|
 LIGHTHOUSE
PLOT
On a dark and stormy night, vicious serial killer Leo Rook escapes
from a prison ship that is on its way to an isolated island
penitentiary. He makes his way to another island that harbors a
lighthouse, only to kill its keepers and turn off the tower. As a
result, the prison ship goes aground and the various passengers
make their way to the island...where Leo is waiting for them.
REVIEW
It’s been awhile since I have seen a recently produced slasher
that has actually managed to get my heart pounding, and “Dead of
Night” is it. Don’t be put off by the lame box art, or the fact
that the plot description on it sounds just like everything else
you thought would have shown promise and failed to deliver.
Admittingly, this is not a very original slasher movie, but the
fact that it goes for simplicity and good old-fashioned suspense
makes it a fun and rewarding view.
Leo Rook makes a great psycho and it’s apparent that the
filmmakers went to great lengths to avoid making him cartoony
(I thought the white shoes and the severed heads on the lifeboat
were a bit strange, and it’s never really explained why the killer
has these quirks, but they are important in setting up some of the
film’s most riveting scenes). While he is no Michael Myers, he is
another good example of the less-is-more factor. Much like the
villain in the movie “The Demon”, we are only given flashes of his
face or his silhouette to really go on... making an ordinary human
being into something menacing.
“Dead of Night” can also be applauded for its resourcefulness on a
small budget. Save some clumsy computer generated FX, this could
have very well given a lot of Hollywood horrors a run for their
money. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have its predictable moments...
or plot points that don’t really go anywhere (the hero here is
portrayed as sort of shady because he may or may not have killed
his wife, but that never really proves to be important. They also
make a point of letting you know that he’s an epileptic, which
doesn’t come into play until the very end and left me wondering
what the big deal was).
These few flaws are worth putting up with for and if you can make
it past the slowish first act on the ship, you’ll find a surprisingly
scary, atmospheric, stylish slasher. There’s not very much plot to
spoil, but to let you in on some of the wonderfully executed traps
that the killer sets up would be criminal. I say check it out.
GORE
There’s enough here to keep the hounds at bay... they don’t hit you
over the head with it, but what is here flows rich and heavy.
Rook decapitates the majority of his victims, but it’s the set-up
that really scores the points here.
SOUNDTRACK
For all intents and purposes, it works... managed to create some intensity.
BOTTOM LINE
Give this one a chance. “Dead of Night” is so much better than the
current teeny-kill projects that seem to overshadow the occasional gem.
I probably would have never picked this one up if I hadn’t read such
positive things about it elsewhere. This is also a good movie to
watch with mixed company (who don’t really groove on slashers, but
do enjoy a spot of action and suspense).
Review
By: The ScareMaker
|
