Irish Horror Short - DEADWEED

DWCommuter

Trailer link below and Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUN33IfB2NE

Deadweed review:
On the well chosen evening of Friday the 13th I was invited to the premiere of Derek Wheelers short film Deadweed. As I walked out to the smoking area to greet Derek a black cat walked past. I was told there was a making of playing in the screening room and was presented with a promo image of the film and info packs on the film. This is of course not the point but I am trying to set the scene and help you understand this, that Derek and his co conspirator, Niall Hetherington, are dedicated to delivering on both presentation and content, they're really focused on their audience.
To be honest I wasn’t sure what the film would be like on my way out. I knew the film was micro budget and wasn’t sure what it would be like. A lot of micro budget shorts are the sort of amateurish stuff you find on youtube, the sort of stuff thrown out by people who should really try and learn more about the craft of filmmaking before they unleash their film on an audience.
I’m not comparing Derek and Nialls excellent little short to these films but im saying how much they stand head and shoulders above their contemporaries.
When the film opens we see a young couple Linda and Michael who with their child in tow are visiting older friend Bob whose lost his wife (who died) and his son (who we learn was abducted). The mood is tense from the beginning with creepy droning score and sound design as we see the older man is falling apart. As the evening progresses we see him flashback to the moment where he lost his son. He tells the couple to get out but as he does he sees that the thing that took his son is outside the house. Without giving too much away lets just say that its an evil creature related to the towns past.
All things considered (the micro budget constrictions under which they worked)this is a really good little short. It looks great, the cinematography and filmmaking style is very impressive and puts it above the usual micro budget rubbish. There is especially great and haunting use of black and white. This short shows that the director knows how to edit and frame and a shot with great skill and style, I especially love the Evil Dead homage! The performances in the film from actors Roisin O Loughlin , Steve Herbert and Pat Halligan are great, they're very convincing and put you right in the story. They have a convincing chemistry that makes you feel like they really know each other (which isn’t suprising considering O Loughlin and Herbert are a couple in real life). My only complaint is that initially I didn’t find it believable that a woman that young would have a son that age. Speaking of the son, Derek seemed to deal with the challenge of working with a child quite well and he isn’t annoying like most child actors. Refreshingly these scenes don’t introduce a twee element like they seem too in a lot of films.
The film is also properly scary at several points with members of the audience screaming at one particularly effective scare. Its subtle with little glimpses of the monster and though there are killings there is no gore- though I may be a gore hound I thought this approach worked well!
The score is great as well, haunting at times with a definite John Carpenter vibe that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As I said before this really sets the mood for the film.
Overall this is a great achievement in micro budget filmmaking, a very good little short and a great calling card for future Hethweel productions.

c - 13

So when is the short itself going to be available for viewing ? I saw this trailer last time too (I think it was the same trailer anyway, if not similar) and I think it looks really well put together. Ill be very interested to see the final product.

Also are you one of the guys behind conscious (I think you were you cant remember ) ? Was that ever put out in its entirety ?

DWCommuter

c - 13 wrote: »

So when is the short itself going to be available for viewing ? I saw this trailer last time too (I think it was the same trailer anyway, if not similar) and I think it looks really well put together. Ill be very interested to see the final product.

Also are you one of the guys behind conscious (I think you were you cant remember ) ? Was that ever put out in its entirety ?

DEADWEED was premiered for invited guests last Friday night. Its now being entered into festivals. (mainly abroad) Were hoping the Waterford film festival will accept it and I'll keep you posted on any other Irish screenings.

I am one of the people behind "Conscious". It is currently under going a rewrite and DEADWEED will be used to raise funds for its making. Conscious is of course a feature project.

c - 13

Best of luck with it, keep us informed !

Hopefully ill be home around the time of the WFF and might catch it there.

spooky donkey

yes good luck, heres hoping it does well.

DWCommuter

Thanks for the good wishes lads. Its really appreciated. We are hoping to really put Irish horror on the map with this short. Its not perfect, but its a solid contribution to the genre in Irish terms.

Tusky

I have deleted off topic posts. The other thread has spiraled into arguments, I dont want the same to happen here.

Good luck with the short DW.

DWCommuter

Fair Play.

DWCommuter

A link to "Making Deadweed" on youtube. Its a short behind the scenes insight into how we made our short horror film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsPfPwMvDSk

spooky donkey

cool will take a look at that link later.

IF there are to be any other irish screenings be sure to let us know I would love to go see this in the IFC or some such place.

DWCommuter

We have the film available online for a short period, if anyone is interested in having a look. Its not the best quality upload, but you'll get the idea.

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v16023406jsfYAyNr

DWCommuter

Deadweed has been nominated for the Delta Film Award at the Festival of Fantastic Films in the UK next month.

http://fantastic-films.com/festival/