Originally published at FilmInquiry
When we first meet Wendy (Karina Fontes) in Body at Brighton Rock, she’s running late for work. It soon seems as if it’s a common occurrence and everyone she works with, including her boss, has no faith in her. In fact, they shouldn’t. Wendy is impossibly bad at her job. So when she switches assignments for the day with her friend Maya, it foreshadows just how poorly things are about to go.
There’s a frostbite warning, bear sightings and snake sightings all over the woodsy hiking area where Wendy’s a parks department employee. She takes on Maya’s job of putting up warning signs all over the hiking paths. Pretty quickly, she makes her way to a peak, texts Maya a selfie, and realizes she’s lost the path and her map. Not only is she lost, but there’s a dead body just beyond the peak she’s on. Nobody can come help until morning. Wendy’s by herself with her own inability.
It’s a promising premise that feels somewhat fresh, if not a bit corny. But corny fits the vibe of Roxanne Benjamin’s Body at Brighton Rock. It’s cheap, kind of retro and goes over-the-top to try to reach high tension moments and jump scares. The plot moves with a series of such perfectly timed inconveniences to create obstacles for Wendy you can’t help but laugh.
The Body At Brighton Rock is not a good thriller. That doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable for the right audience – it’s a bunch of fun if you’re looking for a cheap, campy movie in the vein of an ’80s teenager movie.
Immediately, we get a cheap and retro vibe
There’s an initial retro vibe from the outset – it permeates everything from the performances feeling like they’re out of Fast Times At Ridgemont High, to the soundtrack and the color grading. From the opening scene where Wendy is running late for work, it feels like an attempt at a Ferris Bueller’s Day Off knockoff.
In fact, I thought the movie took place in the ’80s or early ’90s until 15 minutes in when Wendy pulls out an iPhone. And what thriller is complete without a slick dance sequence through the woods along to a synthy pop song? It’s all a bit of a caricature, even down to Wendy’s oversized walkie-talkie and Maya fawning over the department jock. Even the performances feel like a throwback to a forgotten teenage feature from the ’80s.
Benjamin goes to great lengths for high tension
Throughout the film, moments are repeatedly built up to be incredibly tense. While that sounds great, it’s a letdown and anticlimactic every single time. One time it’s just a coworker trying to say hello, another a mouse is hiding in the dead man’s shirt. The camera pauses a beat, we see Wendy’s face filled with terror and the music builds as if we’re watching a ’90s slasher a la Scream.
It works with the premise of being alone in the woods overnight with a dead body, but the problem is being let down more than once. The audience catches on too quickly and the device fails to work again. One sequence that’s supposed to be the most terrifying is so obviously a dream sequence, it’s more comedic than scary.
Everything is timed far too conveniently
Convenience and coincidences are both usable plot devices when they’re used in moderation. Body at Brighton Rock dials both up to 11, where it feels more like a simulation than anything remotely believable. Wendy gets the most perfectly timed text messages warning her of the danger she’s in and her phone immediately dies. She’s able to get in touch with HQ and then her walkie-talkie dies. She’s later able to revive it with new batteries and conveniently loses it off a cliff just at the perfect moment of danger. By the time the ending rolls around (another perfectly timed kismet moment), you’re expecting nothing less.
It’s all quite laughable, but somehow still enjoyable when taken in stride
Despite its many flaws and shortcomings, The Body At Brighton Rock is enjoyable when taken as a cheap comedy with some high tension moments. While the premise feels like it could set up a modern thriller, the director opts for a campy throwback vibe. It goes too far to build unfulfilled moments of tension and risk, none of which truly pay off. Obstacles hit Wendy with such perfect timing, it feels like the audience is supposed to be in on the joke. And that’s where the fun of the film is. It feels like an inside joke that we’re in on with the director on just how cheesy the movie is.
Are you planning to see The Body At Brighton Rock? Have you already seen it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The Body At Brighton Rock opens in the US April 26th.