The first trailer for Ben Wheatley's fourth feature film has landed! If you are not familiar with the name Ben Wheatley yet, you are missing out. 2011's Kill List is one of the most talked-about thrillers in recent memory (and one of my favorite films of that year). His recent black comedy Sightseers is already earning tons of praise (read Bradley Hadcroft's review for VDA here). Wheatley also contributed to The ABCs of Death with his 'U is for Unearthed' segment.
Wheatley's next venture is a quasi-psychadelic black-and-white period piece set during the English civil war. The official synopsis is as follows:
In the war-torn English countryside in 1648, a small group of deserters
flee the raging battle through an overgrown field. They are captured and
forced to help one of their captors in his search to find hidden
treasure he believes is buried in the field. The group descends into a
chaos of arguments, fighting, and paranoia, and as it becomes clear that
the treasure might be something other than gold, they gradually become
victim to the terrifying energies trapped inside the field.
The new trailer speaks volumes, take a look:
Looks bleak and beautiful, eh? The last 30 seconds of that trailer give me chills everytime I re-play it. Wheatley continues to prove he is one of the most exciting genre filmmakers working today. And with his knack for disturbing horror and twisted comedy, The Mighty Boosh's Julian Barratt seems an apt and interesting choice of lead for England.
Side note: no matter how many serious roles I see Michael Smiley in, I can't not see Tires from Spaced:
Side note: no matter how many serious roles I see Michael Smiley in, I can't not see Tires from Spaced:
A Field in England releases in the UK on July 5th. Drafthouse Films has acquired it for US release in 2013 but no word yet on a specific date.
