Blackwood

I don't know if the word chiller is strictly a genre but Blackwood perfectly fits the description. A moody thriller with ghost story leanings, mysterious locals, a missing woman and child and a haunted house that could have been plucked straight out of a Gothic romance it serves to get under the skin rather than try to turn your stomach. Directed with flare, rich cinematography and and a very haunting score it was one of the best low budget British films I've seen for some time. Sometimes the characters are difficult to root for as they are such a complex bunch riled with hidden secrets, but equally it's interesting to see a film that challenges your allegiance as to who to sympathise with. Wouldn't have hurt been a little longer to tie up some of the complex back stories but If you like well written character based horror and a good old fashioned fright then give it a look in.

Blackwood is a supernatural horror/haunted house film in the vein of The Others, What Lies beneath and the Orphanage. If you like hard horror this may not be for you but if you're big on mood, atmosphere and things that go bump in the night you won't be disappointed. Set in the Wales/Bristol/Cotsworld region the film capitalises on what The UK has in spades; brooding sky's, panoramic moorlands, eerie woods and old houses that you know are harbouring dark secrets behind their closed doors. I've watched a bunch of good paranormal movies from the states recently, especially the Blumhouse movies but although they do have some good scares they never have the right sorts of locations to give you a chill as they can't escape things being too contemporary and suburban. This film is more of a classic grown up ghost story that understands the rules that fear begins in the mind. If you're looking for a film that's a bit different to the other summer fare give it a look in. Great twist too.

I was surprised by some of the other reviews for this film, 10 out of 10? I was expecting a classic which had been gathering dust unloved, suddenly discovered and released to an adoring public, prompting review hysteria! I thought, wow! 'Bladerunner' IMDb rated 8.3, 'Citizen Kane' 8.5, 'Unforgiven' 8.3, this must be quite an undiscovered gem. It isn't.

Now, I don't claim to know much about the creative process of writing an original screenplay, but I'm pretty sure that the word 'original' is just about as important as 'screenplay'. This crazy-pa-moves-family-to spooky-house has been done, well lets say with no pun intended, to death.

I cannot understand why, essentially having really original takes on this theme, I'm looking at you, 'The Shining' and 'The Others', which took the idea in completely different and original directions, we need something like this which lacks any originality. The characters are written in 2 dimensions to such an extent that long before the end you simply couldn't care less what happens to them. But it doesn't stop the clichés coming thick and fast. Not only is this not a '10 out of 10' lost classic, it is derivative and lazy. It desperately needed rewrites from someone with something original to add to the genre. I felt conned.

If the answer is 'yes' then you might as well not read this review and not bother watching 'Blackwood.' Don't get me wrong – it's not bad. It's one and only problem is that it's so unoriginal that if you've even seen one previous supernatural/ghost story then you've basically seen this story (and quite possibly done better).

A teacher moves his family into an old creepy house, largely against their wishes. Once there, spooky things start to happen. Every quarter of an hour you'll catch sight of a reflection that wasn't there, or a shadow in night which disappears upon investigation. If that sounds scary to you, maybe you will get something out of it. Personally, I grew out of thinking that was in any way spooky when I was about ten.

The acting is nothing to write home about. That's not a criticism of the actors. They're good enough, as I've seen them in other things. However, they just go through the motions and you can see every vague sub-plot coming a mile off.

It's a British film and, in typical British style, it's low budget. I know it's a bit unfair to expect a Brit-funded film to compete with Hollywood blockbusters when it comes to special effects, so I can't be too harsh on 'Blackwood' for not even trying. Don't expect hordes of monsters or vast action sequences interspersed with the story.

It's a 'slow burner.' Possibly too slow for its own good. Basically, if you think that a door shutting on its own is scary, then you might like this. Otherwise, just watch one of your many other horror/ghost story DVDs that you probably already own. It's better.

Now move along... nothing to see here.

Great, great cinematography! Also suspense, thrills, actors, music - you name it, this film has it all; even that "This looks like a special film" look, which is a rare thing today. Too bad the "twist" is shockingly weak and the whole idea is BAD. It's something done dozens of times. The film markets itself as "The classic English ghost story gets a revision" - no, it doesn't. You're promised something special but you get something done to death and weak, very weak. And to add insult to injury, the bad guy in this British atmospheric, beautifully filmed movie dies like countless bad guys in cheap American B movies. No, I'm sorry, great landscapes don't make a film smart or good. Oh, and even the stunning Sophia Myles looks old and vapid!