I love that our beloved Hammer horror movies are well enough remembered that people are trying to make stylish, classy and inexpensive movies like this. Hammer also made comedies (hint, hint). This one turned out very good. Well written, with the first hour devoted to setting up and exploring a good variety of tastefully presented horrors. Good acting, good staging and camera work, good story-telling. Seems these two people are in a state of distraction due to grief over the horrible death of their little girl. They up and move to a little farming community where things are a bit odd. They are invited to gain some closure by resurrecting their child ... for three days. That is all. Must obey the rules and do everything correctly or extremely dangerous unspecified results will happen. They go ahead anyway. How on Earth the folk of this village ever learned this supernatural trick would make a story in itself, and we are fortunately invited to imagine it for ourselves as the expected flashback/exposition stuff never comes. None of these people really know what they are playing with in true folkloric tradition, any more than we do. This charming family time soon becomes a violent supernatural nightmare for a half hour of more typical horror fun. In the end we get a non-resolution bordering on madness. Nurturing family values get a bit twisted, so this movie is not for everyone. Once in a while I see something I would have done differently, like a lady giving up blood for a weird ceremony by having her veterinarian husband cut open the palm of her hand. Why the palm? Couldn't he have done that better? Never mind. A movie this good will be noted for it's few imperfections. Great Halloween gift for certain people.
Wake Wood
(2009)
The madness of grief leads to supernatural horror fun.
7 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers