Wake Wood, 2011.
Directed by David Keating.
Starring Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle, Timothy Spall, Amelia Crowley, Brian Gleeson, Dan Gordon, Ruth McCabe and Ella Connolly.
SYNOPSIS:
A married couple move to the Irish village of Wake Wood after the death of their daughter, where they discover an ancient ritual that can reunite them with their loved one for three days, but when the rules are broken a terrible price must be paid.
Once a bastion of British horror, Hammer Films has been in hibernation since its sad decline in the 1970s and early 80s but – with a recent influx of fresh equity – the studio is currently embarking on a revival as it looks to regain its place as one of the pre-eminent players of the genre market. Hammer’s resurrection began back in 2008 with the twenty-part web-series Beyond the Rave, which paved the way for the studio to ease back into the features game last year with the release of Let Me In (2010), Cloverfield director Matt Reeves’ remake of the acclaimed Swedish vampire tale Let the Right One In (2008).
Let Me In was followed up earlier this month with The Resident (2011), a New York-set thriller with Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and while that may have seen the return of Hammer icon Christopher Lee, so far neither film has managed to capture the spirit or feel of a traditional Hammer Horror. Looking to change all that for Hammer 2.0’s third outing is Irish director David Keating (The Last of the High Kings), who pays homage to the studio’s past glories with Wake Wood, a supernatural tale crammed to the brim with good old fashioned pagan rituals, rural mythology and the occult.
After their young daughter Alice (Ella Connolly) is mauled to death by a savage dog, married couple Patrick (Aidan Gillen – Queer as Folk, The Wire) and Louise (Eva Birthistle – Breakfast on Pluto, Waking the Dead) give up their hectic city lives and head to the secluded Irish village of Wake Wood to mourn the loss of their only child. They soon settle into country life and are welcomed with open arms by the village’s community leader, Arthur (Timothy Spall), who tells them of a ritual whereby he can bring Alice back from the dead for three days to allow them to say their goodbyes. As is typically the norm with such rituals, the resurrection is governed by a stringent set of rules that are soon broken, leaving the village to suffer the bloody consequences.
Director Keating takes a rather simple premise – the loss of a loved one and the grief, hopelessness and despair that accompanies such a tragedy – and weaves together a fairly engrossing narrative that manages to go beyond your typical hack-and-slash horror. But, let’s face it, film fans aren’t going to be turning to Wake Wood for its dramatic elements so it’s fortunate that the film contains its share of creepy moments, not to mention a healthy dose of stomach-churning scenes. Wake Wood isn’t a gore-fest but when called upon to deliver the goods Keating certainly doesn’t hold back with the on-screen violence, resulting in some uncomfortable sequences that will leave even hardcore splatter fans wincing.
The promotional material for Wake Wood likens the film to The Wicker Man (1973) and Pet Sematary (1989), which is probably a fairly reflection of its narrative, with a bit of Don’t Look Now (1973) thrown in for good measure. Obviously it doesn’t quite manage to reach those heights, but it’s still a decent horror that – perhaps more importantly – manages to evoke the Hammer films of old and offer glimpses of a return to form for the revered British studio.
Wake Wood is released in UK cinemas on Friday and hits DVD next Monday, 28th March.
Movie Review Archive
Originally published March 22, 2011. Updated April 12, 2018.
