Dark Tourism is on the rise, that bizarre hobby where people visit grim locations such as Chernobyl, Hiroshima, Hull and is what the Smith family take a family holiday to in, ‘Get Away’ when they go to the Swedish island, ‘Svalta’ where the festival of ‘Karantan’ takes place. It’s where locals stage an all day play re-enacting a 200 year old event where the islanders turned cannibal and troughed down on four British soldiers. It’s a festival that the islanders don’t want outsiders attending and the reaction to their arrival is not dissimilar to that of Prince Andrew offering to babysit. Right from the get go The Smiths find themselves unwelcome and eyed with suspicion.
Richard and Susan Smith (Nick Frost & Aisling Bea) are the cosy couple that call each other mummy & daddy to toe curling effect certainly for their two older children Sam & Jessie (Sebastian Croft) and Jessie (Maisie Ayres) both bored but tagging along as long as they have their phones to play with. Settling into their AirBnB it is Maisie who soon finds herself the leering attention of the owner Matts a gloriously creepily unsettling Eero Milonoff (excellent in the dark fantasy comedy, ‘Border’ reviewed HERE). That Susan has a long standing connection to the island’s history puts them further at risk too. But there’s a long build up to what seems inevitable carnage and the film has all the expected and apparently obligatory tropes for the horror genre – the mobile phone with no signal, locals warning them to stay away from the dangerous island etc
But there’s a twist that turns what is a long set up on its head which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when it happens and takes a while for the film to set out why what has just happened, has happened. It’s a major jolt in tone from the first two acts and what follows allows director Steffan Haars and writer Nick Frost to unleash a torrent of terror with some often spectacularly gory set pieces.
With nods to The Wicker Man and Midsommar this is more of a comedy horror, a genre that is notoriously difficult to get right. For every American Werewolf in London there’s….well literally dozens that fall by the wayside. But Frost himself has been in Shaun of the Dead one of the host successful in that genre but Get Away doesn’t quite hold together in the same way. Frost is always a hugely enjoyable screen presence as he is here and there are several agreeably daft moments, although his son Sam’s vegetarianism seems to be a set up and have potential for a great gag that never happens.
The concept that is revealed behind the carnage is an intriguing one and one that, should a sequel be greenlit, have the potential for an enjoyably twisted follow up film but whether audiences will take to Get Away might be a big ask.
related feature : The making of Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’
related feature : ‘Speak No Evil’ – Swedish director Christian Tafdrup talks about the original film with THAT bleak ending!
The cast and director chat about the making of the film and answer audience questions……
Here’s the Get Away trailer…..
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