Driftwood
HAUNTED BY DEATH. BEATEN BY LIFE. NO ONE ESCAPES THE PAIN.
Tim Sullivan the director of the comedy horror ‘2001 Maniacs’, brings us DRIFTWOOD, a present-day ghost story / murder mystery set in the stark confines of a young men’s ‘attitude adjustment facility’.
Starring onetime WCW and WWF superstar wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, up and coming twentysomething pin-ups Ricky Ullman (Phil Of The Future; Prom Wars), Talan Torriero (Laguna Beach) and Connor Ross (Palo Alto), and David Eigenberg (Sex And The City), Lin Shaye (Snakes On A Plane) and Marc McClure (the Superman movie series), DRIFTWOOD witnesses Sullivan foregoing the horror-comedy route in favour of a far graver encounter with the horror genre.
Profoundly affected by his participation in the sudden death from a drug o.d. of his older rock star brother, 16-year-old David Forrester (Ullman) turns reclusive and obsessed by death. Worried that his demeanour, his misguided parents send him off to Driftwood, a prison-like attitude adjustment camp for troubled youngsters operated by the sadistic and homophobic Captain Kennedy (Page). Of course rebellious, David doesn’t fit in too easily at the camp, a situation that’s further aggravated by his frequent quarrels with Kennedy and his cruel young confederate, Yates (Torriero).
Shortly after arriving at the facility, David is haunted by the presence of a ghostly figure, Jonathan, a onetime inmate of Driftwood who vanished under mysterious circumstances. The guilt and trauma of his recent loss in some way aids David to get in touch with the spirit of Jonathan, a association that compels him to discover the truth behind the boy’s disappearance. David’s investigations lead him to the uncovering of a murder mystery that, whilst putting his own life at risk, could also prove to be the only he will ever shake off Driftwood.
An unpredictable and atmospheric ghost story that echoes Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Devil’s Backbone’, DRIFTWOOD also effectively conveys the true horrors of bullying, homophobia and exclusion felt by many young people who have spent time in juvenile detention centres.
DRIFTWOOD (cert. 15, tbc) will be released on DVD (£15.99) by Anchor Bay Entertainment on 16th February 2009. Special Features include: audio commentary by director Tim Sullivan and producer Chris Kobin; audio commentary by director Tim Sullivan, producer Chris Kobin and actor Diamond Dallas Page; photo gallery; bloopers; deleted and extended scenes; audition reel; alternate ending; ‘Doing Time On The Set Of Driftwood’ featurette; ‘Through The Gauntlet: Inside The Walls Of Driftwood’ featurette; trailer.
Popularity: 49% [?]
