Strange events unfold in Six Mile Hill – a sleepy Irish town that claims to have been traveled by the famed author Bram Stoker – when construction on a new road disrupts the alleged grave of Abhartach, a legendary Irish vampire said to have inspired Dracula. Deadly and sinister forces terrorize the work crew led by Francie Moffat and his son Eugene, a free-spirited young man who prefers pints to pickaxes, and they’re forced to fight to survive the night while exposing the true horror that resides in the town’s local myth.
When anyone moves a relic, I can’t help but think of the words of Martha Plimpton in The Goonies, “Brand, God put that rock there for a purpose and um, I’m not so sure you should um move it.” She’s always right, of course. But then we might not have fun horror films like Boys From County Hell on Shudder. The opening scene is jarring as hell. With a plot that revolves around a legend and the locals that are tasked to bring the modern world into small-town life, starting with a bang was a perfect choice. The score is truly something. Mixed with ominous string and kickass local rock songs. The script is funny and has a bit of a Shawn of the Dead vibe minus the heavy-handed camp. Take your vampire tropes and shove them, because this is altogether new. The comic timing of this cast combined with the writing gives you equal belly laughs and fright. I would watch an entire series about this town! The makeup and practical fx are phenomenal. For me, the biggest visual impact was the blood CGI. There’s something so unsettling about this that creeps under your skin. It’s incredibly effective. Boys From County Hell also touches on community. Respecting where you come from and being unafraid to expand your horizons. It’s a rollicking good time.
BOYS FROM COUNTY HELL comes to Shudder in the US and Canada on April 22nd
Starring Jack Rowan (Peaky Blinders), Nigel O’Neill (The Bookshop), Louisa Harland (Derry Girls), Fra Fee (Animals, the upcoming Hawkeye series) and John Lynch (The Terror, The Banishing) and Michael Hough (the upcoming Chapelwaite series), and written and directed by Chris Baugh (Bad Day for the Cut).
Performances are badass. Nathan Phillips gives a really grounded portrayal of Sinclair. As much as one can be discovering that a family of vamps are trying to kill you. Alyssa Sutherland, as a nurse who lost her daughter and husband in the war, is the sensible, even-keeled figure and voice of reason. She is fearless and kind and a nice foil for the boat’s majority of overly masculine residents. Ruby Isobel Hall is phenomenal in her timing and perceived innocence. It’s some truly nuanced work. For me, the star of this film is Alex Cooke. Frankly, I could have watched an entirely separate film of the history of his character (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, writer-director Justin Dix and writer Jordan Prosser!) His totally nonchalant epicness deserves more screen time. Cooke kills it in this role.
The most unusual aspect of Dix‘s and Prosser‘s screenplay is that I found myself questioning who the real villains are? A family is kidnapped for profit. Then said family is punished for defending itself. Our crew is merely intervening after a tragedy and gets caught in the middle. I found myself relating to the vampires as a mother, which is both weird and wonderful. While there are definitely a few telegraphed plot points, the majority of the script is super original and wild as hell. Blood Vessel could easily become a franchise based on a very satisfying ending. You’ll undoubtedly hunger for more.
Playing out in real-time (56 minutes to be exact), 6 friends jump on a Zoom call after they hire a medium to entertain them. The visual setup is key. What appears to be totally casual laptop setups is actually comprised of very specific angles that will put any genre fan instantly on alert. A well-placed open door in any frame is a constant cause for anxiety. Since we’ve all been doing these damn calls for months now, Host stylishly lulls you into a false sense of familiarity before pulling the rug out from underneath you. It’s quite genius in its simplicity.
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