Escape From Cannibal Farm (2017)
My third Charlie Steeds / Dark Temple film in three days. Having watched and enjoyed his most recent offerings (A Werewolf In England and An English Haunting), I was a bit wary of viewing this one on two counts; firstly I’ve never been a gross out loving gorehound or a devotee of inbred redneck massacres, and secondly, this was even lower budgeted than the aforementioned pictures and I expected it to be somewhat more rudimentary due to being made near the beginning of the director’s career.
My misgivings were not justified. Although a total change in register, all the hallmarks of the later pictures were already in evidence – the twisty plot, the solid characterisations and dialogues, good camerawork and music score, even the retro style lettering on the credits. Starting out as your routine ‘backwoods nutters prey on squabbling family during wilderness camping trip’ movie and full of visual and narrative elements taken from Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes (sans Lassie), Steeds’ film goes down a rather different route to what we might have expected and, while not totally coherent under scrutiny, delivers a number of surprises springing from the backstories of various characters who are what they are and do what they do for reasons not immediately apparent in their full dimensions, making for a more solid and ‘satisfying’ experience than found in most ‘cannibal masacre / backwoods slasher’ products and intensifying the impact of this gruelling, harrowing, and brutal watch – both the hunters and the hunted undergo unspeakable mental and physical pain and punishment, including some sadistically ironic twists of fate.
Performances as usual range from competent to good – it’s not Shakespeare but, as noted by David Dent in his review, it occasionally seems to be trying to head that way. Barrington De La Roche is as charismatic as his name would suggest, although I once again concur with David’s assertion that he may be better employed in supporting roles.