It’s an interesting approach but inconsistently successful. In many cases characters speak in extended soliloquies that mask or color their emotions and intent providing the film with a deep theatrical, stage-like presentation as the characters are often speaking out loud for the benefit of the audience and not necessarily the film nor the story. The story behind Wyke Wreake is heavy on exposition but is unique and intriguing, full of original ideas surrounding concepts based on the old English legend of Wyke Wreake or Valley of the Witches. That combined with an ambitious and complicated plot make Wyke Wreake a difficult pill to swallow.

Much of the film in inaudible and difficult to understand. Even so, while they are engaging, their efforts are undermined by odd sound design and poor audible choices. The leads, most notably Jon Stoley as “the visitor,” take the material very seriously, sometimes too much so sacrificing entertainment for theatrics. The script plays with emotion and motivation, cause and effect. The film weaves threads of those summoning the paranormal forces and the ghost that reaches back into the fabric of reality. Written by Andrew Rutley and directed by Martin Rutley, Wyke Wreake delves into the madness behind a haunting or, in this case, the mad spirits summoned by a séance using a Ouija board. With their second feature titled Wyke Wreake (aka Amnesiac), Hunger Cult Films are well on their way to establishing themselves as an up and coming independent company that produces thoughtful, original, provocative horror-thrillers. Unable to escape his grasp, the spirit draws them deeper into his dark, disturbing world of madness that involves Wyke Wreake (an Old English name meaning Valley of the Witches). They discover her locked in a room performing séances reaching out to a mysterious “visitor” through a Ouija board.

Concerned about her sister Kate’s safety and sanity after the loss of her child, Bec and her boyfriend enter her sister’s house and find themselves trapped in her personal Hell.

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