Adam Mason’s latest movie made me proud to be British, as despite its budget of less than ten grand, it looks amazing.
Best described as High Tension meets Saw, Mason and Co-Director Simon Boyes simplistic story sees single mum Hope and daughter Jennifer kidnapped, only for Hope to awaken buried alive. Desperate to discover the fate of her daughter, Hope tries to break free and quickly wishes she hadn’t as she meets a mysterious man who forces her to partake in a series of challenges of the Saw variety. What follows is Hope’s brutal struggle to discover what has become of her daughter.
Broken opens with a set piece which rivals that of the Saw movies in terms of wince factor, and manages to continually build upon this by including further disgusting moments.
The film works on genuine intrigue alone, as not much seems to be explained early on, and this is something which does not change as the climax approaches.
The photography is beautiful, with the English countryside managing to look terrifying and beautiful depending on the time of day and weather conditions, and the special effects are absolutely first rate.
I haven’t seen a film in quite a while which actually made me cover my eyes, but this one had that power over me. The minimal cast do great jobs, with Nadja Brand showing great courage and believability as poor demented Hope, and the younger cast members do excellent jobs under such horrific circumstances.
OVERALL SUMMARY
The film may have been inspired by many recent successful horror movies as it takes the style of High Tension, the ghoulish cleverness of Saw and the main antagonist of Wolf Creek to provide a first rate blend of chills, thrills and terror. This is an accomplished piece of work, and quite possibly the best low budget British horror movie I have ever seen.
