There is an inherent fear in all of us concerning the invasion of our personal space and it is this relatable terror that is at the very heart of White Settlers, the new film from Simeon Halligan and Not a Number Productions. The thought that our home, somewhere we should feel at our most safe and secure, could become something altogether more sinister is one that festers in the dark during long, sleepless nights.
For one young couple this fear becomes a reality before they’ve barely had time to unpack the tea and biscuits. Following a bold and slightly trepidatious move north to the Scottish Borders Ed (Lee Daniels) and Sarah (Pollyanna McIntosh) are looking forward to a new life in the isolated Castle Farm, a rundown farmhouse in need of some attention. As they settle into their very first night though, they are tormented by masked intruders who bring a violent and intrusive welcome to these purported invaders from the south.
White Settlers treads a familiar path but it does so with intelligent originality, exploiting the viewer’s imagination and empathetic discomfort rather than resorting to bloody, vengeance-fuelled violence to engage its audience. Even before the intruders make themselves known the seeds of tension are sown as Ed and Sarah bicker over the latter’s discomfort in the unfamiliarity of the house and its surroundings. When her anxiety becomes overwhelming and those fears are realised the film becomes unsettlingly realistic.
Comparisons with Adam Wingard’s You’re Next are lazy but understandable with both films touching on similar themes. Where Wingard’s revenge-slasher takes the visceral route though White Settlers utilises greater subtlety, drawing the viewer into the intensely pressurised nightmare experienced by Ed and Sarah and maintaining a level of tension that is as distressing as it is overwhelming.
This is a film that cleverly triggers an audiences own fears, resulting in shredded nerves and long-held breath. Impressively White Settlers is as visually striking as it is frightening with director Halligan respectfully and classily paying homage to classic horror styles, with moody fog and backlit shadows further perpetuating the film’s foreboding atmosphere.
The script is unfussy and natural with Daniels and McIntosh convincing as normal people in an abnormal situation. The antagonists also demonstrate a level of incompetence that further emphasises the plausibility of the story, their sustained yet amateurish intrusion appearing spontaneous and disorganised. This offers welcome relief from the usual ex-military hard nuts and provides a more believable physical balance between the two sides
OVERALL SUMMARY
White Settlers draws its influences from films such as Straw Dogs and Eden Lake, pursuing atmosphere and irrepressible terror over an over-reliance on blood and repetitive jump cuts. There will be few, if any, better British horror films this year and should therefore be compulsory viewing.
