DARKMATTERS - The Intellect Of Matt: Darkmatters Review: Outcast

Outcast (18) Dir. Colm McCarthy Reviewed by Matt Adcock Outcast is the debut feature from director Colm McCarthy (who cut his teeth on things like Spooks, The Tudors, and Murphy`s Law). It tells a narrative of contemporary supernatural horror film steeped in ancient Celtic occult, mythology and mysticism. Get set for weirdy beardy dark forces mixing with the everyday horror of your average rundown Edinburgh estate.

It`s an distinctly odd mixture but Brit horror films feature a report for boundary shifting and new genre defining - see Heartless last year as a right example. With Outcast we get the incentive of a great erm `cast` which includes James `Cold Feet` Nesbitt, Karen `the assistant babe from Dr Who` Gillan, James Cosmo, Kate Dickie and Christine Tremarco, Niall Bruton and Hanna Stanbridge. Inner city sink estate horrors can be good as the working-class vibe is a nice gritty alternative to the spoiled rich kids stereotype that so many horror films deliver. Central to the game is Fergal (Bruton) and his mum Mary, for reasons initially unclear they are being hunted by a mystic hunter called Cathal (Nesbitt) who wields occult powers and means to defeat the boy. Shapely love interest distraction for Fergal arrives in the work of a Scottish-Romany girl Petronella (Hanna `going to be a big star` Stanbridge). Petronella hangs out with smokin` hot pre Dr Who pal Ally (Karen Gillan) and often cross paths with the local NEDS.

"beauty and the beast 2?"

But something really heavy and filthy is also search the populace - could one of the (out)cast be a slimy hairless werewolf sort of wight?? So the picture is set for supernatural chasing, arcane battling and magical protection / misdirection_ There are some memorable scenes that stick with you such as when Mary curses an uptight housing official - wiping her judgment so that she is doomed to roam the world until the end of her days. Overall there is lots to enjoy. The climax doesn`t quite deliver as often as I had been hoping for - but the uncanny and wondrous journey to get there is one worth taking for all horror fans! It`s light to see why Outcast was one of the standout features for horror fans at London`s Film4 FrightFest in 2010. Out of a possible 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters: (3- magicalbloodshed and slaughter a go go!)...

"Who needs the Dr when you see this good?"