Get Away

Holidays with older children are rarely peaceful affairs. Jessie (Maisie Ayres) and Sam (Sebastian Croft) are both in their late teens now, bickering in the back of the car, and although nobody talks about it, there’s a pervasive awareness that this could be the last time the family takes a trip like this together. Susan (Aisling Bea) is determined that everything will go right. She’s not about to let this special occasion be spoiled by the strange warnings of the Swedish mainlanders. Neither is she put off by the residents of the island they’re visiting, who are quite rude about the fact that this is a special, sacred time to them. After all, their quaint rituals are part of what she’s there to see. Richard (Nick Frost, who also wrote) takes a picture of her smiling in front of a monument to those who starved during Karantän (a period of quarantine). They are determined to have a good time.

Cheery, upbeat Brits abroad of the sort who deal with foreigners by talking loudly and clearly, the family have arranged to stay in a cottage on the island. It’s being rented to them by a local who seems to be something of an outcast, and perhaps for good reason. Viewers are soon privy to the fact that it’s full of hidden cameras, but although the owner seems to be using them to spy on Maisie, director Steffen Haars never objectifies her himself. Indeed, she’s a refreshingly forthright young heroine who isn’t easy to intimidate – which is good, as other islanders seem set on driving the family away. It starts with nasty looks in public buildings and proceeds to people in strange masks chanting outside in the middle of the night and leaving dead animals on the doorstep. In keeping with the long tradition of horror films featuring ancient religions (real and imaginary), the family is also being sized up for sacrifice – but that might not be as easy as the islanders expect.

Frost said that when he wrote the film it took him a while to recognise that he was in horror territory, and indeed the film works equally well as a culture clash comedy – just a slightly bloodier one than most viewers will be used to. it takes its time to get to this, investing carefully in setting up the characters, and though most of the islanders are two dimensional, the family dynamic works really well, with the four actors clicking in just the right way. Everything and everyone is larger than life, as fans of Haars’ previous work would expect. Sometimes this is jarring, but the film is spirited and sprinkled with sharp observations which keep it rattling along. Once the violence starts, everything kicks up a gear and the visual spectacle takes over.

Haars and Frost’s shared love of Eighties slasher films is very much apparent here. Occasionally the homage goes too far, detracting from the experience rather than enhancing it, but for the most part this is an entertaining, confidently OTT romp. it benefits considerably from the use of practical effects and from Haars’ fondness for excess. There is a twist in there which some viewers will see coming, but it doesn’t matter too much if you do. Everyone involved is clearly having fun, and that’s infectious. Enjoy the ride.