Matriarch

For any filmmakers out there who want to be inspired watch this! I read an article about this film a month ago, how these guys made it on a micro budget and as a budding filmmaker myself I was very excited to see it. Tbh I didn't expect much, like a Blair Witch or something. I don't know how they did this for $40k????? Maybe I need to go study in Scotland???? The story is great, a nightmarish scenario especially if youre 9 months pregnant!!!! Awesome performances by the cast. God knows what they could do if they were given a normal budget. See it!!!

A couple expecting a child gets stranded and seeks help from an isolated farmhouse. The Matriarch of the household has a few screws loose as the couple fights for their life. Twist at the end you should see coming. Some nice poetry about motherhood in an effort to separate this film from the pack of abduction type films. Didn't work for me. Guide: No swearing. Attempted rape. Brief nudity?

If youre expecting a typical horror it isn't, its a clever genre mash-up. I'd describe it like good, harrowing crime thriller with some great twists. Some very weird moments that make your skin crawl.

Matriarch does something that other Scottish features do far too little - entertains. Enter a bunch of tepid kitchen sink dramas filmed in badly lit, badly dressed student flats that attempt to deal with the myriad of current issues or 'in-topics' and you are quite understandably bored to tears. Matriarch however, doesn't go this route. Instead it draws on both the isolation of some more rural areas in Scotland and pairs this with a creepy cult vibe reminiscent of The Wicker Man. I won't spoil too much of the plot, as it is a film that is very easily ruined by too much narrative. However the storyline revolves around a young couple who crash their car in the countryside and happen upon a farm set on staunchly defended private land. The farm, inhabited by a family of five - including two grown up sons and a teenage girl, is devoid of any mobile signal. The young couple are expecting a baby and with the woman heavily pregnant, the mother or 'Matriarch' of the farm family soon begins to show an unhealthy obsession with the pregnant woman's condition. What follows is a neat thriller with an enticing opening 30 minutes before we're into the full blown survival mode detonated when the plot is fully revealed. The acting is the standout here, I don't think I've watched a Scottish feature film with such great acting. Everyone does a great job and more importantly, nobody overplays their part - especially given the dramatic and bizarre nature of some of the roles, it would have been very easy to chew the scenery - but that does not happen. Talking of the scenery, the Scottish landscape is very well utilised with some fantastic photography of the surrounding area. The sets are nicely dressed and little touches that reveal the religious fanatic aspect of the film are always there. The other thing that stands out in the film is that it does not rely on cliches. Every time I was aware of something descending into 'I've seen this all before, I know what's going to happen,' the filmmakers reversed that decision and didn't play to stereotype. There are a couple of cool twists that give the film added weight, especially towards the end when it could quite have easily become cliched, but instead help weave together what has really been going on very nicely. All in all, well worth checking out. The impressive performances and the Scottish landscape are both reason enough to give this one a watch.

Saw this last night and thoroughly enjoyed it , definitely has a Hammer feel about it and I think people of a certain age who have grown up watching this type of thing will get what I mean. Nice refreshing change to see a movie like this and I wish him all the best for the future. To sell your home to make it shows a real passion to get it made and I really admire him for it. It does not disappoint!....Can't wait for his next movie!