Soldiers of the Damned (2015)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Fresh and Exciting

Boring

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A group of German relic hunters enter a haunted forest in Romanian on a top secret mission even as the Russians are advancing. The nature of the mission is revealed 38 minutes into the film, which was a bit silly, but I just went with it. The events that unfold are discussed as theology by the German soldiers. In this film the German soldiers have various English and Irish accents except for one German which spoke English with a German accent. Okay, its low budget, I understand, but what was with the one Russian speaking Russian?Now in order to appreciate the film you must realize that the main plot runs in full color while the other-life elements run in washed color. The regular Germans are "good guys" while the SS and Russian regulars are bad guys. The main downfall of the film was the deliberate confusing editing.Guide: F-bomb. Rape. No nudity

Soldiers Of The Damned: Time Slips, Spontaneous Human Combustion, The Occult Section of the SS Ahnenerbe. Yes this film is full of Fortean tropes.Set in Russia in 1944 the Nazis are on the retreat. The commander of a Wermacht Special Forces Unit has clashed with an SS officer over the execution of civilians, shades of The Eagle has landed, This unit (accompanied by the SS officer) is now charged with bringing a female representative of the Ahnenerbe Institute into a forest behinfd Russian lines on a secret mission.This is no ordinary forest, it has a reputation of being haunted and a company of paratroopers disappeared there in 1942. Some members of the expedition see runing figures, hear strange voices. An oddly mutilated body is discovered. It becomes clear that a previous mission into the forest following the same orders met with disaster.Directed by Mark Nuttall, starring Lucas Hansen, Gil Darnell and Miriam Cooke. An effective Horror/Thriller: 7/10.

There would appear to be a revival of sorts for horror flicks of a Nazi soldier bent. With both the Outpost and Dead Snow franchises doing reasonable business, especially in the retail market, it was inevitable that others would look to tap into the same lucrative vein looking to reap similar rewards. Earlier this year we were treated to the retail release of Backtrack: Nazi Vengeance. This British flick, again using Nazi's as its primal force, was a bit of a mess. With that still playing in the back of my mind I approached this feature début for former TV, commercial and music video director Mark Nuttall, with some trepidation.Fortunately both Nuttall and screenwriter Nigel Horne have fashioned a tale that manages to feel both familiar yet fresh at the same time. Soldiers of the Damned is fresh in the way that it doesn't completely cover the same tracks as the aforementioned movies, although there are some similarities - the Nazi's interest in the occult for example. It also impressively manages to capture the period it is set in. Both the production design and hair and make-up teams are to be applauded for their work on the film within such a limited budget.Unlike its comtemporary-based counterparts Soldiers of the Damned dares to be period set taking place in 1944 on the Eastern Front when the Russians are pushing the German Army back through Romania. Major Kurt Fleischer (Gil Darnell) is instructed to escort female scientist Professor Anna Kappel (Miriam Cooke) into a forest behind enemy lines so that an ancient relic can be retrieved. The soldiers in Fleischer's ensemble say that the forest is spooked or possessed but he doesn't initially believe them. Soon ghostly visions are seen and soldiers disappear as if burnt to ashes before their very eyes. Fleischer doesn't take long to suss that there is something far more sinister than expected lurking within the forest and has to figure out exactly what that something is before he and his team are completely wiped out.For the best part of an hour our interest is maintained with something of interest happening throughout. However when it comes to wrapping up proceedings the energy on-screen flags under the weight of a script that has run out of more decent ideas. It also jars that the mainly British cast talk in English accents when they are meant to be German otherwise the performances are decent with Miriam Cooke particularly impressing in the key role of Professor Anna Kappel.Mark Nuttall proves himself as a name to watch. His work in the director's chair is assured and bodes well for his future career in films. Despite the flaws mentioned Soldiers of the Damned is worth seeking out. For its limited budget the film sounds, looks and plays like a bigger studio production. Soldiers of the Damned is a breathe of fresh air in a genre that is otherwise currently stagnating under the weight of wearisome found footage and cheap zombie flicks. It's surprising, involving and far better than you would perhaps expect.Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Right from the opening credits of Soldiers of The Damned, we know what sort of film we are about to view. With opening credits very reminiscent of Army of Darkness, I cant help but feel that if Sam Raimi made a film featuring Nazi's, then Soldiers of the Damned might well be the result. Taking the often told format of 'men on a mission' Soldiers of The Damned injects the 'genre' with a dash of the type of Germans often seen in the world of Indiana Jones. A fun film, whilst gory in places but its a fun gore and not the emotion draining seriousness of films of recent years. Schindlers List this isn't (not does it try to be), Soldiers of the Damned it is'