Deathwatch

[Stingy Jack]

My wife manages a Blockbuster here, and brings home all the new releases before they are available to the public. Coming out today (June 21st), for anyone who is interested, is a creepy film titled "Deathwatch". I watched it mainly because Clive Barker gave it a good review ... I'm usually pretty wary about new horror flicks I haven't heard of. It was actually quite good. It takes place during WWI, and focuses on a British troupe (Y Company) who stumble upon a German trench, occupied by only three German soldiers. They kill one, capture another, and the third gets away. Y Company occupies the trench, and soon discover that there is something seriously wrong with it. All they can get out of the prisoner is that there is something in the earth, and they're all going to die.

However, this film is a thinker. It took me a minute to figure out what the fuck really happened after the movie was over ... but when I did, I really liked the story. There's not a lot of gore, and it is definitely a character-driven plot that takes some paying-attention to, and I understand that there are many people here that think a horror movie sucks if the blood doesn't flow at a consistent pace. But, I also know that there are others who are yearning for a good, solid story that delivers the creeps (watch for the barbed-wire corpses in the film). And this movie does that.

I'd like to discuss the plot with anyone who sees it, to see if agree on what REALLY went on. So, rent it and post!

[ShankS]

ah yea this is the film similar but supposed to be better than the Bunker (see previous Bunker thread)

I will try to get to see this film soon, to compare and see what i think of it.

[juda666]

deathwatch is a good film,:D

[Stingy Jack]

Juda, you've seen it? Actually, it won't be released on video in the states until tomorrow (for some reason, I thought today was Tuesday when I originally created the thread.) I would ask you what you think really happened to Y Company, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

[kpropain]

Damn Stingy this sounds pretty fucking cool, I'll have to check this one out. I love WW2 shit anyway.

[juda666]

YES IVE SEEN DEATHWATCH, ITS A GOOD FILM, BEEN ABLE TO BUY IT HERE FOR AGES, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY WHAT I THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM BUT I WOULDNT WANT TO SPOIL IT, ITS WELL WORTH WATCHING.

[Stingy Jack]

Originally posted by kpropain
Damn Stingy this sounds pretty fucking cool, I'll have to check this one out. I love WW2 shit anyway.

Actually the film takes place during WWI ... but who's counting? :D Let me know when you see it.

[juda666]

deathwatch is on sky movies premier next week,

[ShankS]

bahhhhhh! not got sky, I'm gona rent this soon.

[juda666]

tape it for you if you want.or e-bid is selling it for 6 pounds

[ShankS]

Originally posted by juda666
tape it for you if you want.or e-bid is selling it for 6 pounds


thanks for the offer there dude :)

I found it on play.com, they've got a sale on atm, got it for 7quid. :)

[juda666]

thats cool:D

[Stingy Jack]

Okay, it's been well over a week since this came out on video in the States ... so any horror fan worth his/her ass should have seen it by now. Therefore, I am going to discuss what I think really happened to Y Company in that film right now.

WARNING!!!!
Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen Deathwatch, and don't want to know how it ends, don't read any further.




I think that Y Company died in the battle shown at the beginning of the film. You have to admit, it looked like they were getting their asses kicked, and the film never showed how they survived. It merely fades to them walking in fog, trying to find their way out. They stumble through the fog, overtake the trench (I am not going to go into unnecessary details, because I am assuming that you have already watched this film) and discover a radio. As they attempt to contact HQ with the radio, they hear a static-filled message saying: "Y Company .... No survivors ... " The Company believes that HQ assumes they are dead because they could not be found. But, in actuality, they are dead. There really are no survivors from the battle. The idea that they died in battle is also supported by the scene towards the end, where Shakespeare is wandering about in the tunnels beneath the trench. He comes across the spirits of his fellow soldiers, all of them already killed by the trench. Among them, however, is Shakespeare's own spirit. He is confused, and says "But I'm not dead," thinking he's the sole survivor of the trench. But, he really IS dead ... he died in battle with the other men, then came with them to the trench.

This trench is like a Purgatory for soldiers. Purgatory, if you haven't brushed up on your Catholicism, is the place where people go when they die who have not committed sins grievous enough to warrant the hell punishment, but still need to cleanse their souls before entering heaven. Once the soul has sufferred enough in Purgatory, it will be sent on its' way to heaven.

The horrors of the trench are meant to test the members of Y Company, to see if they are "Heaven Material", or should be sent to hell. They turn on each other, kill each other, are killed in nasty ways by the ghosts of the trench, and almost all of them do not make it out. Except for Shakespeare. When Y Company overtook the trench, they took one German soldier hostage. All of the soldiers in Y Company abused, ignored the abuse of, and basically mistreated this lone German, except for Shakespeare. He was the only one who tried to help him. This is given to us at the end of the film, when it is only the German hostage and Shakespeare left. The hostage points a loaded rifle at Shakespeare, and Shakespeare says: "Why? I didn't hurt you. I tried to help you." The hostage says: "Yes. You were the only one," then motions to a nearby ladder, giving Shakespeare the sign to leave. Shakespeare climbs the ladder and goes ... to heaven. He passed the test of the trench, and is allowed to enter paradise. The other members, however, were not so lucky.

As the film ends, we see a scene of a new group of soldiers, discovering the trench in the exact same way as Y Company did (with one of them accidentally sinking their boot into a rotten corpse.) They see the lone German soldier in the trench, and order him to put his hands on his head. As he does so, the camera zooms in on his face, and he grins. End credits.

This shows that the German hostage is a supernatural entity (well, that and the fact that his wounds completely healed in a very short period of time) and we can assume that he is the entity in charge of the Purgatorial trench. The soldiers who arrive at the end of the film are a new group of newly dead soldiers, all ready to be tested by the hostage.

[ShankS]

I watched this film last night, and you pretty well sumed it up the same as me.

At first I did belive that the few soldiers had survived the battle, however the toxic gas they breathed, may have been something to do with the night turning to day so quickly, but then thought, thats just silly

Then as the film went on, I couldnt decide, whether they were actually alive or dead. They were one by one being taken out, buy the trench or by each other turning against themselves, until Shakespeare and the german were left on their own together. The german let Shakespeare free, who then went on to see the party of soldiers along side himself in the tunnels, he did believe he was still alive, but it was clear now, he and all the rest died in the battle.

This convinced me that the german wasnt actually human, just some sort of entity along with the trench, which was put there by some unknown force to test the Soldiers.

At the end of the film, as you mentioned, another party of soldiers approached the german trench in exactly the same way, the foot through the corpse etc...... the camera panning to the german, who grins, I concluded that this german, was put there to test the soldiers worthyness after their deaths, with some sort of 'right of passage' to some other place, be it heaven or hell.

[Egekrusher]

Ok, now I HAVE to watch this.

[Stingy Jack]

Originally posted by ShankS
I watched this film last night, and you pretty well sumed it up the same as me.

At first I did belive that the few soldiers had survived the battle, however the toxic gas they breathed, may have been something to do with the night turning to day so quickly, but then thought, thats just silly

Then as the film went on, I couldnt decide, whether they were actually alive or dead. They were one by one being taken out, buy the trench or by each other turning against themselves, until Shakespeare and the german were left on their own together. The german let Shakespeare free, who then went on to see the party of soldiers along side himself in the tunnels, he did believe he was still alive, but it was clear now, he and all the rest died in the battle.

This convinced me that the german wasnt actually human, just some sort of entity along with the trench, which was put there by some unknown force to test the Soldiers.

At the end of the film, as you mentioned, another party of soldiers approached the german trench in exactly the same way, the foot through the corpse etc...... the camera panning to the german, who grins, I concluded that this german, was put there to test the soldiers worthyness after their deaths, with some sort of 'right of passage' to some other place, be it heaven or hell.

Pretty groovy, no? Did you enjoy the film?

[ShankS]

I did enjoy it, much more than I expected, probably because I didnt get my hopes up about it and just took it for what it was.

I recommend it !!

[KRUGERKID13]

looks cool

[ShankS]

Originally posted by KRUGERKID13
looks cool


it is, go buy it :)