When a young couple become hopelessly lost on the road, they stop for guidance from a creepy midget riding on the back of his mentally-challenged friend (like you do). He warns the couple about staying on the road and avoiding, at all costs, the fork to the road of light. However, considering himself to be on an adventure, the driver elects to ignore the advice. The little town of Crockelton is host to Beesley Manor, where they request a room from the twisted landlord and his associate group of inbred males. When it is discovered that the woman is pregnant, the landlord schemes to use her to extend his family...

The only chance of help comes from a young 'normal' but aloof youngster. This character is played by Peter Stanley Ward, who co-wrote, co-produced and directed this little British flick.

Recent film history dictates that directorial debuts are occasionally brilliant, but more often than not derisible or at least low-key. So it is with Small Town Folk, which borrows heavily from such Hillbilly memorables as The Hills Have Eyes, Last House on the Left, Wrong Turn, and numerous others.

I get the impression that the intention is to have fun with this sub-genre; however, it seems unable to decide whether to play it straight with black humour or to ham-it-up. A mish-mash of the two techniques doesn't really work. Cross eyes and stupid expressions are unlikely to suitably scare an average audience, and there are no laugh-out-loud moments to save face.

Therefore, what we end up with is a below average by-numbers rehash of an already vastly overused horror category. I really wanted to like this British horror, but it really isn't good enough to make the grade. The marketing blurb describes the acting as 'terrifying'. It certainly frightened me... but for all the wrong reasons.

4

Ty Power