Rounding out this edition of April
Showers is genre malcontent Adam Mason's newest endeavour,
Hangman.
After the Millers come home from
vacation to find they've been burgled, they go about their lives,
not realizing their assailant never left.
For over a decade, Mason and his
writing partner Simon Boyes have been carving out a niche steeped in
unapologetic filmmaking. You never feel good after watching one of
their movies, and maybe that's the point. Hangman continued this
tradition, but it may also be Mason's most centered pieces to
date. There's always been an element of chaos to Mason's work, but
this was the first time I felt it was presented in a wholly realistic
way.
Hangman feels very current, as
components were ripped from real events, such as people who found others secretly living inside their walls and how burgulars rob the houses
gleaned from the GPS's of vehicles left at airports. This
stuff makes you reevaluate how safe you are in your own home. Also,
with the leads being the recognizable faces of Jeremy Sisto and Kate
Ashfield (Liz from Shaun of the Dead!), there was an immediate level
of familiarity, as well.
I have give props to the Hangman
himself, played by Erin Michael Cole. His demeanor was calculated,
but still had that aforementioned chaotic quality. He had a plan, but
was ready to go nuclear at any point. He was like a 21st century
cross between Thomas Harris' Tooth Fairy and Billy from Black Christmas. He is someone who exists to disrupt and ultimately
obliterate happy families. I must say that I was surprised to find
that Mason was fairly restrained here, as perhaps he knew that the
creep factor of his scenario was more effective than pervasive
violence and torture.
Despite the use of hidden cameras to
tell most of the story, it didn't feel like your average found
footage film. Mason did dabble with this technique in his previous
film Luster, but it was used much better here.
While Hangman was perhaps not as
outwardly shocking as something like The Poughkeepsie Tapes, there
was an element of the here-and-now that really worked in its favour.
Obviously, this voyeuristic type of horror is not everyone's bag, but
I'd say give it a go because it's really quite well executed. Now,
if you'll excuse me, I have to go seal up the hatch to the attic.
So, that's it. Seven days, seven reviews. Hope you enjoyed the ride.
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