I've mentioned "Ravenous" on this blog before, when I reviewed Guy Pearce's "First Snow", and this weekend, I just had a craving for a little, ahem...bite....of one of my favorite of Pearce's roles. The film came the year before "Memento" and has since been lost to obscurity, which is such a shame because it is one of the most unique films I have ever seen, and superbly acted by everyone involved...yes, even by David Arquette.
Loosely based on the stories of the Donner Party and Alferd Packer, (go ahead, wikipedia it, we can't all be weird history buffs) the story involves a group of soldiers in an isolated California outpost. All of them are dysfunctional, practically banished by the army for different reasons, and Pearce's character is no exception. When a battered and broken stranger shows up at the fort, (played perfectly by Robert Carlyle) claiming that he is the last surviving member of a group of pioneers, the soldiers head out to search for survivors. Of course, there aren't any, and the stranger is a lot more...voracious...than he seems. The movie is dark and bloody, but also quite hilarious at times, and features one of my favorite lines from any film..."HE WAS LICKING ME!!!" I can't tell you how much I love horror films that take place in the past. There's not very many of them for some reason, I guess they just don't sell well. People aren't frightened by the past, but I just love it when historical horror is done well.
Another great aspect to the film is the music, which was composed by Damon Albarn, who is best known for his bands Blur and The Gorillaz. It's weird and eerie, and somehow just fits perfectly.
