I am what I am and what I am needs no excuses..............
I am what I am and what I am needs no excuses..............
Member since:17.10.2005
Reviews:11
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OK this was never going to be amazing. I didn't get to see it at the cinema as I'm sure there were probably better films out at the time. I bought this DVD because its Halloween weekend, I'm too old to go Trick or Treating and I wanted a cheap, uncomplicated throw away horror. I got what I wanted.
The film begins in the sewer system. Two men, one who seems to have a strange love for, erm, tunnels and the other who is on community service are wondering around in the dark unblocking disgusting things from drains. The tunnel lover is obviously extremely excited to come across an opening to a tunnel that he hasn't been down in his twenty years on the job. Now this is a slasher film so of course he goes down the dark tunnel ALONE. George, the guy on community service (Vas Blackwood - Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels), has to go in after him and the film begins.
Our 'heroine' is Kate (Franka Potente - Bourne Identity / Blow), the selfish rich girl who is on a mission to get from a party across town to try and seduce George Clooney (I know). As Kate can't flag down a taxi she decides to take the Tube. After annoying a few
people (including me) she gets to her platform, drinks some alcoholic beverage of some sort, falls asleep and misses the last train.
Kate has a wonder around the station to find it's locked and there is no one else around (phone call to the police anyone?). Kate hears a train and runs back down to the platform to board the completely empty train. Kate then realises she has been followed Guy (Jeremy Sheffield - Holby City) who she managed to annoy (not surprising) at the party. Fairly quickly Kate realises that something is not quite right and her night of 'terror' has started. From here on the blood begins to flow.
This film does a fine job of being a modern day hammer horror, they knew they didn't have much of a budget and they didn't try anything too big or clever. The writer and director Christopher Smith manages to keep the suspense right up to the usual point - when we see the killer. As with many films such as Jeepers Creepers the actual reality of the killer is never quite as bad as the possibility of what it COULD be before he/she is revealed. The deserted London Underground is a great backdrop for this film - it's not something too far removed from our reality to make it unfrightening. The music was perfect, dark, echoey (?) and erm creepy. For anyone who has played the game Silent Hill you will probably recognise quite a lot of the music as its pretty similar and quite a few of the scenes look like they could have been taken from the game too.
The special effects were what you would expect from a film, that aspires to be a B-movie, quite a lot of blood, some spurting of blood and some pools of blood. Oh and some more blood. This film wasnt really about effects, more about atmosphere and, thankfully, that was pretty well done.
One of the most eerie scenes is in a makeshift hospital ward, the atmosphere at this point is great, you actually want to find out what happened here and we begin to sympathise with the bad guy. Unfortunately, for me, this is where the film misses a great opportunity. For a while I really thought that we were going to find out an interesting, gruesome back story but no, it gives us a bit of a taste but leaves the viewer to make your own mind up. Sometimes this tactic works but on this occasion some more information really would have improved the whole film.
This film had me complaining all the way through. Why didn't she call the police? Why are you going down there on your own - no don't follow him! Why didn't the bad guy seem as ridiculously strong towards the end of the film? Why doesn't she kill him when she has the chance? The usual stuff really. I know most horror films have this kind of effect, I think it's actually in a rule book somewhere, but this film was just slightly more irritating.
By the end I was saying that it would serve her right if she got killed as she wasn't the kind of character that you really felt for at any point and she was really quite annoying. I was, however quite worried about the poor dog running round the station, although he could obviously look after himself because at one point he was covered in blood but by the end of the film he was miraculously clean again - very clever canine.
If Kate had been more likeable (and less irritating) and we had been given more of a back story as to the point of the bad guy then this could have been a pretty good film. As we don't the film is really lacking in some places. That said though, if you are after the same thing that I was - a cheap, uncomplicated slasher film with a difference then it's worth a look. Just expect to be shouting at the screen!
As far as the DVD extras go, I wasn't that interested in the film to care about the making of it - I just didn't like it enough. For anyone who is really into what goes in to the making of a film then the extras may be interesting but I have to really like a film to be that bothered how it was made.
Run time - 81 mins DVD Extras - Director's Commentary, Making of Featurette, Production Design Featurette, Make-up Design Featurette, Frightfest Q&A with Franka Potente & Christopher Smith, Alternative Ending with Storyboard, Alternative Beginning with Storyboard, Alternative Titles, UK Theatrical Trailer & TV Spots.
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Call me weird , but I enjoyed it ! I actually wrote a review , but didnt do it in Word first , then when I published it it kinda .. vanished .. so I didnt bother again ! Jane xx
Ever missed the last train?London, midnight, on a cold evening. Unable to find a taxi, ... more
Kate (Franka Potente 'The Bourne Identity/Supremacy') heads for the Underground. She takes a seat away from the crowd of late-night revellers and waits for the last ...
Your journey terminates here. London midnight on a cold evening. Unable to find a taxi ... more
Kate (Franka Potente) heads for the Underground. She takes a seat away from the crowd of late-night revelers and waits for the last train. Before long she drifts...
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Advantages: Cushing and Lee at the height of their horrific powers. Splendid story. Excellent direction. Disadvantages: The creature when fully revealed, but isn't on screen that long anyway.
paramanjara 24.07.2007 (24.07.2007)
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