Wake Wood

Following the unnecessary, yet excellent remake 'Let me In' Hammer returns with Wake Wood a supernatural chiller in which a child is brought back from the dead to comfort her parents for three days. But she's not quite the angelic child she was.

Eva Birthistle plays the grieving mother Louise and Twelve Rounds (2009) bad guy Adian Gillen is exceptional as the deceased child's father. Reliable Timothy Spall and the child actress are notable and the supporting cast are solid. 

There's some effective bloody gore, grizzly births, severed spines, dog attacks and killings. Some supernatural elements take place out of shot to avoid the use of CGI, which adds to the believability and saves the budget.

Wake Wood is dark, damp and dreary just as it should be. Nevertheless, it is slightly stifled by a filmed for TV look. That aside, with a small budget director David Keating keeps the blood flowing and the pace going.  It benefits from plausibility and atmosphere with an on location shoot. There's plenty of shadows, eerie music, sharp editing and a grounded screen-play (by Brendan McCarthy) to keep you watching with a grin that Hammer may have a place in this century.

With elements of  Don't Look Now, Case 39, Carrie, The Wicker Man and Pet Cemetery to name a few you could argue it's all be done before and better. However, Wake Wood's great ending debatably leaves you thinking sometimes less is more.

Even though they will forever remain linked to Peter Cushing, Christoper Lee and a whole variety of immortal Gothic horror movies produced during the sixties and seventies, it's still tremendously great news that Hammer Studios are back in business! The legendary British studios, of which I loved nearly everything they ever accomplished, make an exquisite comeback with the traditionally themed and old-fashioned spooky "Wake Wood". The plot borrows obvious and less obvious elements from a handful of famous genre classics, but it nevertheless stands on its own as a solid and competent horror movie that is occasionally very tense, disturbing and repulsive. Approximately one year after they tragically lost their only daughter in a rabid dog attack, the emotionally wrecked couple Patrick and Louise move to the small farmers' community of Wakewood, where he takes up his profession as a veterinary and she re-opens the local pharmacy. The town's patriarch Arthur informs Patrick and Louise that the entire town of Wakewood participates in a secluded and very secret Pagan ritual. Through the cadaver of a freshly deceased villager, Arthur can bring another dead person back to life for a period of three days, so that his/her family can spend some beautiful last moments together and properly prepare their goodbye. There are a few strict rules, however, including that the resurrected person's passing was less than one year ago and that he or she is forbidden to leave the town's perimeters. Blinded by their desire to be reunited with their daughter, the couple takes the risk of altering a few facts and convinces the town to bring back their beloved Alice. Needless to say horrible events ensue, as Alice doesn't exactly return as the cute and cherubic girl she once was… As said, "Wake Wood" clearly sought inspiration with some genuine classics, like "Pet Sematery" (bringing back a dead child), "The Wicker Man" (the entire town participating in the pagan ritual) and "Don't Look Now" (processing the tragic loss of child). This isn't a negative comment; however, as writer/director David Keating processes the subject matter in a respectable way and adds a modern and personal touch wherever possible. Arguably, the film is somewhat too slow-paced and pretentious in terms of editing (too many collages and brief insignificant flashbacks), but you can't really blame a film crew for trying to be stylish, now can you? The climax is a bit of a letdown, mainly because the events are too hectic, incoherent and also all of a sudden extremely cruel and sadist. There were some violent parts and grisly images throughout the entire film, like the harrowing dog attack at the beginning and the macabre Wakewood ritual, but the last ten minutes are really quite sick. It's a shame to let the movie end in such a negative and illogical way. Terrific acting performances here as well, particularly from the reliable Timothy Spall ("Sweeney Todd" and the "Harry Potter" franchise) as the town patriarch. Very much recommended, can't wait to see what Hammer does next.

Based from the movie's cover, then "Wake Wood" looked really interesting, so it was with some anticipation and expectation that I sat down and watched this movie.

The story told in the movie was actually quite good, I will give the movie that much. Dealing with a family torn apart by the death of their little girl, then given the chance to see their deceased girl again for three days, and for three days only. But of course, something is amiss... Actually the story was much similar to the plot in Stephen King's "Pet Semetary" movie/book.

For scare effects and scare value, then "Wake Wood" was a very weak cup of tea. There weren't any moments that made you jump in the seat or even had the hairs on your neck stand up. Not everything in the movie was bad, mind you. There were scenes and scenery that were working well for the movie, but it just never came to any scary moments.

The acting in "Wake Wood" was alright as well. The movie was carried by Aidan Gillen (playing Patrick) and Eva Birthistle (playing Louise). The role of Alice (played by Ella Connolly) wasn't particularly well executed and could have been more creepy with another child actress.

For a horror movie, then "Wake Wood" was a very uninspiring, uninteresting and non-entertaining movie. If you like horror movies, then there are far better ones out there. The movie is worth checking out for the story alone, though, just bear in mind that it is much similar to the works of Stephen King though.

And I am utterly delighted to say this is exactly the sort of movie I hoped Hammer would produce when it rose from the ashes. Last week, I laid into The Resident which was hopelessly feeble. This is anything but. A gory, edge-of-the-seat cracker which also has a fabulous psychological edge. From the start it grabbed me. Which is not too surprising because in the first three minutes a young couple's daughter is torn to death by an angry Alsatian. This inspires the pair, Patrick (Aidan Gillen) and Louise (Eva Birthistle) to start a new life, deep in the Irish countryside, at a village called Wake Wood (what a great name). Louise senses there is something a little odd about the locals, who are led by a squire, played with perfect gravitas by Timothy Spall. Many other reviews have given the game away at this point. I am going to avoid doing that and just suggest supernatural jiggery pokery. Patrick and Louise get involved and the consequences are bloody but rather brilliant. I have read that Wake Wood has echoes of the Whicker Man and I sort of understand this thinking. Certainly, the villagers share a secret and are involved in behaviour which outsiders are unlikely to understand. Gillen and Birtwistle are rather splendid as the fraught interlopers. They succeed where Hilary Swank failed so hopelessly in The Resident. And then there is Spall. I've been enthralled by Spall, so to speak, since the days of Auf Widersehen Pet. He gets better with age. But the real hero is director David Keating who was also on the writing team. With a limited budget he has created a movie with levels of horror and suspense which would make the heroes of Hammer proud.

I found the story line original, or at least something I haven't seen in the past 10 years, because it's nearly all been done by now. The story moves at a good pace, showing you mysterious things along the way, teasing you a little before revealing what exactly is happening.

I would describe Wake Wood as a mix between the Exorcist and The Wicker Man. While it never reaches the brilliance of the previously mentioned films Wake Wood is a solid film, with good acting, particularly from the ever excellent Aidan Gillen. The cinematography is hardly groundbreaking but suits the mood of the film well.

Any fan of supernatural horror should be satisfied with what Wake Wood has to offer.