Four ways the Scottish Highlands could kill you
New British comedy-horror BOYZ IN THE WOOD sees some teenagers battle the elements — and a bit more…
FOUR BOYS, ONE Duke of Edinburgh Award, the entire Scottish Highlands: what could go wrong? In director Ninian Doff’s energetic debut Boyz In The Wood, it turns out, everything. Reluctant hikers Ian, Dean, Duncan and Beatroot (played by newcomers Samuel Bottomley, Rian Gordon, Lewis Gribben and Viraj Juneja) encounter gale-force winds, their own ineptitude and a murderous aristocrat, played by Eddie Izzard. Here’s a guide to the obstacles they face.
EXTREME WEATHER!
“What they say about Scotland is that you go through every season every hour,” Doff says. “Gale-force winds, then some sun, then colossal rain.” The titular boyz encounter all of that, and even a spot of light British drizzle proves problematic when you’re wearing gleaming white trainers. But there’s also an invisible threat. “When it all clears, you’ve got the midges, which are like piranhas but in the sky,” explains Doff. “They’re clouds of microscopic mosquitos that will break the toughest person in the world. The good thing about the rain is the midges can’t fly. So it’s rain or midges — which do you want?”
NO PHONE SIGNAL!
Orientation can endanger even the best of travellers without 3G — so what happens when you place four smartphone-addicts in an area where there’s no signal? “Mobile phones are the bane of horror films,” Doff explains. “Any modern film that doesn’t address mobiles, you spend the whole time wondering, ‘Why don’t they just use their phone?’” Helpfully for plot reasons, rural Scotland has notoriously patchy coverage — to the deep distress of our Gen-z leads. “The good thing about the Highlands is that you have huge stretches of zero signal. But it would be unrealistic to not have phones at all.” Which is not to say they are neglected in the film: phones are used to make music videos with the self-proclaimed “future of hip-hop”, DJ Beatroot.
POSH PEOPLE WITH GUNS!
Our heroes are hunted by an actual duke (Izzard), in a nightmarish class-war take on The Most Dangerous Game. The “wonderful, deranged characters”, as Doff calls them, are actually a set-up for bloody vengeance with a political edge. “In the wake of Brexit and Trump I was feeling heartbroken for the next generation,” Doff explains. “I wanted to write a revenge film for them.”
YOUR OWN INCOMPETENCE!
It’s a ragtag crew for sure: three self-confessed skivers and a plucky homeschooled kid looking forward to making friends. Doff says, “They’re not just inept, but they have no desire to not be inept.” But this journey ultimately brings these boys together despite their differences. “It’s about figuring out who you are as a teenager, who you’re pretending to be and who you’re pigeonholed to be.” The Highlands can be deadly — but they can also be a lifesaver.
BOYZ IN THE WOOD IS ON PRIME VIDEO FROM 7 AUGUST