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★★★
Written and Directed by: #AngusSilver
Starring: #ConnorSharpe #SamFerraby and #ToriWindle
Film review by: Brian Penn
While a fear of the unknown gently tugs at the imagination; half-truths turn into a full blown drama. Many are taken in by fanciful tales of the Yeti or Bigfoot; and grainy film is good enough to confirm their belief that a monster lurks in the nearest greenery. Imagine being stuck on a remote island with breath taking scenery and the legend of a night beast in its woods?
Ray (Connor Sharpe) inexplicably washes up on the beach of Rucker Island. There he meets the odd but friendly Roland (Sam Ferraby) who has some unusual culinary skills. Ray stays with Roland and slowly becomes aware of the night beast.
He grows increasingly curious and is inevitably drawn into the woods. A terrifying confrontation sets in train a sequence of events that seems beyond Ray’s control. He is given hope by the mysterious Maeve (Tori Windle) who is little more than a disembodied voice speaking to him through a ghetto blaster. Maeve helps Ray combat the daunting almost mystical powers of the beast; but will he survive and escape from the island?
The film mixes documentary with a dramatic narrative, which on the whole works really well. However, the plot completely neglects any reference to Ray’s back story, particularly how and why he ended up on Rucker Island in the first place. The graphics also look home made and pretty basic. Even so, it doesn’t detract from the film’s essential quality within the horror genre. The documentary sequences are well made and totally believable. Interviews with local residents produce a delightful ragbag of responses. Some in complete denial, others utterly convinced the beast exists. One woman doesn’t care one way or the other, whilst another presents a superbly logical argument for its non-existence. With some great deadpan narration from Spencer Ronnenkamp this film could turn into a cult classic.
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