Wake Wood (2009) Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle, Timothy Spall, Ella Connolly Movie Review

Wake Wood (2009)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Timothy Spall in Wake Wood (2009)

A Final Hammer Blow

When their daughter is mauled to death by a neighbour's dog it destroys Patrick (Aidan Gillen) and his wife Louise Daley (Eva Birthistle) which is why they move to the small town of Wake Wood in the hope a fresh start will help them to move on. But they soon discover that many of the residents practice Pagan rituals under the supervision of village leader Arthur (Timothy Spall). It is Arthur who offers them the chance of seeing their daughter again as through his abilities he can bring her back for the total of 3 days. The question is that after 3 days will Patrick and Louise be able to let their daughter go again.

A while back I watched and reviewed a few old Hammer horror movies from the 60s and 70s and whilst they didn't blow me away they certainly had a look and a theme with small villages, strange rituals and of course something sinister going on. Well 40 years later it seems that with "Wake Wood" Hammer have returned to what they were known for with this storyline surrounding a small village, a pagan ritual to bring back the dead and of course something sinister.

Unfortunately "Wake Wood" didn't exactly excite me and for long periods of time it bordered on being a dirge. That dirge would be interrupted by something graphic from the dog attack to a sex scene to a man being crushed by a bull. These sudden graphic scenes only highlight the other parts which are dull in their quietness and slowness. The thing is that you have to stick with "Wake Wood" to get the twist of sorts which makes it worth enduring which is how it felt at times.

What this all boils down to is that "Wake Wood" probably will appeal to those who enjoy the old Hammer movies and can appreciate the update on them. But for those who need movies with energy will find the frequent slowness of "Wake Wood" a bit of a roadblock to their enjoyment.


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