Simply Perfect

A lot of fun.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I wasn't very impressed by this film, however the basic story and acting were perfectly good. I liked the portrayal of the Irish town and I felt that the characters were believable Irish people. There is something within that world of farming in Ireland that is suitable for exploitation in a horror film.For me the problems with this film lay in the direction, filming and editing. The whole film feels like a TV movie. Shots are not held long enough. The editing seems amateurish.I think that this film could have had much more atmosphere and possibly should have contained fewer incidents and less gore. The gore itself is not particularly unpleasant in fact.I understood the ending but I didn't think it was particularly well portrayed. There is something awkward about this whole film and it is a bit difficult for me to identify it closely.I think it is a bit of a lost opportunity.

Produced as one of a new wave of 'Hammer Horrors', WAKE WOOD is unfortunately an entirely derivative horror film that freely plunders modern classics as well as a couple of more obscure outings. It's the entire lack of originality that hits it the hardest; if it had been fresh and unique, I would have liked it a lot more, but sadly the source material is just too predictable for this to be enjoyable.The plot involves a couple grieving the death of their only daughter, who has been savaged by a dog. They move to a small rural town which they soon discover is the home to a sinister pagan cult a la THE WICKER MAN, and they become involved in a conspiracy of resurrection. What soon transpires is a virtual page-by-page, or scene-by-scene, remake of PET SEMATARY, with so many similarities between the movies as to be far from coincidental.Those two movies are the main sources of inspiration, but there are a few more all-too-familiar elements here, including a sex scene borrowed from DON'T LOOK NOW and a 'shock' ending copied from CARRIE. It's a pity this is so predictable, because the acting is particularly strong (Aiden Gillen in a rare sympathetic role for example, and Timothy Spall) and there are some decent moments of atmosphere built up along the way.It's just a shame that this is nothing we've not seen before.

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.

Interesting ideas are not enough to make this a truly fantastic horror. It's too concerned with being a horror, than exploring its themes. Bringing loved ones back from the dead is great, we see many people enjoying a peaceful 3days. Yet this girl has to go mental, just because the film wants to scare. If it's a film about closure and moving on, then why does it jump about so much at the end? Seeing Spall play with an abacus after some fairly pointless questions just made the film seem so shallow in mythology. AT least set out some ground rules. The editing also betrays the budget. With nothing ever really shown, just a shot of a car, a dogs teeth, shocked reactions, dog on floor. Editing can disguise a budget, but the pale photography makes it more home-movie than horror movie. I'd heard great things, that equated this to a modern day Don't Look Now/Wicker-Man. All I really got was a fairly enjoyable movie with some good ideas, but a reluctance to avoid the obvious.