Salvage

Driving along the coast on Christmas Eve, Jodie and her father argue about what to listen to, with the teenager wanting rock music and her dad wanting Christmas carols. During the channel hopping, they hear breaking news of a container that was washed up and locals have begun to investigate. 

When they get to the quiet cul-de-sac, Jodie rummages around in the flower pots outside her mum's front door and lets herself in with the spare key. This doesn't work out for either party as she walks in on her mum, Beth, in flagrante delicto with a man she has never seen before. Understandably shocked and hurt, Jodie storms out and runs to a friend's house over the road.

Beth wants to try and explain but the neighbours refuse her entry to the house and tell her to get off their property. If this wasn't bad enough, an Asian couple that had been arguing have seemingly sorted their differences when the husband appears on his drive, holding a knife and covered in blood. While everyone is reeling from that shock, he is shot dead by a soldier dressed all in black and everyone is ordered back inside and the street is quickly sealed off.

With some people inexpiably blood thirsty and ultra violent and now separated from her daughter, Beth is stuck in her own house with a man she doesn't really know but is desperate to get to Jodie.   
 
Salvage looks like a horror movie version of a soap opera, which is unsurprising when you look at the cast and where it is filmed. None of the faces where familiar but I don't watch the soaps - others may find that they recognise people from shows they regularly watch. What it has in its favour is a taut script, skilled direction and a director of photography who has worked on some big projects, including 28 Days Later. The film feels very real and the SFX makeup is very good and realistic with some very gory effects. 

It does seem like this is heavily influenced by several horror classics, most notably George Romero's The Crazies, but it carries the citations well and they feel part of the texture and narrative structure rather than being clumsily tacked on as homage for the sake of homage.

Though the cast are predominantly TV actors, they do a fine job here with Neve McIntosh particularly impressive as Beth. I didn't find any weak links here and was thoroughly involved throughout the 75 minutes running time. Salvage is a tense and well constructed horror movie that, despite being no classic, shows that the British horror scene is alive and well.  

The Disc

Extra Features

The commentary is an informative and lively chat through the movie with contributions from all parties, from the director to writer and an actor. They each give their perspective on making the film which makes it a worthwhile listen.

The interview section is lengthy, running at nearly 45 minutes, and virtually the same questions are posed to members of the cast, crew and funding company. This is an enlightening piece but some of the answers aren't as full as I, or I suppose the interviewer, would have hoped.  

The behind the scenes featurette is a short one, running at only 10 minutes, but it still worth a look. 
 

The Picture

Salvage is very well shot in digital with only a few instances where the problem of the format dealing with very different light sources becomes evident. The advantage that digital has in this case is that it adds to the urgency and guerrilla feel to the filmmaking. It is a suitably bloody and tense picture and the excellent SFX makeup really helps to convey the sense of fear and lack of control.

The Sound

The 5.1 track is very clear and, whilst the surround speakers are not used throughout, the six channels are used well to filter the score, amplify the jumps and present the dialogue clearly.

There is also a stereo option which does the job well enough and may even be better suited to this type of low budget horror. I preferred the surround track but you can choose for yourself.


Final Thoughts

It's good to see an impressive British horror film succeed on the festival circuit and then be given a decent DVD release. This is a interesting project as there will be a limited theatrical release on the Friday and the film will be available on DVD, Lovefilm and Sky Box Office the following Monday.

I really liked Salvage and hope it will succeed on the widespread release.