PIC of the Week – Boys From County Hell
Article Series by Ray Schillaci
Let me preface this article with an apology to all you readers. I owed you at least a part two of “Halloween Treats.” Unfortunately, I had some health issues and they caught up with me. I was ready to whet the appetite of you horror hounds with a mention of a bizarre little entry from giallo cinema and finish up with some of my indie faves. Sadly, Halloween has come and gone along with a disappointing sequel to one of the best reboots in years Halloween (2018). But, that is not to say that I cannot follow up which I will.
Speaking of indie horror, while I was down and out a Blu was sent my way from RLJ Entertainment. Dear reader, if you are anything like me, a title can mean a lot. Needless to say I was not compelled to check out Boys From County Hell, but in my condition I was not in the mood to go streaming surfing and instead it only took ten minutes for me to realize that I was watching one of the most original chilling and fun vampire films I had seen in many years.
The setting is Ireland and the story centers around the village that Bram Stoker was inspired by to write Dracula. First off, I was not aware that Bram Stoker was Irish and that his book was based on an old Irish legend. The film takes full advantage of the fact and spins a funny and frightful tale of the real vamp, Abhartach, that supposedly lies buried under a mound of stones in a fictional backwater town of Six Mile Hill.
The area where the mound lies is straight in the path of a new bypass that is none too popular with the locals. The mound of rocks and the legend is the only thing that attracts tourists. The construction team is made of rabble rousers that would rather be hanging out in the town tavern than receiving the ire of the town. Once they desecrate the grave, weird events take place that have some townspeople having their blood drained by an unknown assailant.
This is far from your typical vampire movie. The Irish countryside proves to be a great setting for the gloominess of it all. The characterizations are grounded and you feel like it’s real people in a very bizarre situation. Then there is the humor that catches us off guard. It’s refreshing and not forced in the least. The way this vampire operates is also very different from what we are use to, and once he’s revealed, his presence chills us to the bone.
This Blu captures the Irish countryside beautifully in lush green tones and sharp images. The film does tend to be dark once nightfall arrives, but that does not hamper the viewing at all. The witnessing of the vampire is far more foreboding without all the detail. The film is critically grainy at night and in dark confined places and matches the mood that is set forth. Although, scenes with the first-to-fall victims in the very beginning have a purposely warm feel to it so the audience will be jarred for what comes next.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 has some nice surprises here and there with a couple of major jolts. Music is appropriately foreboding, but also fun when dealing with the locals. Dialogue may be hard to understand at times. That’s not due to the soundtrack, it’s the accents which may have some requiring subtitles. The surround is effectively creepy and reminds me of An American Werewolf in London.
RLJE and Shudder give us a smidgen in the special features department. A couple of shorts and some storyboards, behind the scenes photo gallery and a commentary. I just would have liked them to go deeper into the legend and Bram Stoker. What we do get…
• Filmmaker commentary
• Boys From County Hell short film
• The making of…
• Storyboards
• Behind-the-scenes photo gallery
Boys From County Hell is a rowdy good time with some decent scares. It sets itself apart from the tiresome genre of vampires and gives a fun spin. Well worth an evening of viewing or adding to the horror hound library – and it’s certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Lowest Price – $12.99, Walmart
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