Neil Baker
Wreck is coming soon to BBC Three and iPlayer.
BBC Three has a long and impressive history of commissioning exciting new writers, artists and directors, especially in horror and comedy. Three’s envious back catalogue includes classics like The Fades, In the Flesh, Being Human, Killing Eve and the recently released Red Rose. However, the classic slasher horror has been absent from this intoxicating mix of brilliant shows (although Killing Eve came pretty close). But that’s all about to change as we prepare to climb aboard Ryan J. Brown’s killer cruise, Wreck.
In the pantheon of slasher superstars, Micheal had his soulless mask, Freddy had his razor-sharp glove, and Jason had a battered hockey mask. But Wreck offers us a new slasher icon, and it’s far more scary and deadly than anything that’s come before it, except the evil Banana Splits (2019). Here the killer hunts in silence, its feet gliding along the poop deck without a sound, its only calling card the odd bright yellow feather floating in the air. Yes, that’s right, you guessed it, it’s a bright yellow duck in a waterproof hat and jacket. Not since Orville have I been this terrified of ducks. Of course, unlike Orville, it’s not a real duck but a mysterious killer in disguise.
READ MORE: SWALLOWED
Like all good slasher horrors, our story opens with our deadly duck stalking its next victim as the Sacramentum cruise ship ploughs through the waves, waves that will soon consume the young woman running for her life from the bright yellow killer. We then jump forward in time and meet Jamie (Oscar Kennedy), a fresh-faced recruit about to spend his summer serving the needs of the Sacramentum’s passengers. But Jamie isn’t the eager recruit he first appears to be. Instead, he has infiltrated the crew through a deal with the actual recruit to find his missing sister, who disappeared on the ship’s last voyage. But as Jamie finds himself initiated into cruise life, the mystery deepens, and one person, Danny (Jack Rowan), becomes his number one suspect.
READ MORE: SCHOOL’S OUT FOREVER
Ryan J. Brown’s screenplay is as sharp as the knife our devilish duck wields as he explores hierarchy, popularity, desire and a need for escape among the young recruits in a floating hotel that often feels like a fancy prison. But it’s Wreck’s humourous murder mystery that shines, with episode one closing on a cliffhanger that will have you screaming for episode two. However, don’t be fooled into thinking this is your average horror/comedy because, under the surface, there is a hell of a lot more going on than first meets the eye.
There are nods to Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Ready or Not, and Friday the 13th littered throughout, but despite this, Wreck feels fresh and different to anything else we have seen. Here Wreck’s humour, queer representation, fast pace and colourful cinematography create a modern slasher horror that is as addictive as it is smart. Not since Columbo’s famous cruise-bound killer episode, Troubled Waters, in 1975 have I had this much fun on the high seas, so believe me when I say, Wreck is going to be your next big Autumn TV binge.
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The series stars Oscar Kennedy (Ladhood/School’s Out) as Jamie, Thaddea Graham (The Irregulars) as Vivian, Jack Rowan (Noughts + Crosses) as Danny, and Harriet Webb (I May Destroy You) as Karen.
First Look Pictures
READ MORE: ‘All Aboard’ as BBC Three and Euston Films announce a second series of Wreck
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FIRST LOOK RATING
Summary
There are nods to Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Friday the 13th littered throughout, but Wreck feels fresh and different to anything else we have seen.
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