BURIAL - FrightFest Review

Writer/Director Ben Parker's dark, gritty World War 2 thriller BURIAL, was one of several FrightFest screenings I managed to see from the comfort of my home this year (being unable to attend the festival in person). Which sees a group of Russian soldiers, during the final days of the war, being tasked to transport a very special crate from Berlin, to Moscow. .

 

Lead by a young female Intelligence officer, Brana Vasilyeva (Charlotte Vega – The Lodgers, Wrong Turn), who quickly finds herself at loggerheads with their escort commander, Captain Ilyasov (Dan Skinner - High Rise, Prevenge), they are given strict orders to never leave the crate unguarded and to bury it whenever they stop for the night, which all seems rather strange. 

 

Heading through the Polish countryside to their rendezvous, they subsequently find themselves stalked by a group of German soldiers and Nazi sympathisers, known as 'werewolves', who are desperate to recover what ever it is they're carrying.

 

Forced to take shelter in a nearby village, they soon discover what is so valuable about the contents of the crate and why they must not let it fall back into German hands. Aided by a local named Lukas (Tom Felton – Harry Potter, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) they attempt to fend off the pursuing Germans and their 'werewolf' allies from taking their cargo, which could have serious implications for the end of the war if they manage to get it.

 

Not 'quite' a horror, being more of a gritty historical thriller, the film does however contain enough dark subject matter, not to mention blood and guts, to keep horror fans happy and certainly didn't feel out of place alongside the other films at the festival.

 

Indeed, Director Ben Parker had previously directed the horror film “The Girl on the Third Floor”, which I saw at the Mayhem festival in Nottingham a few years back and similarly enjoyed. 

 

The film benefits from it's rural location, with the forests of Estonia doubling for rural Poland and also features a good cast, which also includes Harriet Walter (Star Wars : The Force Awakens), and Barry Ward (TV's Save Me, The End of the F***ing World). However, my only minor gripe would be the various English accents spoken by the supposedly Russian soldiers.

 

Definitely one to check out when it becomes available. This one is being released in the UK by Altitude films and 101 Entertainment, although no news yet on when it will be out. So be sure to keep your eyes open for it.

 

View the Trailer on YouTube.