Review by Annie Riordan
“A-ha! The timeless wonder of the English countryside.” ~ Rik Mayall
True horror doesn’t always bloom within the darkest shadows of the night, nor does it require the ominous herald of a thunderstorm. Sometimes, the most harrowing sidesteps into horror occur beneath the bright light of midday, when there are no shadows in which to hide and everything is spotlit to the point of overexposure. We all think we’re safe out in the open, under the sunlight. Bad things don’t happen during the day, out in the open, where anyone can see. Surely, evil waits until sunset before throwing on a trench coat and fedora and furtively sneaking out into the alleys to conduct its sinister deeds.
Horseshit. The bulk of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre takes place beneath a burning Texas sun. So too the climactic scene in The Wicker Man (1973 – bitch please, I refuse to even acknowledge that such a thing as a remake of that film ever even passed the zygote stage). And so begins the tale of Low, beneath a bright June sun in the lush green hills of England.
It seems straightforward enough, a classic fairy tale set-up really. Pretty young girl, all alone, opens the wooden gate to an ominously named park and ventures within. Is she taking a shortcut to Granny’s house? Will she happen upon a gingerbread cottage? Well no, of course not. This is the 21st century after all. But as she strolls over hill and dale, lost in a melancholy world of her own, a wolf does indeed cross her path. Granted, he’s a wolf in geek’s clothing. His name is Edward and at first glance he seems about as menacing as a frosted fairy cake. He’s 40ish, bookish, terminally nerdy in his button down shirt and spotless khakis. Nevertheless, our pretty young Alice immediately senses that this guy is one dark, wormy rabbit hole that she’d rather not fall down into. Wise girl, she obeys her instincts and turns abruptly on her heel. But Edward, a sharp wolf indeed despite his dorky exterior, smells blood and follows, overtaking Alice on the wooded path.
Immediately attracted to the dark and tragic girl, Edward forces her to accompany him on a deeply disturbing gambol through the woods, seeing her not as a hostage but rather a kindred spirit. Edward has done things – terrible, bloody, unforgivable things – but he knows Alice will understand. Because Alice has come out into the bright June sunshine to commit her own terrible deed and bury a dark secret that Edward will ultimately expose.
Straightforward and simple. So the story seems at first. But as it unfolds, it becomes hideously intricate, almost allegorical. But who exactly is Jacob and who is the angel here?
It’s not difficult to figure out what’s going on here, but figuring out where it’s going and how it will all end is another matter entirely. The tension screws up tighter than a stressed out virgin. Several unforeseen plot twists pop up like a sharp punch to the face. The film is a mere one hour long, but it’s an exhausting hour: tense, nerve-wracking and emotionally draining thanks in no small part to the powerful performances delivered by David Keyes as the ultimately pitiable and pathetic Edward and Amy Comper as Alice, an empty, broken vessel of a girl forced to glue herself back together. In less capable hands, this story might have fallen to pieces, another farfetched slasher story with asinine motivations and zero character development. Keyes and Comper not only sell it but make you give an actual shit about both of them in the process – not an easy task.
Horror tales told in the dark are all very well and good, but a multitude of sins (and flaws) can be hidden in the shadows. Beneath the bright summer sun, Low plummets to the depths of the human soul at the lowest point in our characters lives and turns a million megawatt spotlight on it, exposing the infinitesimal workings of pain and suffering in the harshest detail.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of another severely underrated and brightly lit psychological horror film whilst watching Low, and that would be Adam Rehmeier’s “Jonas” and not just because David Keyes bears a stunning resemblance to Gregg Gilmore. Somebody run these films on a double bill. I see a future for a “Sunwashed Horror Fest” in the near future.
Low is released to Region 1 DVD and VOD on March 25th 2014, from BrinkVision.