FanFilms

I made this film over the summer of 2007; it is an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman story that was illustrated by Dave McKean, and is based in the Hellraiser world created by Clive Barker.

There's an increasing number of Hellraiser fan films turning up these days but this one initially seemed to appear from nowhere. Unlike the majority of non-spoof films, it's production wasn't highlighted on The Hellbound Web and nor was its eventual completion announced upon the fan community. Instead it slipped quietly on to youtube where, like the Lament Configuration, it waited to be discovered by the most dedicated of explorers. Unlike the Lament Configuration, Wordsworth won't leave you screaming in agony, but rather grinning at this wonderfully put to together and extremely faithful adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Hellraiser comic.

The Hellraiser comics, which ran from the late eighties and through the early nineties, told over a hundred stories of Hell, the Cenobites and the numerous puzzles that would unleash the extremes of pleasure and pain. With this in mind, its surprising we haven't seen more adaptations and this is the first that not only keeps all the Hellraiser trappings, but uses its comic origins to present a film with a unique visual style.

The film follows Wordsworth as he attempts to solve a hellish crossword puzzle where each clue is related to his own past life or future actions, and require some horrific acts in order to solve. The look of the puzzle is right out of the comic and director Phil Robinson takes great pains to match shots to certain panels from the original story. The use of on screen captions alongside all dialogue, and a wonderfully evocative voice over, adds to the comic feel but never feels out of place. This is, after all a story about words and their power and influence, and this technique is used to great effect.

There is little call for great moments of acting in the film but what we do get works very well and Aaron Darragh is particularly good in the titular role. He presents a series of quirky moments and nuances that helps bring Wordsworth alive and keep the viewers focus attentively upon him. The puzzle guardian who gives him the crossword also fits his small role nicely, there's a wonderfully over the top murder scene and the aforementioned voice over is always effective.

This is, of course, a low budget work and it does show at times but when considering just how little was spent on it you can't help but be impressed by effects and imagery Robinson accomplishes. The final "Love Me" sequence is beautifully brought to life from the pages of the comic, as is the gateway opening through the puzzle. Don't expect anything more than effectively used low budget effects and you'll be very pleasantly surprised.

The DVD of the film comes with a photo gallery of the final scenes of the film, full of excellent shots, as well as fun director's commentary where Robinson discusses some of his directional choices. Some may question the need for a commentary on a fan film but it works as an informative piece, telling of one fans dedication to making a film of something he likes and can only serve to inspire others to follow in his footsteps.

Wordsworth is a short film, running for just over ten minutes, but a lot of love and imagination was put into it, and all involved show great potential for the future. No doubt, as they hone their craft, we can expect to see even more elaborate and inventive storytelling and more great films, whether further fan films or original works. Obtaining a copy would only cost you the price of the DVD and postage and for the dedicated Hellraiser fan would be well worth the effort, the quality is far superior to any versions found online and the commentary worth hearing. All in all, The Hellbound Web recommends this fan film and looks forward to seeing future work from Phil Robinson and his team.