BOYS FROM COUNTY HELL Review- An Unconventional New Vampire Movie
Pat King
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Boys From County Hell starring Jack Rowan, Nigel O’Neill, and Louisa Harland
Written by Chris Baugh and Brendan Mullin
Directed by Chris Baugh
Boys From County Hell is a fun ride and does a great job at subverting expectations. Described as a horror-comedy, the movie also has plenty of drama, and it can be quite touching at times.
Directed by Chris Baugh from a script he co-wrote with Brendan Mullin. The film is set in Six Mile Town, a little village where local lore says Bram Stoker stayed for a night. According to the legend, Stoker heard about Abhartach, a local vampire-esque creature said to have once haunted the town. This, in turn, led to Stoker writing Dracula. This legend appears to be the only thing that’s interesting about the village. So much so that their only bar is named after him.
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Eugene Moffat (Jack Rowan) is a layabout. He spends most of his time drinking beer at the pub with his friends. A comedy from the British Isles with this setup? Naturally, this leads me to think this was going to be an over-the-top affair similar to Shaun of the Dead. Don’t get me wrong, I love that film. I was just hoping that Boys From County Hell would be something different. You never know about these things. Happily, this is definitely its own movie. Boys From County Hell doesn’t skimp on either the horror or the comedy. But it’s also about the nearly broken relationship between Eugene and his father Francie (Nigel O’Neil). After the recent death of Eugene’s mother, adding an unexpected dramatic element.
Eugene works for Francie’s construction company, which makes it difficult for them to avoid each other. Currently, they’re working an a bypass that’s supposed to cut straight through the town. So in addition to feuding with each other, nearly the entire town hates both of them. Even more unfortunate is that the bypass will run right through Abhartach’s gravesite, whose makeshift headstone is taken down to facilitate the road’s construction. This was not a good idea. Even worse is that Eugene’s best friend William (Fa Fee) recently died near the grave, where his blood soaked into the soil.
Quite a premise indeed, especially since much of the first thirty minutes is a character study. The friendship between William and Eugene is genuine, and William’s death is actually pretty emotional. It’s an authentically sad experience. Add that to the issues Eugene and Francie have with each other. And you’ve got a lot of heavy stuff going on.
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Jack Rowan’s Eugene does a lot of crying. I mean, a lot. Rowan is obviously capable of doing it on demand, and he’s doing it in nearly every other scene. It works most of the time, but the downside is that the character is played a bit too sensitive at times. There’s a scene in the third act where one of Eugene’s friends is dying in a pretty funny manner, and Rowan’s tears really clash with the comedic tone. It’s a bit jarring, but it’s one of only a handful of missteps in the film.
Baugh is really great at slowly building up the horror in a neat old school kind of way. At first we don’t see Abhartach at all, not even in shadows, though the blood he’s responsible for is seen in bucketloads. In fact, we don’t see the monster fully until the third act, and when we do, the creature is probably far from what you’re going to expect.
Boys From County Hell subverts a lot of expectations, which is another reason I really dug the thing. Just about every vampire movie cliché is played with in some way, and nearly always cleverly.
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But, of course this is a comedy, and there are plenty of fun moments. There’s a hilarious scene involving a human heart, which I won’t ruin by describing any further, that really kicks of the hilarity around thirty minutes in, and the comedy doesn’t let up until the last few minutes. The drama is still there, but it’s carefully woven through the humor, and there’s a nice balance between the two.
Boys From County Hell was definitely not what I was expecting, and the film is a very neat experience because of it. It’s never dull, it’s hilarious, and it’s surprisingly touching. Boys From County Hell will appeal to fans of traditional horror, as well as clever humor. It’s definitely worth checking out.
The film will premiers on Shudder on April 22nd.
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BOYS FROM COUNTRY HELL
Summary
Boys From County Hell is funny, bloody, and quite an emotional ride. If you’re looking for an exciting new take on the vampire genre, check this out.
