I believe this was my first experience of Hammer. I knew of course the name is synonymous with horror, perhaps not unlike Ealing studios with comedies. With that I knew what Hammer Horror was known for so was expecting it it be campy, cheap, very english, with second rate performances but actually it wasn't as lightweight as I thought. Some performances were an issue but technically speaking it cultivated a spooky, uneasy mood well, the imagery was used very well and crucially it didn't rely on jump scares. There was often excessive camera movement to maximise effect, some of which didn't work but mostly it was successful and memorable, in particularly the quick zooms into a face.
Set up wise it had a little bit of that lawless countryside feeling from American Werewolf in London and a village of strange goings on and complicity like Wicker man and many others since. Interestingly, the reason behind the evil plot (creating a workforce to mine the tin) once revealed, seemed at once both utterly ridiculous and somewhat sensible. Ridiculous because there must have been countless easier ways, but sensible in the way that for once there actually there was a real reason and aim for gain beyond just simply being evil, satanic worship or possession etc, this gives it a somewhat real world feel which generated some internal discussion.
The more I think about it the more this felt like something that may have influenced many more that have come after it. The best moment I thought was when we first see a zombie, who throws a body at the feet of our protagonist - we get the quick zoom as mentioned above. And another good moment when we see the second, whose head is quickly taken off with a shovel (It put me in mind of the great moment in Aguirre, the wrath of god when he orders one if his dissatisfied men to be decapitated - 'that men is a head taller than me.. that may change') These moments that live in the memory can elevate a film and easily overcome poor performances
Overall, as a film, I thought it was much, much better than I expected, a very good example of a zombie flick and simply a very good film in its own right. I want to know whether my preconceptions about Hammer as a whole were accurate or unfair. If my ideas were correct, then Plague must be a one-off triumph amongst a sea of mediocrity.
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