The shadows gather around us once again. Take our hands and wander with us into the darkness where the monsters gather. We’re bringing you 31 horror reviews in October. Whatever you do, don’t let go of our hands lest you find out what truly goes bump in the night.
Ask any parent about their greatest fear and they will probably say it is losing their child. The pain and grief from such a loss cannot be expressed in words and such an incident begs the question – if you could bring your lost loved one back, would you? Wake Wood explores this troubling question.
Released in 2009, Wake Wood is a horror movie from Hammer Film Productions (We’ll talk about them later). The film is about a little girl named Alice who is attacked and killed by a dog. Her grieving parents choose to move to an out of the way town called Wake Wood in an attempt to rebuild their lives. They slowly become aware that this is an unusual town and are eventually told about a ritual that can bring someone back from the dead – but there are stipulations. The revival only lasts for three days, the raised person must stay within the town limits and the death must have occurred within the last year. After some hesitation, the parents agree to the ritual so they can have three days to spend with their daughter and have a chance for closure. After a very macabre ritual little Alice comes back and at first the reunited family is having a wonderful time together. However, the other town residents begin to notice that something is wrong with Alice.
You might be thinking that the plot is somewhat similar to Pet Semetary. I won’t argue with that but Wake Wood really is a worthwhile film in its own right. As was often the case for Hammer Horror movies, the visuals are beautiful and disturbing at the same time. The dog attack is brutal and Alice’s resurrection is unsettling but also reminiscent of giving birth.
Wake Wood is a great choice for a movie to watch as Halloween looms ever closer.
Where to watch: This movie is currently on Amazon Prime.
