The Watermen   Starring: Luke Guldan, Tyler Johnson, Jason Mewes and Tara Heston Chelsea Films RRP: £12.99 CFDV033 Certificate: 15 Available 27 February 2012

A group of rich teenagers set out on a sun, sea, sex...oh, and fishing trip. When they call into a jetty for fuel and supplies their expensive yacht is sabotaged, and later they find themselves without power and water stranded at sea. Eventually, they are picked up by a fishing trawler, but the water they are given is drugged and they later wake up to find themselves captive. As they desperately seek escape the horrifying truth as to why they are prisoners is revealed...

The scenario of a group of victims - particularly adult teens - being terrorised/attacked/tortured/killed by rustic local inbreds is hardly a new one. In the inevitable event of diminishing returns, the question is how can this established sub-genre of horror be polished and made to look new? Er, in this case it can’t. The only touch of originality arrives in the ultimate motive for ensnaring the rich kids in the first place. Admittedly, the majority of these films involve isolated hillbillies; however, if you check out Harpoon: The Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre the similarities are too many to mention. The whaling boat is replaced here by a trawler, and the tourists of Harpoon replaced with teens from wealthy families who have known nothing but the high life.

The watermen themselves wander around lethargically, muttering incoherently to each other in low tones. There is a total lack of emotion shown by these men, even when their associates die, which is puzzling. It’s almost as if this activity is a single job of cold-hearted assassination rather than a way of life. Consequently, the fishermen become faceless entities which you are neither fearful of or sympathetic to. The victims act much more naturally considering the circumstances. It is fully acceptable that someone would return to a place of danger to save a friend, but I had to smile at how an incapacitating injury could be practically forgotten only a few minutes later.

The Watermen is entertaining enough, but in terms originality it simply doesn’t push the boat out. For the best boat horror in the last few years check out Triangle.

5

Ty Power