A group of German relic hunters enter a haunted forest in Romanian on a top secret mission even as the Russians are advancing. The nature of the mission is revealed 38 minutes into the film, which was a bit silly, but I just went with it. The events that unfold are discussed as theology by the German soldiers. In this film the German soldiers have various English and Irish accents except for one German which spoke English with a German accent. Okay, its low budget, I understand, but what was with the one Russian speaking Russian?Now in order to appreciate the film you must realize that the main plot runs in full color while the other-life elements run in washed color. The regular Germans are "good guys" while the SS and Russian regulars are bad guys. The main downfall of the film was the deliberate confusing editing.Guide: F-bomb. Rape. No nudity

First of all, this "based on actual events" gets thrown around a lot these days. Yes its true, WWII did happen. That's probably as far as I would accept the "true events" aspect is. It's a war movie with a supernatural theme running through it. The acting is not bad and it takes us back to the WWII movies of the 60's and 70's where the nazi's were always played by Brits. There is one ss Lt that has a German accent for some unknown reason, as everyone else in nazi gray has a British accents. It has some hard to follow parts, the spontaneous combustion and resurrection in some kind of time warp for example. Thats just one of the many flaws that you will come across in this movie. If you're looking for Oscar (tm) caliber performances or writing, look elsewhere. If you want a movie that doesn't take much thought and is a decent time killer, give this one a try. Don't expect much in the way of horror though. Its fun for what it is, a "B" movie that knows its a "B" movie.

There would appear to be a revival of sorts for horror flicks of a Nazi soldier bent. With both the Outpost and Dead Snow franchises doing reasonable business, especially in the retail market, it was inevitable that others would look to tap into the same lucrative vein looking to reap similar rewards. Earlier this year we were treated to the retail release of Backtrack: Nazi Vengeance. This British flick, again using Nazi's as its primal force, was a bit of a mess. With that still playing in the back of my mind I approached this feature début for former TV, commercial and music video director Mark Nuttall, with some trepidation.Fortunately both Nuttall and screenwriter Nigel Horne have fashioned a tale that manages to feel both familiar yet fresh at the same time. Soldiers of the Damned is fresh in the way that it doesn't completely cover the same tracks as the aforementioned movies, although there are some similarities - the Nazi's interest in the occult for example. It also impressively manages to capture the period it is set in. Both the production design and hair and make-up teams are to be applauded for their work on the film within such a limited budget.Unlike its comtemporary-based counterparts Soldiers of the Damned dares to be period set taking place in 1944 on the Eastern Front when the Russians are pushing the German Army back through Romania. Major Kurt Fleischer (Gil Darnell) is instructed to escort female scientist Professor Anna Kappel (Miriam Cooke) into a forest behind enemy lines so that an ancient relic can be retrieved. The soldiers in Fleischer's ensemble say that the forest is spooked or possessed but he doesn't initially believe them. Soon ghostly visions are seen and soldiers disappear as if burnt to ashes before their very eyes. Fleischer doesn't take long to suss that there is something far more sinister than expected lurking within the forest and has to figure out exactly what that something is before he and his team are completely wiped out.For the best part of an hour our interest is maintained with something of interest happening throughout. However when it comes to wrapping up proceedings the energy on-screen flags under the weight of a script that has run out of more decent ideas. It also jars that the mainly British cast talk in English accents when they are meant to be German otherwise the performances are decent with Miriam Cooke particularly impressing in the key role of Professor Anna Kappel.Mark Nuttall proves himself as a name to watch. His work in the director's chair is assured and bodes well for his future career in films. Despite the flaws mentioned Soldiers of the Damned is worth seeking out. For its limited budget the film sounds, looks and plays like a bigger studio production. Soldiers of the Damned is a breathe of fresh air in a genre that is otherwise currently stagnating under the weight of wearisome found footage and cheap zombie flicks. It's surprising, involving and far better than you would perhaps expect.Check out more of my reviews at www.mybloodyreviews.com

Romania 1944 and the German Wehrmacht is in full retreat from the Red Army. Battle weary commander Major Kurt Fleischer (Gil Darnell) is called into HQ to take a briefing for a top-secret mission. Under the direct orders of Heinrich Himmler he is to escort an archaeologist from the SS Ahnenerbe behind enemy lines to search for an ancient occult artifact that Himmler believes will help the Nazis win the war. The matter is complicated by the fact that the Ahnenerbe scientist Professor Kappel (Miriam Cooke) is both female and an old girlfriend of Fleischer's. Worse than that Fleischer's crack squad is to be accompanied by SS Major Metzger (Lucas Hansen), Fleischer's' men hate the SS and Fleischer has a bit of previous with Hansen.Crossing behind enemy lines things start to get creepy when the soldiers catch mysterious glimpses of things in the woods, the gory remnants of the previous mission turn up and Fleischer's' men start to combust. What is the secret Kappel and her SS buddies are looking for and is it worth the death of his men? Only Fleischer can decide.Soldiers of the Damned is a dark gritty occult chiller with just a hint of Raiders of the Lost Ark about it, here the real monsters are not necessarily the supernatural ones. There is plenty of well staged gory action and despite the tiny budget the props and costumes have a really authentic look to them. James Martin's cinematography is perfectly complimented by Tug's dramatic soundtrack. The only let down is the odd bit of clunky dialogue, but it is good to see most of the Germans being portrayed as ordinary blokes with only the real Nazis as truly evil.