digging up of Alice's grave to retrieve the aforementioned locket. It all culminates in a nighttime gathering of villagers who engage in a fiery ceremony that evokes THE WICKER MAN and, perhaps inevitably, TV's "The League Of Gentlemen". The end result is the bloody, calf-like "rebirth" of Alice - emerging from a bovine cadaver at the same age she was when she died.

The following morning, Patrick and Louise enjoy playing in the nearby woods with Alice. The fact that they run over a dog on the way back doesn't dampen the mood: Patrick takes it home and stitches it up, with Alice's assistance. Crikey, when the little madam goes to bed, Patrick and Louise even have sex - for what is apparently the first time in a long time.

But, this being the latest offering from the newly resurrected Hammer studio, how long can this idyllic set-up last? One thing's for certain - things are going to turn sour long before Alice's three days in Wakewood are up, especially when the rules set by Arthur are broken ...

DON'T LOOK NOW, THE WICKER MAN, PET SEMATARY, THE CHILDREN, DEATHDREAM, THE OMEN, ORPHAN ... WAKE WOOD echoes many horror films of yore, but never to its detriment. It's a strong enough film in its own right (albeit perhaps not as good as some of the films I've just mentioned). It helps that the storytelling is taut at 86 minutes in length and the cast are all excellent.

The pagan village community is evoked well, and accounts for the film's most eerie scenes. WAKE WOOD is, in fact, a genuinely unsettling film. Not only because it's often creepy, but because the story is heartbreaking in essence and the resolve is ... well, just wait until you get there.

It's great to see Hammer continuing to confound the cynics who decried their rebirth, with this moving and intelligent film based around themes of (would you credit it?) rebirth, and the agonising inevitably of what Arthur refers to as "birth, life, death". It's haunting, gory, sad ... and I'm not embarrassed to admit that, as a parent, it got under my skin.

Although a little too low-key to have the Multiplexes stomping their feet in appreciation, WAKE WOOD (note that the film's title is two words, whereas the village in the film is one word) is sure to find an appreciative audience on DVD.

Momentum's disc proffers WAKE WOOD uncut in 16x9 widescreen. The transfer is a healthy, clean and solid one. While the colours and sharpness confirm the freshness of this production, there is also a truer filmic quality to the transfer that helps the film recall Hammer films of old.

English 5.1 audio is very reliable too, as are the optional English subtitles on offer.

Of the extra features, the best is a 20-minute helping of cast and crew interviews. Birthistle, Gillen and a rather slender-looking Spall all offer good accounts of their experience on location and the characters they portray. Elsewhere, co-writer Brendan McCarthy has a lot of screen-time - perhaps more than affable director David Keating. It's spoiler-ridden and peppered with clips from the film, but the remarks of the cast and crew make it a very worthwhile complement to the main feature.

14 minutes of deleted scenes are interesting to peruse but add nothing to the final cut. It's plain to see why they were trimmed away - even the briefest ones.

A teaser trailer and 92-second trailer round off the scant but relevant bonus features.

The disc is defaulted to open with trailers for OUTCAST, MONSTERS and DAMNED BY DAWN.

Momentum's DVD has a static main menu page and an animated scene-selection menu with 12 chapters.

What we get here is a good old-fashioned horror tale told very well. Despite some overly familiar plot hooks, WAKE WOOD is another solid outing for the revamped Hammer stable and looks great on Momentum's DVD.

Review by Stuart Willis


 
Released by Momentum Pictures Home Ent
Region 2 - PAL
Rated 18
Extras :
see main review
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