We spent most of the fourth day of FrightFest ’09 in the Discovery Screen, where there was a host of intriguing film fare on offer. And we weren’t the only ones to take advantage of this year’s new double-screen choices, as American Werewolf director John Landis also took his seat in the smaller screen. And first up was Salvage, the excellent ultra-real chiller from British writer/director Lawrence Gough.
It’s November 1979, and despite the shadow already cast by the new Thatcher government, Liverpool is still a gritty, beating urban heartland. Frustrated 19-year-old Carty (Nicky Bell) is desperate to get his hands dirty in the city’s murky underbelly, but his suburban background prevents him from being accepted into the local gang, The Pack. Dressed in a uniform of jeans, trainers and windbreakers, The Pack is notorious for causing violent havoc at local football matches. But it’s not until Carty meets Elvis (Liam Boyle) that he is allowed into The Pack’s inner sanctum and, although he initially relishes the freedom, his relationship with Elvis grows increasingly at odds with the gang’s mentality and Carty realises he may soon have to make a very difficult choice.
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