Written and directed by Chris Baker and Matt Fitch, rock and roll star Billy Chapman is looking for a new sound. Kicking out his manager and shutting himself off from humanity, Billy attempts to find inspiration. But alone in his empty mansion he unleashes a sinister force and a terrible collaboration begins. Starring: David Shields, Charlie Rix, Jennie Eggleton and Abi Haberfield.
It’s safe to say that an empty, isolated, country mansion is always going to be a great setting for any horror, supernatural or dark film, so Chris Baker and Matt Fitch kick things off on strong footing. Especially when that visual is given to audiences through some excellent framing work, instantly drawing you into the story. They also do really well to immediately instil the style and atmosphere with that 1970s feel.
The visual is something that’s strong throughout, Backmask has a superb aesthetic. The cinematography (from Sy Turnbull) is sharp and clean, something that really highlights the dark tinge to the atmosphere as it grows in the background. The way that the film builds that supernatural, sinister tone is unusual, it starts off in a subtle yet clear way but doesn’t quite come into full force until the very end.
It’s a choice that has advantages and disadvantages, it’s certainly the right way to go to not just dive in and bombard the audience with a dark presence. However, it does also feel like too much time is spent establishing the characters, earlier scenes are running on longer than they need to which ultimately takes away from the bite of the story. The balance isn’t quite where it needed to be to build perfectly.
At the same time, the way in which Baker and Fitch introduce this satanic style element feels nicely natural, which is always an achievement. It’s something that can often feel overly formulated but it works well here. There’s a lot of potential for Backmask to truly dive deeply down a dark and twisted rabbit hole so it’s slightly a shame to see it only dip its toes, as if this short is only the introduction.
One of the elements which strengthens that organic feel is the performance from David Shields as Billy. He presents this character in the quintessential way, bringing through that growing paranoia, opening Billy up to be vulnerable to any sinister spirits hanging around. The singing element does take a bit too much focus but it also adds in an interesting edge of comedy, which very British. While the ratio of those scenes to the climax of the short aren’t quite gelling with one another, they do work to give a grounded foundation.
Backmask has a strong directorial style, it never leans too hard on the haunted or sinister vein, creating a sharp visual with a captivatingly dark atmosphere. The story can feel a tad simple, taking longer than anticipated to reach the crucial point but the tone is there. Similarly, the performance from Shields is ticking the right boxes and it all feels very 1970s, with an excellent location choice to add the cherry on top.
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