Doom Watch (1972)

Directed by: Peter Sasdy | 92 minutes | horror, mystery, science fiction | Actors: Ian Bannen, Judy Geeson, John Paul, Simon Oates, Jean Trend, Joby Blanshard, George Sanders, Percy Herbert, Shelagh Fraser, Geoffrey Keen, Joseph O’Connor, Norman Bird, Constance Chapman, Michael Brennan, James Cosmo, Cyril Cross, Geoff L’Cise, George Woordbridge, Jerome Willis, Jeremy Child, Brian Anthony, Rita Davies, Walter Turner, Paddy Ryan, Reg Lever

‘Doomwatch’… a perhaps not very exciting title that already holds a promise for the necessary disaster. And the suspicions soon come true when in the darkness we see a couple of villagers acting hastily and anxiously burying a girl. Immediately after, Dr. Del Shaw of the environmental research group Doomwatch in the picture, who ends up on the island because of an investigation into environmental pollution. He soon becomes acquainted with the suspicions of the villagers. This translates into an attitude of shyness, timid looks from behind the windows and unwillingness to speak to the doctor. So there is more going on than just the closed nature of the community on the island and the traditional shyness towards outsiders. The villagers’ attitudes turn to outright verbal and physical aggression by both humans and animals towards Shaw. It becomes clear that the village has something to hide and that the villagers are doing everything they can to not reveal it.

Director Peter Sasdy succeeds in his aim by taking his approach, during the first part of the film at least, to create a sufficiently successful atmosphere of mystery with horror-oriented traits to label this as a successful mystery/horror story.

What detracts from the design of the second part of this story is that as Shaw progresses with his investigations around the island and the necessary suspicions are expressed about the pollution that is taking place it is quite transparent and also becomes somewhat predictable. Several villagers show some slightly remarkable external traits and several of them have not come out of their houses for a long time for increasingly obvious reasons. It remains interesting, also with regard to the message that is propagated and the further developments taking place within the closed village community, but it does not have too many surprises to offer. Also, things about Shaw’s investigation and the agencies on whose behalf he acts are drawn out a bit long compared to the moment that we can more or less fill in the cause and the sequel of the various events for ourselves.

There is also little to no bloodshed in ‘Doomwatch’. The scenes in which there is talk of aggression and violence are quite short and are largely suggested or only partly portrayed. It is striking that the doctor in particular emerges unscathed from this and that heavy-handed confrontation. Not that this production needs anything else. Given the ultimately peaceful but circumstance-disturbed nature of the villagers, it would also seem rather unnecessary and inappropriate. A dark and mysterious atmosphere predominates in ‘Doomwatch’ and this is accomplished in an appropriate manner throughout most of the film. Also by letting the story take place in a correct location: on an island off the coast with limited contact with the mainland. Not because, in contrast to many horror films, contact with the outside is not possible, but because the remoteness in combination with the closed character and the religious views of the villagers means that the disaster in the village can continue credibly for longer.

Deserving acting work. First of all, from Ian Bannen as the passionate and genuinely concerned about the villagers, Dr. Shaw. Also from Judy Geeson as the village teacher Victoria at his side, though her character’s ignorance of what’s going on on the island is a bit far-fetched. Further credit to acting veterans George Sanders and Jon Paul as the mainland operative and Dr. Shaw supporting characters at work. The other cast members also do a neat job when they manage to give the villagers a neat and convincing shape in their shame, unwillingness, suspicion and aggression. It makes ‘Doomwatch’ a nice mystery/horror story, due to some flaws it is not one of the best of its kind, but one that is largely deservingly designed and also manages to hold the attention without too much effort.