Wilderness (2006)

Director:

Michael J. Bassett

Writer:

Dario Poloni (writer)

Release Date:

11 August 2006 (Ireland)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

It's not about revenge. It's about punishment.

Plot:

Juvenile delinquents gets sent to a small British island after a fellow prisoners death, where they have to fight for survival. |

Plot Keywords:

Survival | Juvenile Delinquent | Island | Death | Dismemberment

Cast

Sean Pertwee	...	Jed
Alex Reid	...	Louise
Toby Kebbell	...	Callum
Stephen Wight	...	Steve
Luke Neal	...	Lewis
Ben McKay	...	Lindsay
Lenora Crichlow	...	Mandy
Karly Greene	...	Jo
Adam Deacon	...	Blue
Richie Campbell	...	Jethro
Stephen Don	...	Dave's Father
John Travers	...	Dave
George Shane	...	Governor
Gordon Fulton	...	Boat's Captain
John Rea	...	Counsellor John

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, language and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:18 | USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Germany:18 | France:-16 | Finland:K-18 | Australia:MA | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Philippines:R-13 | UK:15 | Greece:K-17 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, UK

Company:

Momentum Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: When Callum is chasing Davie's Dad with the Crossbow. As he slides down the cliffs while following him the Crossbow goes from being cocked, to de-cocked, and back to cocked again.

Movie Connections:

References "Zorro" (1957)

Suspenseful modern horror

Wilderness isn't a great modern horror film, but it does a good job of taking old ideas and rehashing them into a fresh and exciting plot line. The influences to the film are clear, with the much-copied classic 'The Most Dangerous Game' being fused with more modern films such as 'Battle Royale'. The basic plot line isn't too far removed from your common slasher film, but director Michael J. Bassett gives him film an extra edge by putting the focus on the struggle as the protagonists battle with the wilderness (naturally), the main threat and even each other. The plot focuses on a group of juvenile delinquents who are sent to an uninhabited island when a young lad staying in their home is found to have committed suicide. However, the island doesn't turn out to be uninhabited at all, as aside from a local hermit; there's also a group of girls there with the same idea - and some mad psycho with a crossbow and a group of bloodthirsty German Shepherds, who is seemingly hell bent on not letting any of them off the island alive!

The director seems more bothered about atmosphere and tension than characters; as while some of the people inhabiting the film are well defined, their actions are often questionable and none of them are particularly interesting. But even so, this isn't a problem; as the film is constantly suspenseful and the fact that there is an unseen psycho in the woods bodes well with the atmosphere on display. Michael J. Bassett seems keen to go against the clichés of the horror genre, as there is no mystery to the killer's identity after the first half of the film and the crossbow weapon works well. There's a fair amount of gore on display, although the film never matches the initial death sequence in the wilderness in terms of gore. The acting isn't terrible, but the 'thick' British accents sound really phoney to an actual Brit like me. Sean Pertwee is the only recognised name on the cast list, but the rest of the cast; which is made up of mostly British television stars, provide adequate performances. Overall, Wilderness is certainly a good horror film and comes recommended.