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Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop  PLAGUE TOWN – Set in rural Ireland, where an American family and a latched-on annoying Brit guy are wandering lost. They happen across an abandoned car, then some freaky kids… cue lots of running around and angst. ‘Plague Town’ is effective because of its night-in-bleak-countryside vibes, which are relayed through very nice cinematography and lighting etc, and there’s also something to be said for the creepiness of its monstrous backwoods charmers and the violence they impose. It has about itself the feeling of a nightmare, at least in places, and that’s basically what I look for more than anything in movies like this. An element of ‘constant chase’ might threaten to be slightly wearisome, but it never gets that grating. I liked it. From the guy who runs Severin (I think), which makes you wish he’d do more features than extras.
THE UNHOLY – Has a lot of what I like about late eighties horror, which was never afraid to resort to rock video visuals if a lacklustre storyline needed propping up. Both elements are in evidence here - ‘The Unholy’ might spin us a bit of ‘heard it all before’ in laying out its possession-themed mystery, but its tick list of stylistic tropes is a gaudy delight (there’s even a neon-lit era specific goth club scene). Gelled lighting and mist aside, the atmosphere actually grows quite ominous in places, and the climactic fx blowout that arrives complete with a slightly Clive Barkeresque hallucinogenic hell sequence is nice and unexpected. Shame that those latter titbits weren’t the predominant force in the movie, which as a consequence leaves a vague aftertaste of missed opportunity along with a lingering sense of frustration about some of the pacing (there’s a bit of ponderousness here and there, but I guess the filmmakers thought that it was warranted by their weighty themes). As with all minor movies of its ilk, it’s a mixed bag, but I’m glad I finally made the acquaintance of ‘The Unholy’, which I’d seen lingering on the shelves of CEX on many a winter’s night, but always passed up on. |
Plague Town is one of those films i've wanted to see for years. It was always 'coming soon' to dvd but never actually arrived in the UK and although it got a US release there was always something more important to order than this if you get my drift.
I love
The Unholy. You mentioning it reminded me it's out on blu from Vestron isn't it? There's a couple of their releases i'd like so this is another.