The Spine of Night is streaming now via Shudder in the UK, North America, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Synopsis
This epic fantasy tale, about the history of a land that never was, begins when an ambitious young man steals forbidden knowledge from a sacred plant. He falls to its darker temptations and in so doing, unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind. As his power grows over the years, it falls to people of different ilk and culture to attempt to stop him. Among those who stand against him are a daring tomb-robber, star-crossed lovers, a maniacal necromancer, winged assassins, and an undying guardian.
Review
Take a pinch of Game of Thrones, a dash of 1977’s Wizards and you’ve landed in the right ballpark for Shudder’s ultraviolet The Spine of Night. The film, the first collaboration between writer-directors Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King, is a sight to behold and certainly pushes the boundaries for adult animated filmmaking.
Gelatt and King have crafted a stunning visual landscape through which to deconstruct a heroes journey. The world building they are able to achieve is unparalleled in an animated feature. This isn’t simply a story set in a recognisable world. Within The Spine of Night‘s 93 minutes we witness the creation of an entirely new world and its mythology.
The film boldly opens with a woman, Tzod (Lucy Lawless), wandering in the snow wearing little more than ceremonial bones. As she climbs a bleak, snowcapped mountain she spots a shimmering blue light emanating from a skull carved in to the mountainside. Inside she meets The Guardian (Richard E. Grant), the keeper of secrets and knowledge that he feels humanity isn’t ready for. The meeting sets in motion a back-and-forth as the two argue about the nature of power.
The Spine of Night proceeds almost like an anthology. As Tzod and The Guardian argue their points of view it takes the form of short stories which fill in the blanks on the winter wonderland. We learn that Tzod was one a Shaman who used The Guardian’s blue flowers to help bring about her visions. But the swamp which she inhabited stood in the way of the more civilised societies development, bringing about a confrontation and a battle for her homeland.
The film tackles themes of spiritualism and traditionalism versus the ideals of colonialism and oppression. It doesn’t take much digging under its bloody, violent surface to find a laudable amount of social commentary. Despite all of the fantasy tropes there’s a reflection of our own development as a species, consistently lashing out at the weak or the different.
At the centre of it all is Gahl-Sur (Jordan Douglas Smith), another man desperate for power. He forces his views on his people in the name of an imperfect God. His peddles his ideas a “progress” and uses this as an excuse for his deplorable actions. It’s a tough pill to swallow and is easily one of Shudder’s most through provoking originals to-date.
Gelatt and King aren’t in a rush to get to the point. The Spine of Night is a sure-fire slow burner. The action beats are bloody and ultra-violent but don’t be mistaken. There is plenty of postulating to be done. There’s centuries of history to learn in the brisk 93 minute runtime and they aren’t afraid to make the viewer work for it.
Verdcit
The Spine of Night is a visual spectacle. The rotoscope animation is stylish and perfectly suited to the film’s fantastical storytelling.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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