Redwood (2017)

Directed by: Tom Paton | 80 minutes | horror | Actors: Mike Beckingham, Tatjana Nardone, Nicholas Brendon, Muzz Khan, Luke D’Silva, Jessica-Jane Stafford, Nick Sadler, Max Sweiry, Maciej Kwiatkowski, Julia Szamalek, Tomasz Lewandowski, Pawel Jablonski

Vampires, desolate forests and a couple in search of adventure: yep ‘Redwood’ is an unadulterated horror film. Often by the book, but debuting director Tom Paton has some interesting ideas up his sleeve. This film won’t go down in the history books as a classic, but it will keep you entertained from start to finish. Not bad for a first cast!

After receiving bad news, musician Josh and his girlfriend Beth go to a remote nature reserve. The couple intends to think about the whole situation for a moment. Against the advice of some forest rangers, the two decide to deviate from the path and head into the wilderness. Soon the problems begin. Creatures of the night haunt it!

The playing of protagonists Mike Beckingham and Tatjana Inez Nardone is more than decent. They are pleasant to look at and have a nice chemistry. You empathize with them and that is special for such genre films. The location – the forest – is attractive and creates a gloomy ambiance. The lack of budget is obvious with the monster design, but never really bothers you.

The compact playing time in combination with the more than decent soundtrack provides a great viewing experience. ‘Redwood’ is a fine debut and makes us curious about Paton’s new work.