The Windmill Massacre (2016) Review
A group of tourists are on a bus tour around some of Holland’s most famous windmills when, wouldn’t you just know it, the bus breaks down leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere. They seek shelter in a disused shed beside a dilapidated windmill, not just any old windmill, but the very same one that a Devil-worshipping miller used to grind human bones instead of the usual grain.
When members of the group start disappearing, Australian-on-the-run Jennifer (Charlotte Beaumont) and her dwindling number of companions, start to piece together the real reason why they are all there and why it is that they are all being stalked by the scary scythe-bearing Miller.
A slasher flick set in Holland!!!! In a windmill!!!! Seriously! That was enough to get my juices flowing in favour of watching writer/director Nick Jongerius’ deliciously entitled The Windmill Massacre! And what’s more, despite adding little new to the mix, what it does do, it does very well, feeling fresher than it probably sounds.
By having The Windmill Massacre play like an Eighties slasher, it comes as a welcome break from the never-ending found-footage flicks currently over-saturating the market. And whilst feeling familiar it never feels generic, with well-sketched characterisations and a decent bogeyman, The Miller, cranking up the enjoyment factor further.
The protagonists are a mixed bag, not the usual bunch of annoying youngsters, but despite the mixture they all have something in common, which becomes quickly apparent once they reach the titular windmill. The estranged father/child dynamic is oft-used within the genre, and was the only failing in the otherwise excellent recent release Train to Busan, but not here, it feels better played. Also when it comes to slashers I pride myself on guessing the order of character dispatchment, something The Windmill Massacre kicks into touch very early on.
Director Jongerius wanted to avoid making a straightforward slasher film adding a supernatural tinge and he succeeds. And by choosing to use practical effects over CGI too he has ensured that the abundant splatter has a welcome old-school feel to it. Broken down into parts The Windmill Massacre is hardly breaking new ground, but as a collective whole it’s a blast! Recommended!
