Deathwatch (2002) User Reviews

Nice terror film upon a creepy confrontation in trenches during WWI

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 23 July 2004]

The movie deals with an English soldiers group in First Great War ( 1914 to 1918 ).

Perhaps it happens in Verdun , Tannenberg or Marne battle , the film is set on the trenches from one of them . At the squadron appears an evil which murders one by one the members of the team.

It's an interesting movie , from the beginning until the end the frightening and scary action is unstoppable.

The flick has an eerie atmosphere , it is in gaudy color , enhanced by the mud of trenches and with lights and shades that originates a ghostly setting .

Set design is excellent , the movie is enough atmospheric , the dark sludge , the dirtiness and filthiness with the muddy trenches are very well designed .

Runtime is adjusted , approx. one hundred minutes , but is a little bit boring because of it occurs limited adventures . However it is a lot exciting , amazing and entertaining.

In the film there are suspense , horror, drama , tension , shootouts , frenetic action and a little bit of gore.

Everybody actors are pretty well but specially there stands out Jamie Bell , Andy Serkis ( Gollun in The Lord of the rings ) , Hugo Speer and Mathew Rhys .

The movie will appeal to the suspense , terror buffs and emotion lovers.

Rating 6,5/10 . Good and well worth watching .

Worthwatch

[ghoulieguru · 5/10 · 8 November 2004]

Another in the recent wave of War-Horror movies like Dog Soldiers and The Bunker, this one actually has a couple of stand out moments. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but there are some interesting moments with barbed wire. The acting was good overall, with most of the actors showing some nice restraint. Typically, you give an actor a period military uniform, a gun, and some exclamation points in the dialogue and you have a recipe for disaster. Points go to the director for keeping a lid on the overly dramatic yelling and screaming. Still, the pacing can be a little tedious at times, and tends to get a little repetitious. Succeeds where The Bunker fell down in that it actually delivers some chills and delivers an ending that isn't too reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode. 6 out of 10.

A good and creepy movie

[mjw2305 · 7/10 · 30 December 2006]

During the horror of world war II, a few survivors of an English regiment, trapped behind enemy lines take refuge in a deserted German trench. When no help arrives, they begin to suffer mysterious and gruesome fates at the hands of something more terrifying than the war itself.

I found this film to be very enjoyable, it has a wonderfully creepy and suspenseful atmosphere, and the setting for the movie is perfectly dark and mysterious to heighten the plot.

Deathwatch is solidly directed and well cast and is a very different take on the horror genre as a whole that is refreshing to see.

7/10

Okay, I appear to be the only one to have understood this movie...

[dreamdayz · 20 January 2004]

I loved this movie, so I'm a little angry about everyone trashing it without understanding it. For anyone who has just watched it and is wondering, what the f*** I invite you to look at the tagline. "Deliver them from evil." What does that suggest to you? Could it have religious significance? What do the cast say of what is stalking them? "Its Death!" Yes. The film is in fact a bloody good horror film set in WWI but it is also a religious tale in as much as the trench is Purgatory and every man jack of that squad is already dead. I finished watching this movie and thought to myself "Damn that's clever!" I mean, not to spoil the film for anyone, but it ends with all but one of the group sat around a fire in the deepest darkest depths while the star runs away from them and climbs up into the light and the mist. If there this were to be a clearer heaven and hell metaphor they'd have to hammer it into your head with a shovel. As to the dark eyed German soldier calmly waiting for the next group of unfortunates to judge... give him a cowl and a sycthe somebody? Enjoy this for the brilliant gore-fest ghost story it is with swarms of rats, living barb wire, and sheer human brutality. But look also to the story beneath the story. The evil they are to be delivered from is inside of them.

Bogged down in the trenches

[p-stepien · 6/10 · 8 January 2011]

During the I World War a group of English soldiers capture an enemy German dugout, while taking one of the opposing forces hostage. Surprisingly however the German wasn't even protecting the trench from outside forces with his focus set on something much closer. The soldiers (comprising amongst other of Jamie "Billy Elliott" Bell and Andy "Gollum" Serkis) quickly come to realise that evil has permeated the trench with barb-wired death around every corner. Madness and suspicion is released amongst the unit leaving in doubt anyone's survival...

Masterfully acted from start to finish with some tremendous rain-drenched photography "Deathwatch" is a very promising experience showing the potential of the debutee director Michael J. Bassett. With a shoestring budget he manages to invoke realistic trenches and positionary warfare with the unseen enemy hiding amongst the mud, water and fog. Additionally we are serviced some quite brutal heart-stopping gore, which makes you double-check areas of your body to make sure you remain intact.

Despite consistently conveying the dreary atmosphere the script however is unable to fulfil expectations, even though the open-ended unresolved-on-a-plate ending is a small triumph for the director. Nonetheless the whole movie is predictable and does not offer any freshness. Additionally the plot is severely underdeveloped and some key scenes seem missing or are just tremendously underplayed. Some of the direction tends to be a bit confusing - before the bodycount cuts down the number of soldiers it is hard to actually follow who is doing what or who is who for that matter. In the end it feels more like a well-done test-run created to prove a simple point: I know how to make movies. Essentially perfectly ordinary, but nonetheless sure to creep you out and hauntingly involve during the viewing pleasure.

Plot not on par with set design and performances

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 5 November 2021]

The year is 1917 and a small band of British troops happen upon a German trench. Very few people are alive in this trench and it looks as if something wicked has gone on there. Eventually, the British troops find out that there is an evil presence in the trench, but will they be able to escape it?

The set design and atmosphere in "Deathwatch" was primo. It was rainy, muddy, cold, and you can tell that the entire trench was a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. The actors put in strong performances which were on par with the set design. They exuded angst, desperation, confusion, and fear. The plot, however, wasn't as compelling as everything else. I almost feel like the set and the performances were wasted on this piece.

"Its not bloody Shakesphere"

[Virgil2127 · 5/10 · 4 June 2005]

"Death Watch" walks a very fine line while taking itself far too seriously, especially considering the bleak backdrop of WWI under which the movie is set. I watched this film sheerly under the recommendation of its horror-military genre connection to "Dog Soldiers". With that said, if you are looking for something like "Dog Soldiers", please do not watch this movie. They are too very different animals.

Which isn't to say "Death Watch" is bad purely on the grounds that it is not "Dog Soldiers". "Death Watch" is a very taunt and atmospheric movie, and the surreal and gritty layout of the text make us fear attack from any direction.

The film follows a group of British soldiers who capture a German trench and then attempt to hold the trench in the wake of not only an incompetent officer, but also a series of inexplicably strange events that push all involved to the edge of sanity. Soon, a rookie soldier, nick-named Shakespeare, begins to wonder if his squad is being driven insane by isolation and shell-shock, or something far more sinister.

Every man in Y-Company seems to have some sort of defining flaw. Shakespeare's flaw seems to be his cowardice. But instead of endearing this character to our own insecurities, the filmmakers only succeed in push Shakespeare away from us with his perpetual whininess. No one else is given as much due as Shakespeare. Other characters live and die in a heartbeat, without too much grief, but Shakespeare seems to be set up to be the emotional weight of the story, which the script ironically seems downright afraid to achieve.

As mentioned above, the movie walks a very fine line. It takes itself at times far too seriously, with no real breaks in between for relief and only little more for laughter. Soon, the bloody plights of the soldiers are played for cheap thrills, and the end result feels more than a little shoddy for exploiting the horror of World War One for such aims.

The mystery of the trench never lets up, even after the final shot. You leave the movie with an idea of what happened, but like most things in this movie, very little else. This isn't to say the movie isn't worth seeing - its scary and very moody, and a far cry from generic Hollywood horror. But by the same merit, this movie isn't something to go out of your war for. Despite all this movie has to offer, between atmosphere and suspense, there's no real payback in sight, at least on the Western Front.

Good potential wasted.

[ikickss · 6/10 · 22 May 2003]

I cannot say I ever saw a horror movie set in a WWI trench and I am not sure one has existed until this one. Or is this actually a horror movie or something else? Anyway the movie is rather predictable and cliche ridden. All around competent acting and directing saves it from being a disaster.

"I'm only twenty & I've already been shot four times." Absolutely awful psychological horror.

[poolandrews · 3/10 · 26 January 2006]

Deathwatch is set during World War 1 & starts on 'The Western Front 1917' as a group of British soldiers prepare to go over the top. During the course of the battle several soldiers are separated & become lost, as they wander the landscape they stumble across a forward German trench that they capture, taking one German soldier (Roman Horak) as a prisoner. Captain Bramwell Jennings (Laurence Fox) orders his troops to bed themselves in as they are going to defend the valuable trench until reinforcements arrive. The trench is a god-awful place, it's strewn with dead mutilated bodies, it's filthy & it's generally not a nice place to be. That night Private Barry Starinski (Kris Marshall) is heard screaming, the men find his body wrapped in barbed wire. Private Bradford (Hugh O'Conor) reaches help over the radio but as time passes & the reinforcements don't arrive bouts of squabbling, fighting & arguing break out amongst the men. Paranoia & desperation sets in as they're number begins to dwindle, upon questioning the German soldier he says that they will all die & great evil fills the trench...

This British, German, Italian & French co-production was written & directed by Michael J. Bassett & in my opinion is, to be blunt, crap. The script is mind-numbingly slow, dull & boring. To say Deathwatch concentrates on character development rather than action is an understatement. If it's one thing I can't stand it's a boring film, I have better things to do than sit in front of a TV screen watching deeply uninteresting character's have petty arguments amongst themselves (I get enough of that at work!). I sat there waiting for something to happen, anything in fact & unfortunately my patience was never fully rewarded. Deathwatch tries to be clever & keep things a mystery until a lame twist ending but I found the vagueness of it all a real turn-off as it just didn't grip or engage me in the slightest & I quickly lost interest in what was happening. It tries to say things about life in the trenches, paranoia, weak command, racism & other such things which bored me senseless & isn't what I'm looking for in a (supposed) horror film. Deathwatch is extremely similar to The Bunker (2001) made around the same time.

Deathwatch was Bassett's directorial debut & in the four years since he hasn't made another film which comes as no great surprise. I have to say the atmosphere was great & both the script & ideas behind it had potential but stuck in such a leaden paced film they are ineffectual to say the least. One more thing that irritated me, I don't know if it was just me but I found it quite hard to distinguish between character's as once they start to get covered in mud they all look exactly the same & Bassett films everything with in a drab, unexciting grayish almost colourless tone. Forget about any meaningful amounts of gore gore, someone gets wrapped in barb wire, a few bullet wounds & a cool bit where a injured soldier who has no feeling in his legs has the bed-sheet removed to discover rats eating them...

Technically the film is decent enough with nice authentic looking trenches that give the film a realistic & claustrophobic feel throughout. The costumes, special effects, cinematography & general production values are all fine. The acting was pretty good.

Deathwatch was a big disappointment for me, I just found the whole thing a bit of a boring confused mess that had zero entertainment value as far as I'm concerned. I wish I'd had an early night now instead.

Good Directing . Bad Screenplay

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 12 July 2007]

Anyone remember William Boyd's movie THE TRENCH ? It was made in 1999 and was set on the eve of the battle of the Somme , a battle that saw the British army lose 20,000 soldiers on the first day of battle . It was fairly unconvincing not helped by the fact that the eponymous trench looked like a film set . Not so with Michael J Basset's DEATHWATCH which has a realistic miss-en-scene , so realistic in fact you can taste the mud in your mouth , the rain on your skin and smell the stench of decomposing flesh inside your nose . Anyone think war's a game ? I suggest you watch this movie because it might just change your mind . Just a pity that Basset decided to make a horror movie involving the supernatural because who needs monsters when you see what the human race is capable of

The characters are rather clichéd but no more so than those seen in THE TRENCH or THE SOMME ( 2005 ) and the cast do their best especially Andy Serkis who plays a violent maniac . 10 million people died in the first world war so it's refreshing to see a soldier from that period actually enjoying killing the enemy so much simply down to blind hatred . You think the Jerries and Tommies played football together and drank schnapps every Christmas ? Think again . What really ruins the film is the main story of a supernatural force in the trench alongside the soldiers . It's very confusing and underdeveloped and in places just downright silly , especially that ending

In short this is a film that could have been a modern anti-war classic . Basset has made a highly atmospheric film with some very disturbing imagery . It's interesting to note that the scene everyone remembers is the one where the blankets are pulled back , a scene that you feel uncomfortable watching because you just know something like that has happened in real conflicts in the past and will happen in future conflicts . Did we need supernatural damnation when all you have to do is switch on the TV every day to see the human race damned by it's own hand ?

What's the point?

[celr · 3/10 · 5 February 2011]

This film is very well done from the point of view of setting the scene. This squad of English soldiers are engaged in the awful trench warfare of WW1. They go over the top and are apparently mowed down by machine gun fire and exploding shells. Next we see them trudging over No Man's Land in the fog. At this point it's pretty certain that they're dead and in some kind of hell, or purgatory. Though masterful in setting the scene, the mythic underpinnings of the story are confused or non-existent.

They come to a German trench which is full of corpses and a few live Germans. They kill the survivors except one, whom they imprison in an ammunition locker. But the trench itself seems to be attacking them. One by one they are being killed in horrible ways. Some by their buddies and some strangled by barbed wire that emerges from the mud. War is hell, but this is hell upon hell. The horror is unrelenting.

Now war in the trenches is about as horrible as it gets. You really don't need supernatural effects to make it more horrible. Here the movie falls apart. It raises questions it can't answer. Why are these deceased soldiers being put through this additional hell after the hell of trench warfare? They behave as you might suppose any normal young men might under the circumstances, which is to become beasts. They're paranoid, they make bad decisions and they fight with each other. But what do you expect?

In the end there is one English 'survivor' of the horror in the German trench. He's the only one who helped the surviving German and protested the madness of his fellows. In the end he's allowed to 'go free' for his humanity. Whatever that means. I suppose that means he can now go to Heaven while the others are condemned to repeat the hellish experience in the German trench for all Eternity. But since these young men have become beasts only because they've been subjected to the extreme dehumanizing experience of war, we can't feel they are really bad guys, they don't deserve this gruesome punishment. Well, maybe one of the guys is a real psychopath, but the others are victims of the horror of war.

Ultimately this movie is a depressing downer. There is no payoff. Neither is it an anti-war movie because none of the issues surrounding WWI are brought up. If the movie makers just wanted to make us feel horrified and disgusted they could just have just shown war as it really is, there was no need for the supernatural bit. Horror movies should have some element of fun, or at least a sense of justice. Here there is neither fun nor justice. There is enough horror in the real world, a horror movie should have a point and this has none.

Very Good Horror Story

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 1 November 2004]

Set in the trenches of the First World War this is the first film I've seen set during that time that got the sense of place right. Its the got the entombed bodies in the ground, in the walls, and everywhere you look right. It is a bleak existence that the soldiers take almost matter of factly.

The plot has a group of British soldiers getting lost during an attack and finding a German trench. The Germans are more concerned with something in the trench to pay the Brits any mind and try to send them away. All but one of the Germans are shot, but because of a language problem he can't tell them whats is lurking close by.

Beautifully shot, excellently acted this is a very good little horror film. No, its not the be all and end all of horror films but its a damn good little thriller that rises about the typical thanks to its setting and the cast.

This is a film worth putting a bit of effort into finding. I doubt that you'll hate it if you find it, at the very least you'll come away liking it.

8 out of 10.

Great horror set in World War I

[jluis1984 · 7/10 · 31 October 2006]

The horrors of war have served as inspiration to horror stories almost since the beginning of horror as a literary genre; however, horror films with a War setting are really scarce. The main reason to this is that War films often demand a great investment in costumes, props and crew to get the setting right, becoming a big problem for horror directors often forced to work with low-budgets. However, in the last years, daring and inventive directors have taken the risk of making films with a War setting. Although the quality of the films varies, director Michael J. Bassett's film "Deathwatch" is among the best ones, making a thrilling and captivating horror story set in a deserted German trench in the middle of World War I.

After a brutal night of extensive combat in the trench fighting of the First World War, a British Infantry Company gets lost and is separated from their regiment. The next day, the nine surviving soldiers find an enormous German trench that strangely seems occupied by very few soldiers. The Company kills most of the Germans (except for one), and soon take the trench as a headquarters as they attempt to contact their regiment. However, they are not alone, as deep inside the decadent rotten trench there is an evil force that will attempt to consume them as paranoia, isolation and fear begins to corrode the British soldiers.

Written and directed by Michael J. Bassett, "Deathwatch" is a very ambitious horror film that successfully mixes the very real horrors of war with a classic tale of supernatural horror. With an amazing set design (for the budget) and well-done research on the subject, Bassett makes what's probably one of the most realistic representations of a World War I trench, that together with an overwhelming feeling of dread that is carried through the film, creates a terrific atmosphere that is the films strongest point. That's probably the best word to describe "Deathwatch": atmospheric.

The story is for the most part well-crafted as well, and stays in tone with the atmospheric visuals of the film. Playing on the feelings of paranoia and isolation that affect the main characters, the story really gets pretty interesting as the soldiers turn against each other and the death toll increases, however, the slow pace the film moves may turn off people expecting a fast packed action-horror film. While the movie does have some scares and a bit graphic gore, it is the atmosphere, the dread and the mystery what moves the film, so one must not expect a scare-fest in "Deathwatch".

The cast is mainly made of newcomers, and this becomes beneficial, as it adds to the realism of the movie. Jamie Bell of "Billy Elliot" fame, is our main character, Pfc. Charlie Shakespeare, and while he manages to carry the film for the most part, his performance would not be the same without the rest of the cast to support him. Hugh O'Conor gives a terrific performance that serves a nice counterpart to Bell, and the experienced Andy Serkis delivers one of his best (and less known) performances as well. Hugo Speer makes also a good job in a subtle low-key role, although more screen time would have really helped his character.

Certainly "Deathwatch" can be accused of many things, like for example, the fact that some of the supporting characters are clichéd stereotypes; however, it can't be accused of being a bad movie. The way the Company starts as a "collective hero" only to crumble down as the dead count increases is more a good thing than a flaw, and the film's lack of typical jump scares is also a virtue. Probably the way the film was marketed (as a straight-forward slasher) is the film's main problem, as it's really not a fast-packed mix of war and horror as some may expect.

While not a life changing film or the ultimate experience of horror, Michael J. Bassett's "Deathwatch" is a worthy film that truly deserved a better box-office that what it got, as it's a horror film done in a way that seems a rarity these days. Michael J. Bassett certainly shows a lot of talent and if this is the beginning, I can't wait to see what's next for him. 7/10

popcornpopcornpopcorn

[Slice of LIfe · 1 December 2002]

"Welcome to hell," are the eerily prophetic words, complete with shells, atmospheric all-is-not-right music and the groans of dying men, a hint of what's to come. After the battle, out of the fog and into a German trench, the men of Y-company discover that's exactly where they've landed. First of all, the place is deserted. And strewn with (mutilated) corpses of German soldiers. All dead. Except one (Torben Liebrecht), who warns them desperately that there is "quelque chose de mal" in that place, and to get out as soon as they can. Naturally, they all ignore him, except for Shakespeare (Jamie Bell). Soon, it proves true when the men start turning against each other, or getting sucked into the earth with barbed wire, or tying each other up à-la-crucifixion.

Well. After two years of watching this in the making, it hasn't disappointed (thank you, Mr, Bassett). Great set-up, with the rain, the rats, trenches and mud to make Spielberg weep with envy. While the script could use some work ("what's the matter with this place? What's happening?" asks one -rhetorically?), the acting keeps the characters from becoming walking clichés, especially Jamie Bell as the unwelcome greenhorn, or Hugo Speer as the duty-bound Sgt. Tate, to name a few. The suspense was average and wasn't so scary that there'd be lost sleep over it, nor was it anything over-original. But it's a great piece of ensemble casting (i'd pay the admission again to see Hugh O'Conor say the f-word), cool FX and steady directing make it a good viewing.

Lots of Potential But Gets Lost in the Trenches

[ThreeGuysOneMovie · 6/10 · 22 September 2011]

Separated from their regiment after a brutal night of fighting German troops, a small band of soldiers from British Company Y find themselves lost on the battle ground surrounded by a dense fog. After in indeterminable amount of time wandering around the men stumble upon a German trench, occupied by several German soldiers who have apparently lost their sanity.

Killing all but one of the German soldiers who they take prisoner, the men soon make a gruesome discovery while scouting out the remaining maze of trenches. The entire area is littered with countless German corpses all who have apparently killed each other. Through the interrogation of the German prisoner the men learn that they are not the only ones occupying the forward position as they suspected. With orders from their Captain to hold the position and wait for reinforcements, the small platoon must now stand against an unknown enemy more powerful than anything they have ever faced on the battle field.

This film almost had potential but ultimately seemed to fall short. With a plot that had a few interesting moments it was otherwise quite predictable and made for an ending which wasn't as effective or surprising as was probably intended. The actors played their parts well considering the setting and circumstances which the movie revolved around. The two elements which stood out the most in this film were the sets and the cinematography, both helped in areas where this film fell short at times. Over all not a great movie but by no means was it the worst I have ever seen.

Lion Gate films comes through again

[jakielaj · 7/10 · 5 November 2006]

After watching this movie I can honestly say I was extremely impressed. Lion Gate films is most commonly known for their current blockbuster hits in the Saw series. But their direct to video movies could probably fare well in the box office or at independent film festivals. This movie is truly a hidden treasure.

The acting is very sound throughout the movie and the characters are truly believable. It even follows the typical war storyline with a captain that is too young and lacks respect to lead his company, a veteran sgt, and a young private who lied about his age in order to see action on the front lines. The environment that the movie was shot in gives you the feeling that you are witnessing WWI and the trenches and their design follows historical writings to a T.

I found this movie merely by chance at our local family video and wasn't even going to rent it till my arm was pulled. The cover itself doesn't give much away about the movie and seeing that Clive Barker had a comment on the front made me wonder if he was simply paid to make that statement. The action and plot line are very well done and throughout the movie that are little hints about where the story is heading and the nature of the trench the men are forced to defend.

Without a doubt I can honestly say that I would rent this movie again and if found for a reasonable price would consider in adding it to my collection. There are some parts that aren't top notch but overall the movie is a great experience. The movie is considered as horror and does contain some strong language along with some intense scenes so this might not be one for the entire family. I hope the director creates future films that have the success of this project and that he wasn't just a one-hit wonder.

A good idea ruined by poor script and lack of attention to detail

[KenHamilton · 4/10 · 5 May 2006]

A nice idea for a plot, which could have gone a long way to making a fantastic film. This combined with some quite impressive acting displays combines to make this a film worth watching if you are ill, or really have nothing better to do. However, the plot is predictable, and, to my mind, a little overdone. The characters as written are extremely wooden stereotypes, although I have to say that Jamie Bell and co make an admirable job of making them seem a little more human (in fact the quality of acting makes this film watchable). What really lets this film down, though, is the lack of historical research. Almost every weapon in the film is an anachronism. Even the soldiers' iconic SMLE rifles have been substituted with Second World War vintage Lee Enfield No4s. Combined with Second World War webbing, the effect is of a load of ACF cadets. The uniforms are incorrect. The military terminology used is incorrect. I'm not normally one for bothering about anachronism, but it really affected my enjoyment of this film.

war harms us in more ways than one

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 29 May 2011]

World War II is the 20th-century event that has gotten probably more attention than any other, but World War I was also really important, especially since it created the conditions that led to WWII. Michael J. Bassett's "Deathwatch" uses WWI as the setting for the story of a British platoon that seizes a German trench, only to find that it is inhabited by a mysterious, sinister force.

The movie is not about gore and special effects -- though there is some of each -- but more about the effect that the horrific experience has on the soldiers. It's almost a metaphor for the insane impact that war will have on any person. Much like how the soldiers are almost like different people by the end, a person who lives through war will almost certainly not be the same person as before.

Anyway, the movie is worth seeing. Just be careful the next time that you find a trench. Starring Jamie Bell (the title character in "Billy Elliott", and soon to appear as Tintin), Andy Serkis (Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and soon to appear as Capt. Haddock) and Hugo Speer (Guy in "The Full Monty").

a disappointing copy of The Bunker-see the later - Contains Spoiler

[guyguy1234 · 1/10 · 7 December 2002]

It was a real case of deja vu for me watching this war horror.Not least because i'd already seen this story though told with greater power by the far superior The Bunker.The ending too was less than original,the soldiers being dead already,perhaps the writer/plagarist having forgotten the same twist years before in Jacob's Ladder.What I can't understand is why this got such a wide release in england when The Bunker(Rob Green)which was universally praised by the film mags(the opposite being true of Death Watch)had only a very limited release.Is there something wrong with British distribution?I'd be interested to hear.In short,a disappointing waste of a big(in british terms)budget.Small really is beautiful,it seems,watch the original,is my advice,that really will scare the apnts off you.

Underrated gem

[boken88 · 7/10 · 6 July 2012]

My only gripe about this film is that it is a trench combat film, yet nobody had or used a spade. I would have liked to have seen that. But other than that this film is very well done. The way it starts off, it could have been a solid WW1 film. The actors are brilliant and the director does a great job of showing how nasty the trenches are, with rats, mud, constant rain, dead bodies, and such. The film is intense, it was tiresome to watch, and I just kept thinking how tired and frustrated these soldiers must be. The acting, the characters, the location (trench), the filming it drew me in. Now let's talk about the supernatural element, reminds me a bit of Jacob's Ladder and Event Horizon put together. Those two films are usually spoken highly of, so I'm saying this as a compliment that it has elements of both of those films put together and executed successfully. Also the ending is kind of like Ghostship, someone on here said it was death, I kept saying to myself Hades, so yeah, there is an ongoing cycle which makes the story a little bit clever. Special effects reminds me of Hellraiser 2 although not as intensive, and also along the lines of Evil Dead, anyway I'll take this over the CGI mess you frequently see today. To me the budget of this film didn't seem low, if I had seen this in the theater I would have been satisfied. The WW1 aspect of the film was good enough to stand alone as a pure WW1 flick IMO, and the undead barbwire guys looked really awesome, too bad we only get to see them once. The supernatural aspect of the story to me is well done too and it makes sense to me. I was pleasantly surprised!

Very bad movie.

[wolf_stoned · 2/10 · 15 August 2008]

I decided to watch this on demand one day, and from the summary, looked pretty good. So I watched it - and to my chagrin, it sucked. The horror wasn't even that scary. Oooooh, living barbed wire. How scary - NOT!!!!! The plot was okay. The setting got real boring after a while. Frankly, I was really disappointed with this movie. The real horror starts a little too late, and basically is pretty corny. Most of the acting is pretty bad, and some of the dialogue seems to be totally improvised. This shouldn't have been made at all in my opinion. It has a pretty bad plot that takes a long time to unfold and, at times, is rather boring. Warning - do not be fooled, for this is one movie that blows! If you ever decide you want to watch this - DON'T. Go watch something else instead of this load of crud. Trust me.

Atmospheric low budget horror.

[stormruston · 8/10 · 5 April 2006]

This was one heck of a good movie, I had read nothing about it and bought it based on the box artwork.

This is a WW1 horror movie that takes place mostly in a set of "German trenches" This movie rarely nailed down the muck and horror of trench warfare in my mind. It is a creepy horrible looking place.

The acting is very good and rarely over the top, and the movie maintains a sense of tension and controlled panic from beginning until the climax, where it goes into full panic and finally horrified understanding.

The special effect are not too bad to pretty darn good,it has moments of gore too.

This is a very worthwhile ghost story that should keep you on the edge of your seat, I recommend it as a top notch B movie.

Instead of piano wires and axes we use barbed wire and spiked clubs

[n_priebe · 7/10 · 23 November 2005]

This movie still keeps me up if I think to hard about it.

I tend to be drawn to very odd and freaky movies.

____THE ATMOSPHERE WAS GRAND____

I could not believe that a B rated movie would hold such a great sound.

We have stunning movies that the sound blends in so well that it keeps our hearts pounding and us twitching with out us noticing until we wet ourselves or spill the bag of snacks all over the chair/couch/beanbag/-etc.

-*WHAT I'm GETTING AT!*- The sound is raw, You can tell this was not made with high performance equipment or the best budget! ITS A GREAT CHANGE THAT MADE ME SWEAT. The action and the sound permoted a jerky experience without making me throw up LIKE SAID BLAIRWITCH PROJECT.

****It's a welcome Change****

For being a horror fan, this almost had too much. This was the first time I found my eyes wander from the screen when one of the characters gets killed.

The plot, although a novel concept was poorly executed. I think I even saw some of the soldiers holding half finished models of the guns. The relationships between the characters were sorta half-assed and only started to become evident't when the CO started to act like they were all fine and they wern't worried about winding up with barbed wire up their rear ends. _-I love how the medic acts-_

Well, to own I would personally say yes, if your like me and like b grade movies that have a very, very odd climax, and resolution. The horror shots and characters played very well as they showed the diminishing moral of the troop.

If your a normal horror lover, this might be worth the rent.

Movie was boring and had no direction

[canada_dude · 2/10 · 26 January 2005]

This had to be one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It was depressing as any WWI vet I am sure would agree describes any of the trench warfare of that combat. The movie stops there. There was nothing else to draw from it. The plot could easily have been more related to madness setting in than any horrific presence. A bit of barbed wire and you are supposed to feel terror. I feel the war scenes themselves emulated the true horror of that time. I could have been just as horrified watching true footage from the conflict.

My scoring goes as follows:

Acting - 1 Cinematography - 5 (for the battle scenes) Plot - 1 Special Effects - 1 Total Movie Effect - 1 Length of time before I wanted to turn it off - 1 (meaning within half the movie)

Overall Score - 2

What's all the fuss about?

[Mark3905 · 3 October 2004]

I was reading several of the reviews on this site as I was watching the movie. I agree with some and disagree with some. There have been several comments regarding the relatively low budget. What's wrong with that? I, for one, appreciate seeing a movie that is nothing but real actors filling the screen, rather than special effects and computer-generated action. I think relatively low budget aspect of not having special effects made it more "real". The acting I thought was fine. The only person I recognize, being an American, was Jamie Bell. He did his usual very good job here. I have absolutely no idea who the rest of the cast is, so I was not constrained in believability as several reviewers were who mentioned that when they see one specific actor, for example, they keep thinking of his role on a television show. With Bell being the only guy I've seen before, all the actors were, to me, able to settle into their roles as WWI soldiers.

I agree with a couple reviewers who commented that it was good that it was an all-British cast. As an American, it annoys the hell out of me when Hollywood makes movies that involve characters from other nations, and could very easily fill those roles with actors from those nations, but instead use American actors with horrible imitation accents, or worse yet, not even using an accent. Regarding what the movie was "really" about, I like the fact that it was left a little up in the air. This is one of those movies that allows heated debated after viewing it. It is good to have a movie that lets you think for yourself regarding what you just watched, rather than having it force-fed to you. I think this was a very good movie, one in which a low budget, all British cast, and completely unknown (for an American) actors other than Bell, all combine to equal an enjoyable viewing experience.