The Appointment — The Appointment( Blu Ray)
From the early 1980s, The Appointment is a British supernatural horror film that is knee-deep in uneasiness. It has a simple main plot regarding family man Edward Woodward preparing and then travelling to a business meeting, but it's heavy in premonition, dread, and at times almost suffocating sense of unease- making it more of a tonal/mood-fed horror film, than a formal narrative focused chiller. Here from BFI’s Flipside series is a Blu-ray release of this lesser seen brit horror picture- with a new scan of the film, and a good selection of extras.
Appearing in the year 1982, when the UK horror film industry was all but dead The Appointment was written and directed by Uxbridge-born Lindsey C. Vickers. This was his one and only feature-length film, with his other credits being second unit director of Hammer titles like Blood From The Mummy’s Tomb, Doom Watch, and Now The Screaming Starts. With his last film credit coming in 1986 as a Co-producer on the animated short Death Of A Speechwriter.
The film opens with a three-year flashback- we see a teenage girl walking from her house, through the woods nearby. Mr voice-over tells us that her disappearance was surprising, and it remained unsolved- then we hear giggling schoolgirl voices hauntingly calling her into the wood themselves- she carries on the path, but is suddenly snapped into the green- with this opening having a rather It vibe. We move forward to the then present day- the woods have been fenced off, and a new family live in the house the teen girl lived in- we have businessman Ian (Edward Woodward), his wife Dianna (Jane Merrow), and their mid-teen daughter Joanne (Samantha Weysom).
It is clear Joanne has connected with what’s in the woods, as we see her sitting by the black iron fence. She is playing in a concert coming up at school and is most keen to have her father there- as the pair are very close. But unfortunately, he gets told he has to drive to a meeting for work, so he won’t be there- she is less than pleased. After her really pressing the fact, and her mother and father firmly tell her dad has to work- the family go to bed. And we get a night full of troubling dreams about a possible accident, as well as a strange/ dark presence moving around the house- sometimes shown as several Rottweilers.
Ian sets off on his car journey- and here I’ll end my plot detailing, as any more will rather ruin what unfolds. Though It all ends in a decidedly chilling/ grim manner, though we are left we more than a few unanswered questions.
Most of the film's appeal/ unnerving power is down to the use of dwelling shots, brooding scoring, and blurring of where reality ends/ dreams & premotion begin. Woodward does most of the acting here and sells the whole thing. Both Merrow as his wife, and Weysom as his daughter move between being passable and more than a little flat. Throughout the film, Vickers really does create a tangible feeling of both dread and unease. Towards the film's latter half, we do get one or two moments of blood/full-on terror, but largely it’s all about the dread-filled foreboding. Though plot-wise The Appointment is very sparse and spare, there is no doubt there is a very distinctive atmosphere/ vibe created- which rather felt akin to something like Hereditary- though it has a more standard horror film runtime of just under one hour and thirty minutes.
Moving onto this new Blu Ray and the new print of the film largely looks very clear and crisp, though maybe some of the night-time shots are a little murky. Moving on to the extras and we get a very good/ worthwhile selection of things. First off, we get a commentary track for the film this is with Flipside’s Vic Pratt and writer/director Lindsey C. Vickers. The pair start off talking about the film's opening scene, and how/ why it feels slightly at odds with the rest of the film. They discuss the use of sound, low-angle shots and the use of cutting in this scene to create a feeling of both unease & terror. They talk about the film's score in general, and the use of sound design. They chat about the film's father and daughter relationship themes, and Woodward's play of the rather thinks he knows it all lead character. They talk about the film's family's very middle-class set-up and the directing of the on-screen father and daughter. They point out the film's use of mundane detail to cause unsettlement. Later on, they touch on some of the slightly more perplexing elements of the plot, and what influenced the film including the likes of Stephen King and James Herbert. They talk about how the film's title was set from the off, the director's early work with Hammer, and how he wanted to make a more modern take on the horror genre with his own film. Plus, much, much more- a most worthwhile commentary for sure.
Otherwise, on the extras front, we have the following: Vickers on Vickers (41.27) which sees the director giving an overview of his career. Another Outing (16.27) an on-screen interview with actress Jane Merrow. Framing The Appointment (18.36) which sees Vic Pratt chatting with the director on camera about the film, as well as looking through photos from the time of its filming. Appointments Shared (6.31) which finds Vickers and his wife Jan talking about the film. Remembering The Appointment (10.07) on-screen interview with assistant director Gregory Dark about working on the film. There’s a gallery featuring annotated scripts, storyboards, images and production materials
Also on the disc is The Lake (33.07) this is a 1978 short film by the director, which finds grown-up childhood sweethearts going to an isolated rural lake for a romantic time. Just nearby the lake is an abandoned farmhouse, where some years early the farmer murdered his whole family & his livestock. The film is an effective mix of lulling British countryside idyllic and brooding/ sinister unease- and it once again highlights Vickers's talent for sound design and unsettling atmosphere. Also, we get a new commentary track on the film by the director, and there is a seventeen-and-a-half-minute on-screen interview with actress Julie Peasgood who starred in the film.
The finished release is topped off with an Illustrated booklet with new writing by Lindsey Vickers including a message about this release, write-ups by Flipside’s Vic Pratt and William Fowler, biographies of Edward Woodward and Jane Merrow by Jon Dear, notes on the special features and credits
If you have a penchant for the more uneasy, dread-filled, if not logic/story-heavy side of the horror genre- then The Appointment will be your cup of tea. And the folks at BFI’s Flipside have done another stellar job with this reissue- with a marvellous selection of extras, and a great new print of the film.