DOGGED *** U.K. 2017 Dir: Richard Rowntree 116 mins
Following the death of young Megan on the island that University student Sam grew up on he returns home to attend the funeral. Though the island may seem normal to most people there is a few on the island who know better, and with their help Sam will soon discover the dark secret the islanders keep away from the outside world.
Richard Rowntree has created a British horror that harks back to the days of folk horror most notably THE WICKER MAN (1973). While the idea of the film is a good one, it comes across as far too long for its own good and by the midway point of the film it starts plodding along to its finale. The best character in the whole film is undoubtedly Father David J Jones played with tenacity by Toby Wynn-Davies. His portrayal of a man in power would make even Lord Summerisle bow in defeat. What would a horror film of this kind be like with out some fantastic locations to show how isolated this island community really are, and we get plenty of these shots throughout. A strong script holds the whole film together and it will be interesting to see where the director goes next. DOGGED is an indie horror that shows with smart storytelling you don’t need to have an abundance of special effects to stand out among the crops of films out there.
Review by Peter ‘Witchfinder‘ Hopkins