"Nooooo! A horror movie with zombie Nazis."
Yes, despite my razor-sharp intellect and Audry Hepburn sophistication, that was sadly how I was sold on Steve Barker's Outpost, a horror movie with, yes, a wee army of undead Nazis at its disposal -- or lack of, actually. The plot is simple, and is typical of such horror/action hybrids. We follow a "battle-hardened team of mercenaries", who've been paid loads by dodgy engineer, Hunt to go on some secret mission in an old, underground Nazi bunker. The team is composed of a variety of nationalities; an American, a Scotsman, a Somalian, a couple of English folks and an Irish man. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, doesn't it? But Outpost isn't played for laughs; it aims to be a straight-up, gruff horror/action movie. A man's movie!! Grrr! Heck, even the quotation-thingy on the DVD case comes from trashy lad's mag, Nuts: "Gory, disturbing . . . we love it".
Fuck, my fingers feel like they're shrivelling up after typing that shit. Never mind, back to the movie . . .The team are targeted as soon as they arrive at the bunker, and despite their expertise, one of their team-mates is shot. Taking shelter in the bunker, they discover a room piled with naked corpses and a sadistic-lookin' machine, which Hunt is drawn to. It transpires that the Nazis had been using the machine in an attempt to create some kind of "Nazi super soldier". It's here that the film tries to sound technical, pulling in the theories of Albert Einstein, and pseudo scientific explanations that aren't needed. It ultimately makes the mediocre script clunker, weighing down the action and dragging out the plot.
Although low budget, Outpost is a good first attempt by Barker. The single setting is made all the more atmospheric with its dull, grim lights and claustrophobic corridors. Characterisation isn't privy here, and our team are largely defined by their accents more than anything else. Coupled with the dull lightening, it can even get confusing at which mercenary you're watching. The mere notion that it's soldiers in the fray will instantly draw parallels with British director, Neil Marshall's superior Dog Soldiers (2002). The Nazis themselves truly are creepy figures, appearing out of the mist mirroring the zombie-like ghosts in John Carpenters The Fog (1980), their faces are slate-grey, features hidden under the shadows of their bulky helmets. They're a terrifying, unnerving bunch.
Following the recent flurry of British horror, Outpost follows the standard visceral, bleak ending a la Eden Lake (2008). And without giving away a major spoiler in the narrative, it does seem like a bit of a cop-out. It's an easy way to draw an emotional response from an audience without coming up with a well-rounded ending. However, it may be that final, lingering shot which unnerves.
2 comments:
Lol, Nuts is one of the crappest magazine around. Imagine slamming that drivel on the cover of your dvd? Okay, I must have flicked through it once. Never seen Outpost, but I'm glad you didn't give too much away this time. I'll tell you what I thought when I pick it up. It'll be a rental this time.
I know, I'm lazy. I couldn't be bothered doing a whole spoilers section. Did that with Eden Lake because that's what folk were looking for! If the same thing happened with Outpost, I guess I'll put something up.
Post a Comment