Hey folks, Harry here at the best damn film festival I've ever been to. I'm talking about Sitges!!! I've been seeing on average 5 films a day, though I peaked at 7 films on Monday - which was the best single day of film programming at a festival other than BUTT-NUMB-A-THON that I've ever been to. As a juror at the festival, I'm going to hold my comments on the competition films till we, the jurors, announce the winners on the eleventh (I believe). Thus far I haven't seen a single UNBEARABLE film, which is astonishing for a film festival... especially given that I've seen around 20 films so far. Here's Mrs. Danvers' view upon DEATHWATCH, which had its world premiere here on Monday. Here ya go....
"Mrs. Danvers" chiming in from sunny Sitges 2002. First off, I´d like to say that this festival has everything a horror fan could want, in an ironically beautiful setting. Just like Aspen and Sundance have the mountains, Sitges has the beach! And who couldn´t love a town where the main theater´s window display sports a pristine poster from The Beast Must Die!
The one thing I am disappointed in is the American offerings to this fest. XXX? Come on. I´d like to see some subtler US films that could compete with the jump-out-of your-seat creepiness of Hideo Nakata or Jaume Balaguero. I felt slightly embarassed, standing in line for Darkness with the XXX blimp orbiting above my head. Yes, a blimp.
Anyway, an unexpected highlight in my viewing today was DEATHWATCH. This debut film from Michael Bassett reads like Twilight Zone meets Night of the Living Dead! Bassett chose young but very capable actors to handle the story (Jamie Bell from Billy Elliott and Hugh O´Conorfrom Young Poisoner´s Handbook). After a brain-splattering battle in the dead of night, a WWI squadron of British soldiers gets lost in German territory, and ends up capturing an enemy trench and one prisoner. Despite the feeling that something is utterly wrong about the foggy wasteland they´ve drifted into, they stick around out of loyalty to their captain. Among the rain and mud and mustard gas, they begin to see and hear things that make them turn against each other. Zombie soldiers, phantom artillery, and a POW with a secret identity drive them to use all of their warring aggression, picking each other off one by one.
This is one of my favorite types of horror moviethere´s no sellout anachronism to package it as a teen movie. The only weird thing was the soaring and emotional music. It´s like the composer got jilted out of scoring Saving Private Ryan or something. All in all, a great start for this director! Catch it at a festival near you.
Mrs Danvers
