Where The Skin Lies Review

My notes on Britflick Where the Skin Lies

Elimination game horror-thrillers almost always work … all the way back to Agatha Christie's And And so There Were None, with many recent variants in which random folks are cooped upwardly together and killed off or kill each other off or compete not to exist killed off or plough out to have been killed off already and are snatched by a reaper intent on finishing the job. Director Michael Boucherie – who co-writes with David Boucherie – devises an original ready-up to play this game and the freshness of the concept wedded to infallible plot mechanics helps this go past some variable performances. A depression-budget British flick, information technology draws most of its cast from the lather Doctors – some of them are wobbly, though they all step upward when things go into overdrive and manage a nice mix of ruthlessness and hysteria.

Six people who have been in grouping therapy since a botched robbery/hostage situation brought them together commemorate a year since their hideous experience by taking a weekend let on an isolated firm. Weirdly, they all fess up – though not all at once – to getting tattoos which feature the number six, equally if compelled. When Edward (Tristan Beint), the most confronting-this-whole-idea member of the group, goes outside to fetch stuff from the car, the number on his tattoo changes and counts down to zero equally he is killed by a sudden-onset horrible skin status. Rainbow (Amelia Bennett), a hippie-dippie chick, tries to connect to the internet and her number counts downwards. At the same time, others in the house – Edward's wife Elsie (Louise Williams), md Beth (Georgia Winters), wheelchairbound Jaan (Simon Rivers) and blastoff hero type Mike (Nathan Wright) – realise that their own 'points' accept gone up, and that causing damage to some other person seems to transfer points from the injured party to the injurer. Jaan, paraplegic since taking a bullet in the dorsum while running out on the others, starts to go feeling dorsum in his legs as he gains points. Some folks try to work out how the system works, while others but seek to turn it to their own reward.

Of course, the torso count rises … with some gruesome moments (including a bloody bit of self-inflicted tattoo removal) and a few decent gags (a key horror movie quote is interrupted with a scalpel in the face up and a heartfelt 'wanker'). The backstory is slightly more circuitous than information technology needs to exist, with much talk of the guy who was killed in the robbery and revelations late in the day that non anybody in the group is an innocent victim … but, wisely, the whole story never quite comes out every bit the film focuses on what'southward happening with these people at present. A crucial cameo, very tardily in the day, past veteran Clive Russell – recently seen equally Inspector Abberline on Ripper Street – opens up a whole new interpretation of what's going on in this weekend retreat. This has rough edges, but also a raw B-flick vitality that commands the attention.