Dark Nature (2009)

Here we have an oddity, a Scottish (more or less) remake/homage too Mario Bava’s Bay of Blood. Marc de Launay’s slick thriller/slasher Dark Nature first seems a bit weird to be a product of 2009, where we are used to see more typical body count-thrillers and not something that mostly can be described like a slow-moving drama with some nasty kills spread over the storyline.

The story is as simple as it can be. A family with a younger boy and a teenager daughter is going on vacation to, I guess, the wife’s family village. They’re going to meet up with her mother and some other relatives. But the whole thing starts with an older woman getting brutally killed – and then, surprisingly – her killer is getting killed himself by an unknown killer! Yes, exactly like Bay of the Blood. What unfolds is remarkable similar to the Bava-classic. From the weirdo handyman to the insect-collecting man with a spiritual wife! Slowly they’re getting killed one by one (one with a machete in the face...) until the familiar ending…

Sorry, that was actually a lot of spoilers for you who have seen Bay of Blood. But wait, I think you might enjoy this little film anyway. It’s an ambitious and quite violent indie-flick with some gorgeous Scottish (I guess) landscapes and fantastic nature. I could kill for the house they use in the movie!

Even of much of the story is borrowed from Bava’s old masterpiece, it still stands on its own two feet and does it well, keeping the balance between homage and originality. The eurocult-vibes are strong, but lacks the prolific actors. It has some graphic violence and, if I remember it correctly, some minor nudity too.

The distribution is crap of this movie, and the best way to see it is to buy the Troma blu-ray, which is very cheap and looks very good. ‘Nuff said about Dark Nature, it’s an good movie, and probably the only remake of Bay of Blood we’ll ever see.