The special makeup designer on what appears to be every film ever made (seriously check his IMDb page), Paul Hyett makes the leap to writer-director with harrowing horror movie, The Seasoning House.
We are plunged into the war-ravaged Balkans in 1996. A family is ripped apart when soldiers, led by Goran (Sean Pertwee), shoot the mother and abduct the daughter, flogging her to a brothel. Viktor (Kevin Howarth), the guy who runs the place, takes a liking to the young girl, named Angel (Rosie Day), but as she is a deaf mute with a port wine stain birthmark, he doesn’t put her to work on her back – she becomes a maid and creepy love interest.
Angel divides her time between shooting Viktor’s prostitutes full of smack to keep them compliant and dodging the slithering advances of the man himself, in scenes that will make your skin crawl and leave you always wondering whether he wants to screw her or kill her. When Angel discovers one of the girls can sign, they become friends. Angel then uses a network of vents and crawl spaces to squeeze herself through to visit at any given opportunity.
When Pertwee’s menacing soldier returns with his boys for some fun it all goes to pot. Angel’s friend is crippled in a brutal rape and, after a dose of good, old-fashioned retribution, the avenging Angel ends up on the run from the sadistic squaddies and her unseemly captor.
Dirty and nasty, The Seasoning House is a cruel film, but the bleakness is not unrelenting. Angel’s ducking and diving through the innards of the house, avoiding capture, is exciting and feels like you’re watching a more bloodthirsty, Eastern European, Newt from Aliens (1986). The pay-off for grimacing your way through the first half is well worth it and performances are strong across the board.
The Seasoning House makes a fine debut for both its star and director. You’ll want a soothing cup of tea and not your traditional popcorn to accompany this one.
Alan has awarded The Seasoning House four Torches of Truth
