It was at the excellent 'Dead by Dawn' Festival that I discovered the delight that is Frazer Lee's short film shocker 'On Edge'. Sitting down with a packed festival crowd, no one would have imagined the joyous terror that was about to unfold...
Based on the short story by Christopher Fowler, the film opens with restless irate chap Thurlow who is desperate for some dental treatment but is finding he will have to wait to be seen - a prospect he is less than keen on (well who does like hanging around in dentist waiting rooms?) His impatience having reached its peak he wanders off around the surgery looking to jump ahead of the queue and get some swift treatment from an available dentist. And he does indeed find a helpful dental connoisseur in the form of Doctor Matthews, played by the ever-impressive Pinhead himself Doug Bradley. But poor Thurlow is about to get the four star treatment from the good doctor and eventually a lot more than he (or anyone watching) ever could have dreamed of!
'On Edge' is quite simply twisted, sick and downright hilarious, a cracker of a horror treat that will have dental paranoiacs screaming in terror as they grab their mouths in disbelief. A fantastic piece of horror viewing that only falls foul of the fact that just as you've settled into the fun the closing titles kick in. That said, for its brief duration you're treated to a compact well-produced ensemble piece. Frazer Lee's direction is faultless throughout and is spot on for the gut grabbing finale, Doug Bradley once again proves he is an actor of some distinction outside of the Pinhead hellraising make ups and the make up effects by the legendary Bob Keen of Image Imagination are perfect at helping delivering the films shock moments.
Ideally it would have been lovely to see the film expanded storywise to expand on what potentially could have been delivered but then again what you do get is a short sharp shock of visceral horror fun and who doesn't welcome that prospect?
Best of all though is that 'On Edge' has now been unleashed for the home market via this special edition video and to ease the thought of parting with your hard earned for a very short movie the team at production house Robber Baron have filled things out with a couple of nice bonus extras. As well as the film itself presented in its original 2.35:1 theatrical ratio there's a nice interview segment with director Lee which was originally broadcast on the 'Sci-Fi Channel' (US) some time back in which Lee merrily discusses his project with rightful pride. And rounding things off are some snippets of out-take footage which does feel a bit like filler but still welcome nonetheless.
If you missed out on seeing this gem on the big screen then waste no time chasing this tape down. Don't be scared by the short film running time as you'd be missing out on some classy horror fun. Short, sweet and shocking - check it out!
For more details on 'On Edge', check out the movies cool website by clicking here.
The 'On Edge' Special Edition video can be picked up for the nice price of �10 (UK incl p&p) or �12 (Rest of the World incl. p&p). Click here to email Robber Baron for full ordering details.
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