Frightfest 2010 Review 2: F

Next up on this marathon of new and upcoming horror films was another British horror film called F. Stupid title, I know. Before the film started, the director Johannes Roberts introduced it by comparing it to the excellent Assault On Precinct 13 (John Carpenter, 1976) and described it as an old-school horror film. What can I say; I was excited to say the least. But did the film actually live up to this hype?

What the Hell is it about?
Again, according to the official Frightfest booklet;

Welcome to the Class of 2010. The college day ends, the school building becomes a vast complex of dark corridors, eerily quiet classrooms, empty save for a few staff and children. What none of the remaining teachers and pupils realize is tonight is going to be a night they will remember for the rest of their lives. Viciously attacked by a pupil in the past English teacher Robert Anderson was devastated when the governing board refused to back his lawsuit to avoid bad publicity and scandal. Now a burned-out, world-weary alcoholic tyring to reconnect with his daughter, Anderson must finally face his most terrifying demons. For the school comes under relentless attack from a faceless thread intent on causing maximum mayhem. Alone Anderson must battle brutal bloodthirsty killers, and his deepest fears, in a desperate battle for the survival of those he holds most dear. Will lessons be learned?

Was it any good?

 As can be seen in the above semi-synopsis, F has a much bigger focus on character than the previous piece of garbage, Isle Of Dogs. The characters are all believable and have their own flaws, fears, goals and problems. In essence the characters in this film, or at least the main characters, are multi-dimensional resulting in the audience actually giving a damn about them. It's no surprise that the most well-developed character is the star of the film, Robert Anderson, played by David Schofield who's career has included appearing in the 2010 Wolfman remake, Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 & 3 and even the horror classic An American Werewolf In London.  Schofield plays his character in such a way that the audience empathises with his character who truly is a victim of circumstance - even though he constantly does the right thing nothing seems to go right for him. Instantly, I noticed parallels between the fantastic and highly underrated cult film Class Of 1984. Sadly though, whilst this film clearly benefits from having such a great character, it also hinders the film's enjoyability since it felt as though the entire film was building up to something slowly and, in the end, never really delivering it's promise or, more accurately, it's potential.



This idea that the film never lived up to it's full potential can also be seen in the gore and the deaths of this film. Whilst I'm not saying that for a horror film to be good it needs to have limbs, guts and gonads flying everywhere, F seemed to shy away from the violence. The gore/deaths often happen offscreen and although there are a few very gruesome and often quite disturbing moments, which I wont spoil here, I do not believe this film deserves an 18 certificate cortesy of the BBFC. Perhaps the BBFC raised the rating to an 18 rather than the more appropriate 15 due to their own fears regarding teenage crimes? But that's an argument for another time. F's antagonist are a group of hoody wearing, light on their feet, murderers. And that's all you ever find out about them. There faces are constantly blacked out and they never utter a word. Like so many other British horror films recently, this taps into the fear of teenager hoodies. Just like the communist fearing sci-fi films of the 1950s, noticably Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, the anonimty of these villians raise questions about the character's identities. Are they the teenagers in Anderson's class? Are they even teenagers? Are they your next door neighbours? Or maybe even your own children? This film, along with Ils and other similar films grabs the fears of society and exploits it.I don't believe this to be a possitive representation of teenagers, but then again, it's not meant to be.

If gore's not for you and you don't live my the movie-motto or 'the gore the merrier' than you're in for a treat with this film. F geniunely oozes fear, dread and tension with scenes that will get your heart racing. The use of shadows, the cinematography and the incredible Argento-esque score all add to create a chilling atmosphere. If you have a fear of chavs and want a good, well-made horror film, check this one out when it is released. If, however, your looking for something more than that, something more violent and a film that doesn't seem to be stuck in the 1st/2nd act then maybe this film is not for you.

I'd give it a 5/10.