Beyond The Hub Black River Meadow: The Hiding by DJ Forrest

A Gareth David-Lloyd/Robin Bell Production

Broadcast Youtube

31^st October 2018

Am at the computer typing away. I hear a noise behind me. Quickly I spin around. Nothing. Door is still closed. I carry on. Another noise. Jump but still nothing. Beginning to feel a touch paranoid. See what you've done to me, guys!!!

In the very depths of an old building, where the entrance to the basement is padlocked, and inside is boarded up with bricks and timber, a family are faced with an agonising decision in order to protect their young child.

Set in an otherworldly village hidden deep in the Welsh countryside in a time before machinery and electric it would appear. The entire scene is worked in a dimly lit room that probably once stored beer barrels and coal. Oil lamps are the only light. There’s a real sense of foreboding? This is scarier than Torchwood’s episode Countrycide.

There are so many questions as to why the family are doing what they are doing, and who is knocking on the door, and perhaps the answers will come over time, but there are just, so many questions, that I wonder if they will all be answered within the three-part web series.

Hang on, there’s a noise in the other room…

There’s no dialogue in the episode but a few screams and agonisingly painful cries which only adds to the terror as the scenes unfold.

There were many predictable moments during the ‘Two Cycles Later’ portion, which you really hoped wouldn’t happen, because, you knew that by doing it, bad things would happen, and you couldn’t help but scream at the telly – Don’t do it, you idiot.

There were a lot of jump scares. Some fairly predictable ones, but you’re that focused on the screen for the 21 minutes that, although you know something is in there, you’re as curious as Gareth’s character to know what it is but it still scares the crap out of you.

I think I spent nearly the whole portion of Gareth’s scenes with my hands over my eyes, peeking through my fingers. The makeup and SFX team were excellent I have to say and caused a lot of ewwww moments between me and the Weevil.

I have to say it’s not a film for Weevils to watch. It’s also not a film for children to watch, so if you do have any about, make sure they’re not likely to come in loudly or sneakily, as one, it will scare them and two, it won’t do much for your nerves either, having a child scream in your ear. 

I’m not a fan of horror but this was a project that I wanted to be a part of, even if it was just a small part for a limited-edition metal badge. It’s been well worth the wait, and for as much as I know that every noise in my house right now is giving me the heebee jeebees, there’s nothing creepy about my house in any way…although I do have a lock on the cupboard door, and there’s that creaking floorboard and…. what is that noise?

Hang on….

SCREAMS!!!

Crowdfunding projects are a way of bringing an idea to life if more people get behind it, and although some ideas perhaps don’t hit the right target, miss a major portion of where it’s going, this really did hit it on the head where horror and gore and frightening scenarios worked. If the second episode is as good as its first outing, then Black River Meadow will be the best horror series on the internet (IMO).

Put together by Gareth David-Lloyd and Robin Bell of Twisted Showcase and directed by Rhys Jones it was more than what I expected it to be.

I may need to watch the next episode in broad daylight though.