SPLINTERED Review; Clumsy screenplay takes bite out of well-directed Brit horror!

rating: 2.5

A group of archetypal teenagers (angsty, silly, grumpy, dopey and jock, let's call them) go on a camping trip into the forest for a good time. The trouble is that angsty and dopey haven't told the others that they are actually there to search for the source of a series of livestock killings in the area. Or that they suspect it is some sort of scary mythical beast. OK, so I'll give them their real names know, it'll be less complicated. As Sophie goes searching for the beast, it becomes clear that she has brought some emotional baggage with her. Emotional baggage that somehow manages to interlink with the story of whatever is prowling around the countryside. Unfortunately for her, and the idiotic oaf who followed her because he wants to get into her pants, the beast isn't only within. They are soon on its trail as the others mess around at base camp, but when they catch up with it, they wish they hadn't. A bloody encounter ends up with Sophie imprisoned and her suitor mauled and dragged away into the darkness. The next morning the teens back at base camp begin their search for the missing pair, and unwittingly start a chain of events that will reveal some disturbing truths about the past. Director Simeon Halligan does incredibly well with what was obviously a limited budget, shooting a series of scenes that ooze a kind of fairytale creepiness. He also coaxes a few decent performances from his actors, notably Holly Weston as Sophie, who manage to add some additional dimensions to their crudely written characters. Most of the problems, in fact, stem from the writing. The standard setup of a beast on the loose may have been embraced quite well by Halligan's atmospheric shooting style, but the predictable twists and turns that occur its pursuit do significant damage to the fear factor of the story. The scares rarely have any significant impact, and the monster itself, when seen, is not the most frightening of visages. There are some really nice ideas introduced about childhood trauma and, uncomfortably, sexual abuse, and these do make for a few moments of real discomfort, but mostly they don't rise beyond that into significant meaning. Especially because they are frequently expressed in clumsy dialogue rather than the slightly more subtle imagery and allegory deployed in the visuals. Overall it's an interesting effort from a director who looks to have much more potential, but unfortunately his visuals and the few good ideas embedded in the story are lost in clumsy, conventional scripting that takes a lot of the bite from the film. Splintered is on limited U.K. release now.