Movie Review - The Windmill Massacre

The Windmill

(2016)

ETA Films / Pellicola / Global Film Partners : Kaleidoscope Film Distribution / XLrator Media

8.5 / 10

What a treat this was, a modern horror film that knows what it's doing thanks to writer and director Nick Jongerious, along with fellow writers Chris W Mitchell and Suzy Quid.  We have a group of tourists in Amsterdam - If there's a sequel I vote for the title The Amsterdammed - who have signed up to have a tour of Holland and its windmills.

While on the tour, Jennifer, who is taking antipsychotics, sees a man and forces the driver to stop the coach.  When she gets out to see if they had run the man over nobody is there.  The bus then fails to start.  Jennifer and another passenger, Jackson, take it upon themselves to walk through the wood to the windmill in the near distance.   The bad news for them is that there's a killer lurking in the woods...

From here on in you begin to learn the dark secrets of the tourists and the windmill in the woods.

Nick creates tension at the right times as well as playing the tourists fears and anxieties off of each other.

It's a good cast of characters and all the actors do splendid jobs of portraying their part.  Moreover, they are realistic and believable.  I particularly liked the coach driver, Abe (Bart Klever).  I've been on a few tours and this guy was spot-on.  Charlotte Beaumont is brilliant as the Austrailian, Jennifer, she doesn't go over the top with the accent but keeps it nice and subtle.

Where the story excels and raises the bar for other horror films are the incidental details...

Takashi Kido is a Japanese tourist who cannot speak English or Dutch, however, it's Ruby Rousseau who translates for him as she had picked up some Japanese while there modelling.  I like the fact that even when Ruby isn't around Takashi still tries to get his point across.  Then there's Doctor Nicholas Cooper (Noah Taylor) who informs everyone to beware of Jennifer as she's on medication.  Douglas and Curt West are Father and Son.  Curt is trying to form a relationship with his father, though Doug is too busy with business phone calls.

It's these dynamics and the relationships, along with the storyline, which creates an enjoyable and watchable film.

Another nice detail is that whenever anyone is dispatched, they are done so in a way that befits their dark secret.  The special effects are very good Douglas West's is particularly well thought out and nasty, as is Ruby's demise.

This is one well thought out movie that I would recommend to all.