Enclosure review: A strong addition to the single situation horror film.
Enclosure review by Kat Hughes, FrightFest 2016.
Enclosure Review
Married couple Dana (Fiona Dourif) and Charles (Kevin Ryan) are at a crossroad in their lives. Charles has recently quit his job as a paramedic to pursue a life-long dream of going on tour with his band, and Dana has discovered that she’s pregnant. She hasn’t shared the news with her husband though as, according to him, they ‘aren’t that couple’. Before Charles disappears for six months the pair head out on a camping trip to celebrate their anniversary.
Their first night at the site is sleepless thanks to some local hunters drinking and shooting guns until late. The second night, after venturing deeper into the woodlands, they are kept awake again, this time by something much more sinister. To top things off they end up rescuing one of the hunters, Sean (Jake Busey), after he is attacked by something. The newly formed trio then have one mission, survive.
Enclosure Review
Enclosure is a taut situational horror, add in the stranger element and the dramatic tension is heightened. Sean really doesn’t seem that grateful for having been rescued by the couple and seems intent on creating trouble for them. Busey is on fine creepy weirdo form, having inherited the skill from his father Gary. From the moment we meet Sean we know there is more to him than meets the eye. He clearly has his own dark agenda and slowly starts to manipulate the pair against each other. The whole second act is a battle of wills between Dana, her husband, and Sean.
Enclosure Review
Stalking around the outside of the tent, and oblivious to the drama unfolding inside it are our dangerous creatures. The effects work is breathtaking. These creatures dwell deep in the forest and have evolved to blend into their territory. The camouflage design works brilliantly with plenty of scares coming out of nowhere as you suddenly realise that that isn’t just a tree you’re seeing. Just like Predator this threat appears out of nowhere and, let’s face it, things that can hide in plain sight are always more frightening.
Enclosure Review
Slowly winching up both the scares and the dramatic tension, Enclosure always has its audiences enjoyment at the fore front. This could have easily been a silly ‘lost in the woods’ movie, but it’s much more than that. You care about the central couple and watching their decline from happy anniversary celebrators to fractured relations is difficult to watch. Unfortunately, things get a little muddled towards the final climax. The supernatural element starts to drown everything and some of the well-developed tension ebbs away.
Enclosure will have you reassessing those camping plans. A frightening and fraught story elevated by strong performances and some intense creature designs. Predator meets The Descent by way of The Hallow.
Enclosure forms part of this year’s Frightfest programme.
