Wyvern Hill is, first and foremost, a beautiful homage to the Giallo films of the past. From the opening sequence - which, when one considers the budget in particular - is utterly sublime, the audience is lured in to this mesmeric, hypnotic violent and lofty puzzlebox of a film.
If you're into Lynch or Agento, you'll certainly get something out of this. If you're looking for the next Friday the 13th, you're in the wrong neighbourhood.
The direction is mostly superb, with a hyper-stylised - but visually pleasing - look that really elevates the film above most within the same genre and budgetary situation. This would be pointless style if there was no substance, but there is.
Beth is an incredibly well-acted, and very well-written character. Her personal story, and attachment to the wider narrative gives the film a personal, character-driven narrative you never really tend to get in this sub-genre of cinema. Add that to the symbolic use of Wyverns - and what they represent in mythology - and you have a film that justifies its violence and style by crafting a genuinely poignant tale. A tale though, that will require a lot of thought to make sense of.
Patterson is bloody brilliant, which actually has the somewhat negative effect of drowning out the rest of the cast who look a bit ropey in comparison.
This is all punctuated by a near-perfect soundtrack. It knows when to be loud, when to be quiet - other than one unfortunate example at the end, where the antagonist gives a speech I could not hear a word of.
No film is perfect, and this one does have a few flaws. And in the interest of being an honest review - not a biased appraisal, I'll mention them here.
The scenes between the young couples - both of them - always feel a little flat. The writing is a bit more generic, the actors not as strong. There wasn't a lot of on-screen chemistry, and you just kept waiting for Beth to re-appear, as that's when the film was at its best.
Some of the editing could do with tightening - some scenes feel a bit longer than they actually need to be. Trimming 15 minutes would have probably helped.
I'm also one for puzzle-boxes, but there is something that bothers me about the relationship between Beth and Mr. Punch - and that's why he kills people not related to her. I had a fan theory on what's happening, but it doesn't really work because of those extra murders. It muddles the plot a bit, whereas if he'd ONLY killed people with a direct connection to her, it would be easier to devise a working theory.
I praise this film though, for its ambitiousness, respect to the genre it pays homage too, and what they achieved on such a small budget.
Highly recommend a watch.
If you're into Lynch or Agento, you'll certainly get something out of this. If you're looking for the next Friday the 13th, you're in the wrong neighbourhood.
The direction is mostly superb, with a hyper-stylised - but visually pleasing - look that really elevates the film above most within the same genre and budgetary situation. This would be pointless style if there was no substance, but there is.
Beth is an incredibly well-acted, and very well-written character. Her personal story, and attachment to the wider narrative gives the film a personal, character-driven narrative you never really tend to get in this sub-genre of cinema. Add that to the symbolic use of Wyverns - and what they represent in mythology - and you have a film that justifies its violence and style by crafting a genuinely poignant tale. A tale though, that will require a lot of thought to make sense of.
Patterson is bloody brilliant, which actually has the somewhat negative effect of drowning out the rest of the cast who look a bit ropey in comparison.
This is all punctuated by a near-perfect soundtrack. It knows when to be loud, when to be quiet - other than one unfortunate example at the end, where the antagonist gives a speech I could not hear a word of.
No film is perfect, and this one does have a few flaws. And in the interest of being an honest review - not a biased appraisal, I'll mention them here.
The scenes between the young couples - both of them - always feel a little flat. The writing is a bit more generic, the actors not as strong. There wasn't a lot of on-screen chemistry, and you just kept waiting for Beth to re-appear, as that's when the film was at its best.
Some of the editing could do with tightening - some scenes feel a bit longer than they actually need to be. Trimming 15 minutes would have probably helped.
I'm also one for puzzle-boxes, but there is something that bothers me about the relationship between Beth and Mr. Punch - and that's why he kills people not related to her. I had a fan theory on what's happening, but it doesn't really work because of those extra murders. It muddles the plot a bit, whereas if he'd ONLY killed people with a direct connection to her, it would be easier to devise a working theory.
I praise this film though, for its ambitiousness, respect to the genre it pays homage too, and what they achieved on such a small budget.
Highly recommend a watch.