Just recently, I talked at length with one of my colleagues about the significance of mystery in the horror genre. There is an element to the story that neither of us appreciate, and that is how every detail is revealed. Not only my co-worker, but myself included, find this quite unappealing, especially when the explanations dismantle the suspenseful essence of the entire event. We have cited Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” quite often, as it exemplified a case where reimagining something led to further removal of ambiguity surrounding the character of Michael Myers, and instead made him yet another neglected abused psychopath with mother and father problems. Having explanations fed straight into my mouth is far less appealing than refraining from taking care of unanswered questions and missing details.
Lawrence Gough’s 2009 thriller Salavage is a creepy film that restrains itself from offering any explanations. Rather shocking, the movie supports a lot of suspense and is vague to the point of being difficult to understand. Gough’s ambiguous storytelling builds suspense with every scene, and I found myself wondering what was happening to the characters as they struggled to survive. I personally enjoyed this narrative style because the Gough kept the audience guessing until the very end. The cinematic universe does not portray the story like that at all. While the premise sounds clear-cut, it’s actually quite puzzling.
Neve Mcintosh plays Beth, a very stubborn mother who is meeting her daughter, Jodie (Linzey Cocker), after a long period of estrangement on Christmas Eve. The moment the girl comes to the house, she hears the Kieran of the two, Shaun Dooley, and her mother, moaning, which only escalates the tension. Jodie is furious with her mother so she runs to the neighbor’s house and does not want to talk about anything which Beth is trying to do. Beth is furious, and so she goes back to her house to hope her child thinks wiser and cools off.
All hopes of reconciliation evaporate the moment Black Ops troops armed to the teeth with various deadly weaponry step foot in the area. With no regard for the civilians present, they attempt to forcibly lock everyone in the cul-de-sac inside their houses. Those that refuse to comply with their authority face extreme violence. Understandably, Beth is extremely worried about her daughter after watching her neighbor get brutally murdered by the soldiers that occupy the streets.
I will not disclose any more information regarding “Salvage,” its plot, and its secrets. Figuring out where the movie is headed is part of the fun. However, you will have to sift through at least half of the movie before its secrets begin to reveal themselves. Gough and his co-writers strategically do not charge straight into the climax but instead let the paranoia slowly build before increasing the intensity by several notches. After the not so expected twist occurs, the movie dashes off in an intensely differing, yet, fascinating direction. Given your personal preferences, this can be a deal breaker, especially as you approach the movie’s surprisingly sorrowful conclusion.
The film “Salvage” contains strong performances alongside an atmosphere that feels suffocating combined with jolting violent bursts. However, the film is unlikely to meet the needs of those who wish to quickly get to the juicy parts, as it takes quite some time to build up to that. Furthermore, the film’s ambiguous nature and its unexpected gloomy ending are bound to rub a few people off the wrong way. In the film, Gough and the company brilliantly captures the post 9/11 paranoia and transforms it into a marvelous and shocking cinematic experience, but it does take a lot of patience from the audience. One can say he is certainly a talent to watch, especially those selective few who still seek to uncover mystery amidst a horror.
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