After she receives a mysterious package from her ailing grandmother, Claire (Willner) convinces her new boyfriend Dan (Alder) to travel to her remote childhood home to meet with her family to get to the bottom of her unexpected gift.
At first, the reunion seems like a happy one until Claires terminally ill grandmother begins rambling on about a sinister spirit she is expecting to arrive in the night to take her into the afterlife. Dismissing the old womans words as a side-effect from her medication, the family is rattled later that night when a violent thunderstorm rocks the house and otherworldly shrieks begin to sound from outside.
As the terrifying noise continues to sound out, the dead are summoned from their graves to walk the earth once more, pitting Claire and her family against a ghastly banshee and her grisly army of the undead.
This debut feature from Australian writer-director Brett Anstey has drawn some comparisons to the Evil Dead franchise and, at first glance, these associations seem well aimed. The gloomy surroundings, ghastly sounds and grisly ghouls are all very Raimi-esque. And while Damned by Dawn might lack the pitch black humour and gleeful banality of Evil Dead, theres little letup once the blood starts pouring.
But unlike its inspirations, Damned by Dawn wont ever go down as a cult classic. It embraces its limitations, but rarely exploits them. The direction is solid but uninspiring, the locations spooky enough but not the chilling landscape it could have been. The central familial knot of characters is well drawn with enough substance to initially engage with, but the performances rarely excite and the dialogue lacks any real fire.
The special effects on show also prove a mixed bag. The central ghoulish figure, the Banshee, is particularly memorable with frightening prosthetics with a presence that packs a real threat. Unfortunately, the undead legions she raises from the grave are nothing more than an unconvincing rabble of extras caked in grey makeup.
While Damned by Dawns visuals offer highs and lows, the soundtrack offers only disappointment. The eerie screams and shrieks that serve to introduce us to the otherworldly threat prove ineffective and clumsy, and the score is nothing but unwelcome, overbearing noise.
Overall Verdict: Damned by Dawn begins with some real promise, but its spooky settings and eerie threats prove largely ineffective and forgettable. This DVD release looks sharp enough, but despite a few solid extras, this package is severely lacking on all counts.
Special Features:
Making of
Director and Crew Commentary
Trailer
Reviewer: David Steele