Saturday, December 29, 2012

Neither The Sea Nor The Sand

I recently re-watched Neither the Sea nor the Sand, AKA The Exorcism of Hugh (1972), directed by Fred Burnley and starring Susan Hampshire and Michael Petrovich.  Ostensibly a horror film, it's most definitely a curate's egg.  But I find it strangely beautiful and quite difficult to forget.  And the shots of Jersey's coastline are ruggedly gorgeous.  Online reviews almost universally skew toward the negative, but I tend to agree with this thoughtful write-up at Cine Beats

I was recently searching for some screenshots of the film but couldn't find too many, so I decided to make some of own:
















Sunday, December 23, 2012

Weird Wooden Things In Wake Wood


I recently watched Wake Wood for the first time, and I was quite struck by the rough-hewn wooden items used by the villagers.

The rhythm sticks and rattling drums played during the ritualistic processions:


The fascinating abacuses used for some sort of supernatural consultation:


And the devices used to control the revenants and ease their transition back to the beyond:


I enjoyed the tangibility of these seemingly ancient objects imbued with occult power.  And I liked that there was no attempt at explanation of how they might work, leaving it to the viewer's imagination.