Martin Compston and newcomer Samantha Shields topline this Scottish horror movie about a group of Glaswegian teens on a Wild Country hike who encounter a creature in the wilderness, which I’m pleased to report is a very well made indie film.
Kelly Ann has just been forced to give her baby up for adoption and is encouraged to go on a hike in the Scottish wilds with other members of a church youth group. The kids are taken into the countryside by Father Steve (Peter Capaldi) and are left to fend for themselves (literally) overnight, as they make their way to a rendezvous point. Kelly Ann finds a new born baby apparently abandoned in the ruins of a castle, so the teens take him and attempt to leave in an effort to gain help, but a bloodthirsty creature aims to stop them.
The film which reportedly had a budget of £1,000,000 benefits greatly from HD technology and the experience of Director of Photography Jan Pester. It similarly benefits from Director Craig Strachan’s willingness to do the majority of things in camera via practical effects work.
The cast, who are (mostly) all familiar faces to Scottish audiences (and many British viewers too) do good jobs and the newcomers are very good too.
There have been complaints from viewers that the film was poorly lit, but I had no problem seeing the action and I can verify that this is what Scotland looks like in the dark. I was actually pleased to see that the crew had realistically lit the night time sequences instead of opting for Hollywood moonlight techniques.
Readers may assume that I am biased, but I was genuinely pleased to see a horror film set (and filmed) in Scotland which wasn’t about the horrors of alcoholism, drug use and unemployment.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Wild Country is by no means a perfect movie, it has its flaws like any other, but it is a well made, pleasantly enjoyable film.
