Daisy

This movie just made me irritated the whole way through. All that I'm left with is that the main couple deserved every bit of what they got. Nice cinematography through the movie though.

One of the main problems with The Daisy Chain is that it can't seem to make its mind up whether Daisy is just an autistic girl that bad things happen to people when they're around her, or really a 'fairy changling' with mystical powers to eradicate anyone who takes her fancy. The film is somewhat muddled on this point, and you get the impression this is more down to confusion at the screenplay level than a genuine attempt at making her origin open-handed.

Sadly, there are multiple other flaws here too. Like the pacing, which is all over the place and sometimes make the film hard to follow. And the acting, especially as regards the underwhelming reaction in a small community to so many killings at once. Mhairi Anderson who plays Daisy is good, but Samantha Morton and Andrew Mackintosh are mostly just there for the paycheque, and as for the supporting cast they're... not great.

Basically, this is nothing more than a tolerable horror which doesn't really convince on any level and which is destined to remain an also-ran. There are plenty of better entries in the creepy child genre, so why not take a look at them instead? Here's a good one to start you off: The Omen (not the remake, obviously). 4/10.

Horror movies, such as they are, remain a fairly uniformed experience. Despite the buckets of viscus and brains that are unashamedly tossed around the screen they typically conform to certain expectations; 15 jumps minimum, casual brutal violence and characters so wooden they have to chop them to pieces to prove they're homosapiens.

Horrors that have stood the test of time, The Fly, The Shining, Don't Look Now, The Exorcist, The Wickerman all have one thing in common; they shied away from quick thrills. Using relatively few easy jumps and the bare minimum of bloodshed, they work on a purer level of dread. Daisy Chain does just this.

The first thing that impresses is the direction. Aisling Walsh, best known for 2003's Song for a Raggy Boy, may not be working from a script of her own but the direction is calculated and assured. The imagery retains a painterly quality, the sets are draped in a muddy colour scheme which makes the outside grim and the inside soft and warm. Images such as the removal of the cross from the wall (only to have left an impression on the wall) and the barren wasteland quality to the setting (shot in County Mayo) leave each shot with a resonant bleakness that is nearly as harrowing as the story itself.

The acting from the entire cast is solid but the highlight must be newcomer Mhairi Anderson, playing the eponymous Daisy. The child actor shifts between menace, and adorable with impressive subtlety. Between playfully skipping around to suddenly kissing Samantha Morton directly on the lips, the kid manages to scare the bejesus out of you by doing very little.

And while people do get killed in this film we usually only see the end of the event rather than the beginning. The characters don't delve into hysterics, nor do they stupidly allow themselves to be a vulnerable for long. Instead life is shown to be normal despite the abnormal circumstances. The mayhem surrounding the main characters is only a by product of the strange intangible fear that exists within the (albeit hazard free) household. Shots are longer and issues are more repressed- living with Daisy proves to be more scary than living without (in the greater sense of the word).

Trust independent film making to lean toward the aforementioned classics above (Daisy Chain even features one or two nods to The Wickermna) and having the understanding to know what really affects in horror. Daisy Chain doesn't make you jump out of your seat, it instead creeps under your skin and lasts for days.

If you like films without unanswered questions and ambiguity then this film isn't for you. I normally like to discuss these ambiguities and unanswered questions with other but this films ending was very unsatisfying. It left a gap hard to fill. The scenery was pleasing and was generally well acted. The movie was dependent on the charm and eyes of Daisy. I can't deny that she is charming but the film is a little to in love with her. The plot is predictable. Predictable plots are fine if the ride to the conclusion is enjoyable enough. Despite the charm of the film, the solid acting and lovely Irish scenery this film is seriously lacking. When a film is lacking something I can't help comparing it to other spooky child films.

If you like gore then this one isn't for you. This film is about suspense and human drama. This film is very accessible for those with a low horror tolerance. If horror film were based on curries then this would be tikka masala.

Female directors are too rare, particularly those willing to approach the horror genre. Walsh uses the beautiful Western Irish coast to create a bleak atmosphere of isolation and vulnerability. The plot is somewhat obvious, a young couple move away from the bright lights of London to raise a family, the wife is pregnant, and the husband has inherited his childhood home in Ireland, but the neighbour's child Daisy is suspected of being a fairy changeling, born in a fairy ring on Halloween. The Neighbour's son is killed under mysterious circumstances and the parents are soon to follow, the child is then adopted by the London couple, the motivation for this aspect of the plot is addressed but remains unconvincing. The superstitious locals become increasingly scared of young Daisy. The film lacks originality but has some redeeming qualities, the child actress Mhairi Anderson who plays Daisy is remarkable, providing a genuinely disturbing performance, the cinematography and score combine to give the film a unique character that is tense and compelling. The theme of fairies and the supernatural remains unaddressed which is frustrating, it is never made clear whether the girl suffers from autism, is very disturbed or is really a fairy changeling, a question left unanswered deliberately by the director, but in a clumsy way, that doesn't encourage the audience to feel sympathy for the girl, who is properly identified neither as victim nor as aggressor. Despite the flaws The Daisy Chain, a combination of Straw Dogs and the Wicker Man, is a beautiful and at times moving addition to the horror genre.