END OF THE LINE – Subways always hold good horror potential, ‘Death Line’ and ‘Creep’ being impressively morbid examples that expose London’s foundational rat warren. Maurice Devereaux’s ‘End Of The Line’ shows that Montreal is no slouch when it comes to underworld descent. A psychiatric nurse shrugs off visions of pending apocalypse to catch the train to work. Onboard is a doomsday cult whose gimmick comes in the form of stabby crucifixes (definitely one up on kool aid). Sometimes it feels a little workmanlike, a bit of overtalk drags it down in places, but all the good stuff allows it to gather a grim head of steam. Rubble strewn tunnels weave a labyrinth of shadows around scenes of fairly nasty gore – it’s not non-stop, but there are a couple of ‘moments’ for sure, a nightmarish evisceration being one. There’s a creepo whose smug, leering chops reminded me a little of Andrew Robinson. I might’ve wanted to see a little more of the demonic pay-off, but ‘End Of The Line’ is a pleasant ride and a safe journey if the destination you have in mind is ‘solid mid noughts indie horror experience’.
MOST BEAUTIFUL ISLAND – Mascaraed young women decked out in black party dresses stand shivering in the shadows of a vast warehouse. They look nervous. They’re hoping that the door at the far end won’t open, that they won’t be ushered into the room beyond… more than anything, they’re cursing the day they ever watched ‘The Death Wish Club’! MBI is a handheld indie that gives very gritty vibes as it charts the toils of Luciana (played by director Ana Asensio). She’s off the grid, living hand to mouth, pulled down by a harsh economy; someone hands her a dress and a bag, and so begins our mystery of the locked room (actually, it’s more a locked Givenchy.) Most of this is about the aggro of day-to-day living in a pitiless city, but you could say that about ‘Driller Killer’. I liked it.
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