It’s something of a mystery why Jeepers Creepers (2001) gave Justin Long a mainstream career, but did little for the equally talented Gina Philips. She headlines this grimy, British made horror movie which starts well, but fails to make the most of its solid premise. London-based, American archaeology student Anna (Gina Philips) sneaks into an abandoned hospital to investigate a secret chamber that once housed plague victims in the 17th century. Here she uncovers arcane inscriptions and an old box that unleashes supernatural terror. Meanwhile, a ghost girl spooks joyriding teenager Nick (Alex Hassell), his pregnant girlfriend Joolz (Kellie Shirley), deaf Clive (Jack Bailey) and his brother Steve (Andrew Knott) into crashing their stolen car. Taking refuge at the hospital, the teens are stalked by hooded phantoms re-enacting a black magic ritual from three-hundred years ago.
Working from an idea by director Curtis Radclyffe, screenwriter Romla Walker dredges up intriguing ideas involving satanic covens, 17th century medical research, and infected children, but the film does next to nothing with them. Despite minimal attempts at scene-setting and characterization, the film takes a fair while to get going and then resorts to characters wandering the maze of dingy corridors, while the drama is soap opera tedious (e.g. who is the real father of Joolz’s baby?). Radclyffe adopts the grungy, rock-chic aesthetic over-familiar from contemporary Brit horror, with strobe lighting, shaky-cam and night vision digital video. The charmless teens make a few Blair Witch Project gags early on, but this doesn’t explain why Steve keeps filming even while he’s being chased by demons.
Though the film puts grossness ahead of suspense (as when putrid sludge streams from between Joolz’s thighs), Radclyffe pulls off a few creepy scenes. The first appearance of the bird-masked Plague Doctors proves unsettling, as is the aftermath of their invisible attack which leaves child-sized bite marks on Clive. One neat idea has characters continually glance outside to see the same fox peeing by the roadside, as Anna slowly realises time has been frozen. However, random asides like Joolz’s rape and the sudden rivalry between Nick and Steve render the action nonsensical and near-impossible to follow. A time travel twist provides the would-be ironic sting in the tail, one that isn’t anywhere as clever as the makers think it is. Amidst a roster of glum, expletive-spouting Brits, Gina Philips makes a gutsy heroine but is largely wasted. The one moment Anna tries to explain what is going on, Nick shoves her aside with: “Shut the fuck up you crazy fucking fuck!” Hardly Shakespeare, but it sums the movie up well enough.
