In the Electric Mist Mark

In the Electric Mist

Mark doesn t last too long but Selena and Jim run into father/daughter team Frank Brendan Gleeson and Hannah Megan Burns, knowing full well the pair will be delighted to team up and try and figure out their next move. And after tuning into an impassioned radio broadcast by a group of soldiers they at least have some direction among the madness. There s much more to the story, of course, but it would be wrong of any reviewer to deny you the pleasure of seeing it all for yourself without much prior knowledge of the story s direction. Let s just say there s plenty more gore to come, some human company for Jim and an interesting military outlook on life by a bizarre group of men. However, 28 Days Later doesn t fit into your traditional horror story. Instead of trying to keep you on the edge of your seat for the duration, the film is intent on slowly moving through locations and characters as the devastating situation gets the better of them. It s every bit emotional as it is horrific, which makes this a balancing act of the highest order. Director Danny Boyle Trainspotting, The Beach caused a stir when rumours of an accomplished new horror flick surfaced early last year. The buzz continued around message boards and internet film sites as word passed around that this one was a winner. It was not only from slasher fans, either. Critics and mainstream audiences, while scared to their wits end, were equally impressed with the thought-provoking storyline, characters firmly grounded in reality and visuals which were as amazing as they were disgusting. Boyle used all his nous to capture the streets of London without any form of movement whatsoever; policemen blocked off the freeway for a few minutes at a time so they could film the solitary car making its way down the road and crew members patrolled the streets to stop early risers from wandering on to the set in the early morning. This is definitely one hell of a ride, and I ll guarantee you ll be scared to death for most of it. The trick about this one, however, is that much of the tension comes from the anticipation of what will happen next, rather than any out-and-out horror thrills. What has been done with a limited budget using digital video is remarkable. And thankfully a relatively unknown cast was hired, even after the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio and Tilda Swinton were reportedly offered roles in the film. What could well have been just a simple horror film has been transformed into a rock solid thriller that will knock your socks off, one that is certainly deserving of a spot in your best of 2003 lists. It s difficult to assess this transfer because of the use of digital video. On In the Electric Mist one hand you ve got the director s intention of making things look a little less pristine than usual, highly fitting for a film of this ilk. On the other hand you ve got an inherent loss of sharpness and detail that comes along with shooting on video, digital or otherwise. The 85:1 transfer fares quite well regardless, though if anything the quality of the DVD brings out the flaws in the degraded format. Softness is the biggest issue, with most of the wide establishing shots suffering badly from lack of detail. Nevertheless, you ve got to look at it in terms of the director s intentions, so on the whole there s really nothing wrong with any of it. The soundtrack for horror films can really make or break In the Electric Mist effectiveness of the major scares. Too often thing sound artificial, particularly if several effects are bouncing illogically around the rears instead of sounding lifelike. The Dolby Digital 1 track included on this disc builds the tension brilliantly, using atmospheric sounds through the front and rear speakers to begin with initially, then moving on to swinging bats, gunshots and the snarls of the infected all moving around the stage quite well. In between all this is a very subtle musical score, headed up by a haunting version of Ave Maria during various scenes. In all there s a lot to like about this soundtrack without it being too intrusive, giving the listener maximum effect to ensure they re scared stiff by the sounds as much as the visuals. A relatively small but very interesting extras package has been assembled here, starting with a commentary track with director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland. One thing to note is that the section devoted to special features doesn t mention the commentary track. It s only when you look in the languages section that there s the option to turn the extra soundtrack on. Some people might miss this so it would have been good to have it in the extras menu as well. The track itself is very informative. There s nothing like listening to the filmmakers talk about how they achieved different aspects of the production on a limited budget. With blockbuster films there s nothing that money can t buy, but when you re challenged by limited funds creativity plays a big part in the film s success. Boyle and Garland let us in on some secrets of how they created the scenes in London, the use of student volunteers instead of traditional extras and their literary and historical influences which shaped some of the shots and decisions on the film. This is a great track to listen to, one which will please fans of the film and film fans in general. The deleted scenes package carries on the trend and is definitely worth a look. There are seven scenes in total, all of which are accompanied by a commentary from Boyle and Garland. Each scene could well have fitted in to the finished film. Highlights include the characters stumbling upon a train used as a temporary hospital, an untreated look at the carnage on the motorway and a strange scene involving the main characters taking turns acting like taxi drivers as they drive along the freeway. There is also the alternate ending which was shown at the end of the credits during the film s theatrical run, providing a much more bleaker outlook than the one we get in the final version. In the alternate endings section we get another different cut of the finale, this time omitting one of the characters to remain in line with the other alternate ending in the deleted scenes section. It s hard to explain without giving anything away, but be sure to check it out.