The Seasoning House (2012)

Angel is a young deaf/mute girl who is kidnapped in a war-torn Balkans somewhere and forced to work in a house that provides military personnel with sex when not fighting. So yes, a brothel. She has the favour of the ruthless pimp Victor and put in charge of drugging the other girls who provide the service to the soldiers, so they don’t fight back, and cleaning them up afterwards - as the experience was often brutal.

Yes, it’s a horror-filled, nasty film, depicting the wicked behaviour of nasty men towards women in a claustrophobic, violence-ridden house in the middle of nowhere. Almost all of the film is based in the house, inside its walls, roof space and battered bedrooms. The channels that our heroine uses to move silently and swiftly around the house looking out for the abused girls and trying to help them survive their ordeals.

It’s a horror film, basically, with various scenes of violent rape and torture, but eventually it turns into a survival thriller as Angel, played brilliantly by Brit actress Rosie Day (Outlander, All Roads Lead to Rome), flips one day whilst watching one of the nasty soldiers doing what he did (and paying extra to be allowed to be extra violent), leaps out of the wall and kills him. From hereon in, all the aforementioned is left behind as Angel tries to escape the group of soldiers in and out of her maze of walls and tunnels in the house, as they seek revenge and try to kill her.

By this time, yes, there’s a group of soldiers led by their Commander, Goran, played by Sean Pertwee (Event Horizon, Gotham, Cold Feet) in pursuit, and the action eventually spills out into the nearby woods. Angel runs, ducks and dives for her life. So yes, now more of a cat and mouse chase-thriller. There is a twisty turny ending to a degree, so I won’t spoil that for you but yes, for those who don’t want to see all the aforementioned, the second half of the film, though losing context of course, could certainly be viewed in isolation.

It’s not a film for everyone, obviously, but it is very well made, directed and written by ‘seasoned’ horror film creator Paul Hyett (Howl, The Descent) and acted very well by the whole cast. Those who make it to the end (and can stomach it) will spend most of the 90 minutes wide-eyed on the edge of their seat. The audience, of course, roots throughout for poor Angel, hoping that she triumphs over these nasty men - and that they get their comeuppance. But will she be strong enough? A nasty, brutal horror film, available on various streaming platforms.