Director: Jack Lawrence McHenry
Running Time: 80 Minutes
Starring: Tom Bailey, Margaret Clunie, Timothy Renouf, Jessica Webber, Oscar Meyrick, Maureen Bennett, Philip Whitchurch
In 2019, writer/director Jack Lawrence McHenry made his feature debut at FrightFest Glasgow with Here Comes Hell, a well-regarded blend of horror and comedy set during a bygone period. Six-years later, McHenry returns to the festival with his follow-up feature, another horror/comedy set during a bygone period; The Doom Busters.
It is 1940, and the Third Reich has taken over Europe. Preparing for the incoming invasion, Britain creates the Home Guard, a ragtag militia made up of volunteers to defend their towns and villages despite having little training and makeshift weapons. One such member is Arthur Roundtree (Tom Bailey), a bored young man who dreams of action and adventure, despite being stuck in a small English village miles away from war. He is sent on a training exercise with fellow companions, but things take a serious turn when an extra-terrestrial creature crashes on the village outskirts, leaving the group fighting a different kind of invader.
Central to this World War II set tale are a youthful group living away from war. Arthur's dreams of partaking were halted due to a medical condition, while the mustachioed William (Timothy Renouf) looks out for himself after an injury, and the bespectacled Harold (Oscar Meyrick) wishes to ask out Edith (Jessica Webber) to the dance. They are a lovable group who are effectively handled thanks to the writing and the well-played performances.
They feel the pressures mounting thanks to expected participation, struggling to find a way of helping while stuck where nothing seems to happen. Breaking up the narrative is a scene of joy, as they take down scarecrows who are dressed up as antagonistic forces. It is a fleeting moment that captures how happiness can still exist, but will not last as external terrors soon arrive to shatter their innocence.
It is apparent that McHenry was working with a small budget, particularly when the effects can be rather distracting, yet the feature works around such potential limitations rather impressively. One standout moment involves an off-screen death, which the editing brings alive to make all the more horrific. The influences are clear throughout, from a clear visual reference to Alien, to the moment a strange nurse introduces herself to the protagonists resembling Kyle Reese's iconic entrance in The Terminator, and especially the murderous alien's viewpoint which calls to mind The Evil Dead.
Livening up the scenes is a funky score, tapping into an old-school synthy sound that recalls entertaining classics of horror. It is a film full of goofy fun, particularly involving a vital reveal involving an armband, and while such silliness can overwhelm the narrative at times, McHenry also refuses to pull any punches regarding the characters. While the youth may stand against the invading alien, they soon find themselves out of their depth as they are caught in a war of their own, in the hopes that they can live up to the teachings of The Home Guard. It all makes for an entertaining time well spent with The Doom Busters, and leaves one hoping that Jack Lawrence McHenry's next charming feature will arrive earlier than another six-years.
The Doom Busters made its World Premiere at FrightFest Glasgow 2025
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