Day 25: Incident At Loch Ness (2004)

A Month of Horror

I have always wanted to do a marathon of "HORROR" throughout the month of October, one where I would revisit a new horror movie every day from the first to the thirty-first.  I will revisit the classics as well as new entries into the canon.  There are many movies that define this time of year, and I hope to showcase 31 of them this month...

October 25: Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

What would happen if one of the world's greatest living directors was hired to direct a documentary about one of the world's greatest cryptozoological mysteries?  The result could very well be similar to Zak Penn's "Incident At Loch Ness".

This particular film acknowledges the audience at every turn and shows the voyage of an intrepid film crew as the head out onto the murky waters of Scotland's Loch Ness in search of the mythical "Nessie".  The brilliant twist to Penn's movie is that he hires Werner Herzog to produce, direct and narrate the film.

For those of you unfamiliar with Werner Herzog, he is a German filmmaker who has excelled in both the narrative fiction and documentary style of film and has developed a reputation for being both an unparalleled visionary, as well as a somewhat demented genius.  There is footage of an interview with Herzog online where he is shot in the stomach by a mischief with a pellet gun.  His reaction is a dismissive one and he continues the interview after dismissing his bloodied navel as nothing more than a "mere flesh wound".

He is the exact kind of character to headline such a film, and such an excursion, and it is his incredulous delivery of lines as things spiral out of control that ties this documentary together.  His unique accent also lends a degree of gravitas to the slowly spiralling-out-of-control proceedings of this excellent film.  Do your self a favor and check out this ingeniously twisted masterpiece.

Tomorrow, I will be taking another trip down memory lane.  Only this time, I'm going to need a bigger boat.