Wilderness (film)
| Wilderness | |
|---|---|
 Wilderness poster. | |
| Directed by | Michael J. Bassett |
| Produced by |
Robert Bernstein John McDonnell Douglas Rae |
| Written by | Dario Poloni |
| Starring |
Sean Pertwee Alex Reid Toby Kebbell Karly Greene Lenora Crichlow |
| Music by | Mark Thomas |
| Cinematography | Peter Robertson |
| Edited by | Kate Evans |
| Distributed by | Momentum Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Language | English |
Wilderness is a 2006 British-Irish horror film directed by Michael J. Bassett
Plot
The film starts with the arrival of Callum at a small juvenile facility ran by Jed and consists of Steve, Blue, Jethro, Lindsay, Davie, and Lewis. It is implied that the group gives Davie and Lindsay a hard time. After Steve and Louis get back at the two by urinating on them, Callum discovers Davie has killed himself. Davie's dad learns about the suicide and the group, along with Jed, are sent to an island. Once arriving, the group notices something odd about it.
Callum is knocked out by an unseen force and is discovered by the group. They go swimming and afterwards Jed notices a campfire in the distance. Lindsay is captured by an unseen force. They then meet a group of women, consisting of Jo, Louise, and Mandy. Jed and Louise come to agreement to keep the groups separate, while Jo and Lewis attempt to hit it off.
Steve and Lewis discover a man and chase after him. The man pokes Steve with a stick, prompting Steve to beat him with it, and Callum later discovers him dead. Callum is caught by Jed and Louise washing the blood off and is handcuffed by a tree. Jed blames the group for taking his phone which angers Steve. Jed then decides the girls are staying with them.
The next morning Jethro wakes up to go get more water and is then attacked by something. Jed orders Blue and Lindsay to go find him and they discover his arm in the water. The group is ambushed and Jed is killed by a group of dogs. One of the dogs chases Louise and she is knocked off a cliff.
The group discover Jethro hanging from a tree with the letter D painted on him. They find a cabin and take refuge in it. Lindsay reveals everything he knew, including who the killer is, which is Davie's dad. The next morning Blue is killed after he gets caught in a bear trap. Davie's dad then forces the rest of them out of the cabin.
The group finds that Louise is alive but badly injured. Louise is killed after the group leaves her alone. Steve plans to leave the others and Lewis agrees to it. They discover the fuel line is cut and Davie's dad shoots at them with a flaming arrow. The dogs return and they all get away from them. Steve and Lewis discover Lindsay and chase after him.
The dogs are eventually called back but one stays behind and Callum kills it. The group discovers Louise's head on a stick, prompting Callum to cut the dog's head off. They then cook the dog and eat it. Callum puts the dog's head on a stick. Steve and Mandy then fight the next morning.
Lewis subdues Steve and Steve calms down. Jo then angers Steve, prompting him to kill Lewis. Jo then runs away and is caught in a trap. Steve finds her and she begs him for help. He then declines and she is burned alive.
Steve runs into Lindsay and ties him to a tree. Davie's dad appears and forces Steve to cut his wrists. Steve then taunts him and throws a knife in his leg, only to be shot in the head with the crossbow. Davie's dad cuts Lindsay free and tells him to meet him by the boat. Callum appears and calls him out.
The two fight and Callum chases after Davie's dad with the crossbow. Mandy confronts Lindsay and causes him to fall off the cliff to his death. Callum prepares to shoot Davie's dad with the crossbow but the latter succumbs to his wounds on the sand. Mandy and Callum reunite and Callum states that "everyone died on the island". The two then get on the boat and leave the island.
Cast
- Sean Pertwee as Jed
- Alex Reid as Louise
- Toby Kebbell as Callum
- Stephen Wight as Steve
- Luke Neal as Lewis
- Ben McKay as Lindsay
- Lenora Crichlow as Mandy
- Karly Greene as Jo
- Adam Deacon as Blue
Production
The film was produced and distributed by a consortium of independents, and directed by Michael J. Bassett, whose previous credits include 2002's Deathwatch. The story was filmed on location in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Release
Wilderness premiered at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film on 19 March 2006, and its UK premiere was at the Belfast Film Festival on 1 April 2006.[1]
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that Wilderness received positive reviews by 29% of seven reviewers; the average rating was 4.4/10.[2] John Condit of DreadCentral rated it 3/5 stars and stated that it would polarize viewers into two camps: gorehounds and genre snobs.[3] In a mixed review, Philip French of The Guardian compared it to Dog Soldiers and described its sense of justice as "arbitrary".[4] Geoffrey Macnab, also of The Guardian, rated it 3/5 and stated that it is an entertaining B movie.[5] Leslie Felperin of Variety said that the film is "schlocky", but its target demographic of teens will enjoy it.[6] Nigel Floyd of Time Out London rated it 4/5 and described it as "taut and visceral".[7] Jamie Russell of the BBC rated the film 2/5 and states that the film has "atrocious editing and hapless direction".[8] Jeremy Knox of Film Threat rated it 3.5/5 and called it familiar yet "a cut above the rest".[9]
References
- ↑ "Michael J. Bassett's Wilderness". Twitch Film. 2006-03-07. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ "Wilderness". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ Condit, John (2006-07-16). "Wilderness (2006)". DreadCentral. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ French, Philip (2006-08-12). "Wilderness". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ Macnab, Geoffrey (2006-08-10). "Wilderness". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ Felperin, Leslie (2006-08-16). "Wilderness". Variety. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ Floyd, Nigel (2006-08-09). "Wilderness". Time Out London. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ Russell, Jamie (2006-08-08). "Wilderness". BBC. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
- ↑ Knox, Jeremy (2006-07-18). "Wilderness". Film Threat. Retrieved 2013-10-07.