DVD Lord of Tears

I saved watching this DVD (I pledged and got an advance copy, wrapped beautifully in black rafia paper with a single, solitary owl feather (the reference will become clear later) a real Gothic halloween present!) until I was alone and in a suitably dimly lit bedroom, as this is the most optimum atmosphere in which to immerse oneself in this glorious slice of dark horror. I had heard of the plans to make this film, through Sarah Daly (singer/songwriter of Metaphorest fame) and Lawrie Brewster, her partner in all things and their need for pledgers to help fund it. This seems the way to go for independent film makers these days, and I must say it works well, as pledgers get to see the finished film before any cinema release and plus get some cool collectors items into the bargain, like T-Shirts, soundtrack CD's as part of a double pack combi (my own particular purchase) and downloads of production booklets, chronicling the day to day making of the film and interviews/ photographs and storyboards. Well worth my money and patience. And I was not disappointed!

The story revolves around James, a haunted schoolteacher, who underwent some very traumatic events in his childhood, which resulted in his separation from his Mother and his family home. Upon his Mother's death, he inherits the old family home, a brooding mansion in the Scottish highlands, the scene of his childhood trauma. A letter from his departed Mother warns him: "Do not return there" which, after a few tortured dreams in preceding nights, he chooses to ignore. He takes leave from his teaching position and travels there to try to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding his childhood and the dreams he is now having, of a tall, Owl-Headed man with elongated arms and claws for hands. When he arrives, he meets Evie (beautifully portrayed by Lexy Hulme) an American with wanderlust who dreams of living in Paris, and regales him of words in French that there are no English translations for. The pair quickly become friends, and she sets out to help him in his investigations into his past saying "I love a good mystery". She lives in the converted stables adjacent to the mansion, but more and more she seems to take up residence in the mansion with him, and in a couple of dream sequences, comes to his room, scantily clad, sits upon his bed and after uttering "Let me take care of you", morphs into the aforementioned Owlman. James' dreams become more and more tortuous and some of them even spill over into his waking life, as he slowly starts to unravel, seeing the Owlman everywhere, and hearing his voice all the time. He cannot decide if it is a dream or real, and this starts to unhinge him, making him question his sanity. Alongside this story is the tale of Allen, whose Father is dying, and who sometimes pops up in James' vividly horrific dreams. And with the mysterious Evie still helping and beguiling in equal measure (one particular sequence where she dances very coquettishly while James sits in a chair, watching and unwittingly part of the dance, was a real joy to behold, and another in a swimming pool where she flounces in, all Dita Von Teese-like and joins James in a play water fight) the mystery deepens and finally comes to a gloriously strange and frightening conclusion, when it turns out that Evie is not who she says she is and a new nightmare for James begins.

I don't want to give too much away for those who have not seen it, and wish to do so, but suffice to say, that plot development, and the final twist, make this film uncommon amongst bigger budgeted American so- called "Horror" films in that the dread and suspense, the cutting of the dream sequences in particular, and the soundtrack music (ably and beautifully supplied by writer Sarah Daly) all combine to make it a most lavish and truly frightening cinematic experience.

It goes on release on October 25th at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival and I would urge you to try and see it. I can only see it snowballing and gathering pace to become a true cult classic. Alternatively you can buy it on DVD and Blu-Ray at lordoftears.com and also purchase T-shirts depicting the Owlman in a great range of suitably Gothic colours.

Finally I must say that this is a film that will stay with me long after it has ended, and its echoes will follow me down many sleepy tunnels, fueling nightmares of my own, and to me, that is its biggest compliment, as I do not scare easily.

Bravo Sarah, Lawrie and HEX Media for producing a real gem of contemporary British Horror

Dark, Creepy, Foreboding. This is how horror films should be made.

The story deals with a mans childhood recollections of a mysterious creature that used to torment him. After the passing of his mother he travels back to his childhood home where the memories he once buried are about to rise again.

The setting is a remote Scottish manor house, the cast is minimal and the atmosphere is thick with tension. The mystery is unravelled slowly but is all the more interesting for it. The twist in the tale caught me totally off guard. Once it was revealed though it becomes quite chilling and the supernatural element is ramped up.

The Owl man is a menacing figure. His history is elaborated on which gives depth to the character. He's not a slasher figure which makes a refreshing change these days. He radiates menace and is certain of the fact that those marked will become his prey.

I can't praise this film enough. It does remind me of films like The Wicker Man and Salems Lot. There's a lot of day time scenes in which everything seems very jolly. There's always the underlying threat that once night falls bad things will happen. A great concept incorporating Pagan imagery and using a fantastically original new creature.

This film deserves to go mainstream. If you're looking for a horror film which goes back to it's roots, then please do check this out.