A weary team of mercenaries are on a mission in war-torn Eastern Europe to uncover an abandoned WW2 underground bunker, which their mysterious backer wants them to safely get him there as he leads, them to it. He seems to believe there's something of great importance within. They learn that it was used by Germans, who were performing unusual and theoretic experiments on their own soldiers. However its dark secret is soon revealed and the soldiers struggle to survive against something unimaginable.
Think of 'The Bunker (2001)' meets 'Dog Soldiers (2002) 'and with a touch of 'Shock Waves (1977)'. Wallah you got the British low-budget supernatural war-themed chiller 'Outpost'. For this horror hybrid sub-genre, there's not too many about and it's quite sad because there are varied possibilities to stew up something interesting. In recent times there have been such films like 'The Bunker (2001)' and 'Deathwatch (2002)', but 'Outpost' actually does a better job with the context and psychological thrills than both of them put together. That's not saying 'Outpost' is flawless, because pacing wise it does have some problems (a sluggish mid-section) and characters are superficially tailored. However Michael Mann's surrealistic bound 'The Keep (1983)' would still remain my favourite of a short-listed sub-genre.
Now that artwork cover seems to advertise something that's it not quite. I mean it looks like it'll go out with a bang, and those soldiers can be seen as zombies. But really it's a ghost story set in a bunker which does hold the answers. Sure it's outlandish, but there's nothing enigmatic about it at all. It's doesn't build on the character's fears to end their demise, but it's an unstoppable force (which has to with the Nazis and their interest in the occult to find any sort upper-hand to winning the war) that eventually picks off the mercenaries one by one. The direct plot mixes the unconventional (the reasoning behind the unusual events) with the standard clichés. The compressed set-up is simple, and old-fashion, but it still the story has a backbone (involving the motive of the businessman) that holds it together. Atmosphere, atmosphere and atmosphere. It's the forlorn, bleak and claustrophobic type. Boy is it effective too! The colours are dourly saturated, and it saps the life out of the picture. The bunker's interior is filled with gloomy lighting, shadowy corridors and a real uneasy sense of something is always lurking in the dark. The edgy imagery can be hair-raising, and the tension gradually builds upon every revelation. But it's no scare-fest. I see some complaints about the ending not being satisfying, but I thought it couldn't be anymore appropriate with what has gone before it.
The slow burn style is deliberately executed to draw it out, but really it could've been much tighter and the film only goes for just over 80 minutes. A lot of the time is spent on the soldiers of fortune wandering the spooky bunker or trying to figure what's going on, which the script could've used some time to explore these characters. Instead it's quite thin, but at least they were believable in their actions. When the macabre horror eventually breaks out, and the ghostly SS German soldiers appear (after doing a lot of looming in the background) to hand out some bayonet happy punishment. This is where the nightmarish intensity and cruel-streak comes through and leaves its alarming mark. The violence can be grisly, and slightly unnerving. The Nazi soldiers look menacingly imposing and are lethally efficient, especially with the scenes when there's a whole battalion of them. Thank god there's no CGI getting in the way. Steve Barker's confined direction engineers a gritty, but atmospherically haunting and ominous ambiance that inserts itself in early to never leave. There's the usual style and some ambitious strokes that hold your interest. The eerily downbeat music score subtly serves well to the moody nature of the situation. Performances are nothing special, but are sure-footed. Ray Stevenson gives an admirably gruff turn and Richard Brake's grizzled red-neck is the only ones to stand out.
'Outpost' holds a brooding, curious idea, which highly entertains even with its hovering faults.
Think of 'The Bunker (2001)' meets 'Dog Soldiers (2002) 'and with a touch of 'Shock Waves (1977)'. Wallah you got the British low-budget supernatural war-themed chiller 'Outpost'. For this horror hybrid sub-genre, there's not too many about and it's quite sad because there are varied possibilities to stew up something interesting. In recent times there have been such films like 'The Bunker (2001)' and 'Deathwatch (2002)', but 'Outpost' actually does a better job with the context and psychological thrills than both of them put together. That's not saying 'Outpost' is flawless, because pacing wise it does have some problems (a sluggish mid-section) and characters are superficially tailored. However Michael Mann's surrealistic bound 'The Keep (1983)' would still remain my favourite of a short-listed sub-genre.
Now that artwork cover seems to advertise something that's it not quite. I mean it looks like it'll go out with a bang, and those soldiers can be seen as zombies. But really it's a ghost story set in a bunker which does hold the answers. Sure it's outlandish, but there's nothing enigmatic about it at all. It's doesn't build on the character's fears to end their demise, but it's an unstoppable force (which has to with the Nazis and their interest in the occult to find any sort upper-hand to winning the war) that eventually picks off the mercenaries one by one. The direct plot mixes the unconventional (the reasoning behind the unusual events) with the standard clichés. The compressed set-up is simple, and old-fashion, but it still the story has a backbone (involving the motive of the businessman) that holds it together. Atmosphere, atmosphere and atmosphere. It's the forlorn, bleak and claustrophobic type. Boy is it effective too! The colours are dourly saturated, and it saps the life out of the picture. The bunker's interior is filled with gloomy lighting, shadowy corridors and a real uneasy sense of something is always lurking in the dark. The edgy imagery can be hair-raising, and the tension gradually builds upon every revelation. But it's no scare-fest. I see some complaints about the ending not being satisfying, but I thought it couldn't be anymore appropriate with what has gone before it.
The slow burn style is deliberately executed to draw it out, but really it could've been much tighter and the film only goes for just over 80 minutes. A lot of the time is spent on the soldiers of fortune wandering the spooky bunker or trying to figure what's going on, which the script could've used some time to explore these characters. Instead it's quite thin, but at least they were believable in their actions. When the macabre horror eventually breaks out, and the ghostly SS German soldiers appear (after doing a lot of looming in the background) to hand out some bayonet happy punishment. This is where the nightmarish intensity and cruel-streak comes through and leaves its alarming mark. The violence can be grisly, and slightly unnerving. The Nazi soldiers look menacingly imposing and are lethally efficient, especially with the scenes when there's a whole battalion of them. Thank god there's no CGI getting in the way. Steve Barker's confined direction engineers a gritty, but atmospherically haunting and ominous ambiance that inserts itself in early to never leave. There's the usual style and some ambitious strokes that hold your interest. The eerily downbeat music score subtly serves well to the moody nature of the situation. Performances are nothing special, but are sure-footed. Ray Stevenson gives an admirably gruff turn and Richard Brake's grizzled red-neck is the only ones to stand out.
'Outpost' holds a brooding, curious idea, which highly entertains even with its hovering faults.