Sightseers is the new film from director Ben Wheatley who last year terrified everyone with the chilling Kill List.
This time around the hard edge of horror remains but it has been softened by writers, and co-stars, Alice Lowe and Steve Oram as an extension of characters they have played onstage for several years.
The brilliant tagline essentially tells you all you need to know about the plot – ‘a ginger man and an angry woman embark on an erotic caravan odyssey’ – although that leaves out the minor detail that is the spate of murders they commit along the way.
Up until the first gory death, Sightseers is a sweet holiday tale as Tina and Chris set off against the wishes of Tina’s suspicious mother.
And it’s to the films great credit that it maintains that charm throughout the horrors that follow.
Black humour is notoriously difficult to perfect but the mixture of laugh out loud moments and audible gasps that the film induces is perfectly handled.
The body count rises as Chris becomes ever more frustrated with the people they encounter along the way, yet lines like “he wasn’t a man – he was a Daily Mail reader” or “all that blood has really spoiled the tram museum for me” are always there to break the tension.
As the film progresses the darker elements become more prominent but Alice Lowe’s Tina is engaging throughout and her fear, and fascination, are beautifully played out.
To call a film with so much horror charming seems odd but the strange tone, wonderful soundtrack and out and out likeability of the characters makes this an excellent watch.
You’ll never be able to trust a caravan owner again.
Director: Ben Wheatley
15, 88min
Words: Alasdair Mitchell
