‘The beast is waiting on the dark side of the moor’
Xmoor is a 2014 British horror film about two American documentary filmmakers who travel to North Devon to film the legendary wild cat beast.
Written and directed by Luke Hyams, the Fyzz Facility Film Two stars Melia Kreiling, Mark Bonnar, Nick Blood and Simone Kirby. It is also known as X Moor and The Beast of Xmoor
Plot:
American documentary filmmakers Georgia and her boyfriend Matt travel to Exmoor, the remote vast North Devon moor, in a bid to capture the fabled beast purported to be a wild cat, like a panther or a puma, on film for a £25,000 reward offered by a local newspaper. They meet up with a hunter named Fox and head out onto the moors…
Reviews:
” …the narrative suffers from its plot contrivances, its one-dimensional and often moronic characters, its poor lighting, and its dragged out ending. It doesn’t leave an impression of terror or suspense, either. I’d only recommend it if you’re looking to kill 80 minutes and have nothing better to watch.” Cinematic Addiction
“Hyams shows that he has potential, at least in terms of a couple of the ideas that he has thrown in the mix […] It’s the execution that lets him down. What could have been a tight and interesting little thriller is instead turned into something a bit too messy, and a bit too ridiculous, to succeed.” For It Is Man’s Number
” …Xmoor feels like a story of two halves but never actually has one decent full one. It’s disappointing because there’s potential here with some great ideas and shots but the two threads combined together just don’t work that well. The minor characters written into the film also feel a little conflicting at times with their actions going against what you’d expect them to do in the position they’re in.” Horror Cult Films
“Hyams knows where to put the camera, and the long stretches of near-pitch blackness (and the accompanying sound design) serve to heighten tension, rather than (as is sometimes the case) betray a meagre lighting budget. That said, accents aside, Hyams does make a few other dodgy choices: notably the ripped-clothes ‘outfit’ Georgia is rather gratuitously given to wear for the third act…” TheHorrorShow.tv
” …an atmospheric survivalist horror. It’s a handsome looking film, with cool score and credits, and evocative photography of the wet and windy terrain […] The characters are well-drawn and the cast is excellent. Melia Kreiling’s Georgia’s got balls and a conscience and given what she goes through in the course of one night, she’s destined to join the ranks of horror’s other fierce Final Girls.” Kultguy’s Keep
“X Moor was a nice idea wasted by taking it down a different route which then became a routine survival in the woods movie with a screaming young woman as the focus.” The Movie Scene
“Filmed in Northern Ireland with a not-too-shabby million pound budget, you can’t help but think Xmoor might have impressed a little more than it does. The main issue for me was the rather tenuous inclusion of the panther aspect to the story; it just seems like a frivolous diversion to what essentially wants to be a serial killer themed stalk n’ slash.” The Schlock Pit
“Hyams hasn’t crafted an instant classic or anything of the sort here (although he shows all the signs of having one in him at some future point), but his script is well-paced, the direction is taut, the setting creepily atmospheric, the performances very solid indeed, and the tension gets thick enough to cut with a knife on a pleasingly high number of occasions.” Trash Film Guru
Choice dialogue:
Georgia: “This isn’t the cat of the Baskervilles!”
Cast and characters:
Melia Kreiling … Georgia
Mark Bonnar … Fox
Nick Blood … Matt
Simone Kirby … Patsy
Olivia Popica … Vanya
Sophie Harkness … Kara
Chloe Baker … Dead girl
Fergal McElherron … Barry
Jemma O’Brien … The Child
Naseen Morgan … Alison
Bert O’Brien … Scruffy Youth 2
James Lecky … The Beast
Victor O’Brien … Scruffy Youth 1
Filming locations:
Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
Technical details:
76 minutes
Aspect ratio: 2.35: 1
Trailer:
