Written by Brandy Bunce, MoreHorror.com
Sadly we live in a world where violence close to home is not an unrealistic event during our daily lives. When such an event happens to us personally, it takes a toll on our emotions, reactions and ways of thinking. In the Irish film Citadel, director Ciaran Foy concentrates on the more psychological after effects of a man (Aneurin Barnard) who witnesses the murder of his pregnant wife, the baby survives and he is left to raise his newborn alone, completely scared and traumatized of the world around him. The faceless hoodie wearing creatures that are responsible for her death still run loose on the streets and begin terrorizing the community with one goal in mind, stealing children. To save his child, he must overcome his fears and learn how to take these creatures head on.
Citadel is a creature feature that pulls on the heart strings of the audience, you honestly feel really sorry for the main character. The poor man is so scared of losing the only thing that still connects him to his wife that he is unable to live his life as a normal person. Foy adds the intense mystery to the monsters by never revealing their facial characteristics until much later in the film, throughout the film he uses objective camera angles at a distance to show when the creatures are in a scene. The setting a lot of the time take place in lower income apartment buildings or neighborhoods which makes the situations taking place a bit more relatable to anyone who has ever lived, walked or driven through a less then desirable part of town.
I first viewed "Citadel" at the 2012 Mile High Horror Film Festival where it won Best Feature Film and was highly spoken of by myself and others who were at the festival. I was beyond excited to see it made it to Redbox and Netflix lately and can gain the level of an audience that it deserves. This film is well shot, has great acting and keeps the audience intrigued until the very end. It catches your attention so much that you find yourself holding your breath when the creatures are on screen for fear they will hear you breathing from your seat at home. If you like films that will make you jump a bit then this is one you will love, not terrifyingly scary but enough to get your heart racing at the right moments.
If you are expecting a lot of blood and pot smoking, sex crazed teenagers that mysteriously fall down for no reason, then you may be a bit disappointed but if you enjoy a psychological horror that makes you cheer for the good guy, I would definitely recommend this film to you. A warning to parents out there, this film will remind you why you love and appreciate your children so much; you’ll want to hug them tight before the end of the credits.