You can learn a lot from watching horror films. Not that many of these lessons are practical but should you ever find yourself in a small town mourning the death of your young daughter and catch the locals mutilating bodies during a pagan ritual Wake Wood taught me that relocation might be a wise idea. This might seem like common sense but for Patrick (Game of Thrones’ Aidan Gillen) and Louise (Waking the Dead‘s Eva Birthistle) these sorts of gatherings are more curious than they are reasons to leave the neighborhood. And when the town’s leader, Arthur (Timothy Spall, Harry Potter’s Wormtail), offers to bring their daughter back to life for three days the young couple can’t resist the opportunity. This, of course, is a very bad idea.
Wake Wood was the first film in 30 years to be made by England’s legendary Hammer Films (Let Me In, a co-production with Overture Films and Relativity Media, would make it to theaters first). Some would suggest that Wake Wood is a return to form for the horror studio but it should be noted that the re-launch of the Hammer brand has seemingly also included a change in philosophy. Hammer Studios were known for their campy sensibilities (which is why, in part, that they fell into hard times in the 1970s when graphic violence became the new horror standard). Hammer’s new films are more realistic and serious in tone. Wake Wood isn’t entirely original as it takes bits and pieces from various folk tales and horror films but it does feature solid performances, an intelligent script with a couple scares, a hefty amount of gore and an ending that feels honest.
Dark Sky Film’s Blu-ray features a decent video presentation and a surprisingly impressive and active audio mix. Unfortunately bonus features are limited to a trailer and a collection of deleted and extended scenes. Nothing too revelatory.