Lawrence Gough’s home-invasion horror is a smartly budgeted and an often scary thriller. A highly apt and effective amount of paranoia is brought to a nightmare scenario involving the violent contents of a washed up storage container that causes havoc in a suburban community. This small-scale British creature-on-the-loose shocker has a War on Terror vibe and makes clever use of a leftover Brookside set. At Christmas, a sleepy cul-de-sac is invaded by a special ops unit tracking something savage which has washed up ashore nearby.
By using a very limited setting – most of the action takes place in a just two houses of the small cul-de-sac – Director Lawrence Gough creates a claustrophobic feeling which leads to a very suspenseful atmosphere. Gough’s feature debut is extremely well cast. Neve McIntosh and Shaun Dooley give terrific performances as the mismatched couple dealing with an extraordinary situation right on their doorstep. McIntosh deserves notable recognition for her truly believable portrayal of a mother desperately trying to find and protect her daughter from a danger neither of them can comprehend.
With an almost eerie lack of music and the (admittedly occasionally too exaggerated) shaky photography, the plot is scarily believable. As much as the premise of a mutated human washing ashore and wreaking havoc in suburbia seems outrageous, the reactions to, and delivery of, is very realistic. If a disaster like this was to take place, this is exactly how people would react.
The film starts to fall short when the antagonist is finally revealed to us. Like many previous horror films, such as Jeepers Creepers and, to a lesser extent The Descent, the real terror lies in the mystery of not knowing who or what is attacking. The reveal at the end of the film, combined with the poor make-up effects of the antagonist, cause the film to lose a lot of its very well built-up tension. Admittedly any explanation for who, what, and why the cul-de-sac was under attack would have most likely disappointed, which, if anything, is a compliment to Gough doing such a good job on the first three quarters of the film.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Salvage is an impressively directed, suitably atmospheric horror flick with a script that keeps you guessing and a terrific central performance from Neve McIntosh. The low budget works exceptionally well in the film’s favour, helping give it an exhilaratingly realistic feel. Lawrence Gough’s debut film examines the effects of an unknown fear on ordinary people. It is left to both the protagonists and the audience to try to piece together what is actually going on.
