7.4 /10 1 Votes7.4
| 7.4/10 IMDb Written by Sarah Daly Running time 1h 25m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Productioncompanies 3rd Monkey ProductionsDark Dunes ProductionsLights Out ProductionsZoghogg Studios Release date 27 August 2016 (2016-08-27) (FrightFest) Similar Lord of Tears, From a House on Willow Str, Johnny Frank Garrett's, My Father Die, Bad Blood | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Unkindness of Ravens is a 2016 Scottish horror film that was directed by Lawrie Brewster. The film stars Jamie Scott Gordon, who previously appeared in Brewster's 2013 debut horror film Lord of Tears, as a veteran that comes face to face with demonic ravens. The film had its world premiere on 27 August 2016 at the London FrightFest Film Festival. Prior to its release the horror website Bloody Disgusting marked The Unkindness of Ravens as one of their "10 Must-See Independent Horror Films of 2016".
Contents
In November 2015 Brewster released a promotional video showing people dressed in raven costumes from the film pranking walkers and sightseers in Scotland.
Synopsis
Andrew (Jamie Scott Gordon) is a homeless war veteran that has been experiencing terrifying flashbacks of his time in the Army, flashbacks that contain visions of imposing raven-like creatures. These flashbacks are so intimidating that Andrew has developed a phobia of ravens and as a result he travels to a retreat in the Scottish Highlands to come to terms with his past and his fears. However he soon discovers that this is easier said than done, as this move will bring him face to face with a supernatural force known only as the Raven Warriors.
Cast
Development
While developing the film Daly and Brewster were inspired by figures from Norse and Celtic mythology such as the Valkyries and The Morrígan. Filming took place during 2014 in Fife, Edinburgh, and Perthshire, and moved into post-production in 2015. To help with costs, Brewster opened a crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter, with the goal to raise £40,000. The campaign was successful and marked the first Scottish crowdfunding campaign to raise such a large amount of money and the highest funded British horror film on Kickstarter.
Reception
Horror film critic Kim Newman reviewed the movie, writing that it was "a demanding, complicated film which might well require repeat viewings to parse fully – but this team are doing something interesting and unusual at a budget level where it would be easier to turn out a standard slasher-in-the-woods." SciFiNow also wrote a review, commenting that the film had its flaws but that there was "a lot to admire here" and praised its "impressive visuals bolstered by a fantastic lead performance".