Sundance 2020: ‘Eight For Silver’ Is A Gorgeous Gorefest With Strong Central Performances

The Battle of the Somme: a deadly skirmish in a deadly war. Among its half million casualties is Edward, a young man who enters the medic tent wounded and doesn’t manage to recover. Of the bullets retrieved from his fallen body, one unusual bullet is also unearthed: a massive silver round, inexplicably lodged in his body. These images begin Eight For Silver, a gorgeous and gory entry into the canon of werewolf cinema with a novel twist on the standard mythology.

Sean Ellis’ Eight For Silver then rewinds to 35 years prior. Wealthy and iron-fisted Seamus (Allistair Petrie) finds himself in conflict with a local Roma clan. They have a legitimate claim to territory on his land, prompting Seamus to order the clan’s brutal removal, a removal that swiftly turns into a massacre—one that is legitimately difficult to watch. In retaliation for the cruelty, clan leaders curse the land and his family. Soon the family and community find themselves having regular nightmares about scarecrows, carnage, and a mysterious box—one that accompanied the clan’s matriarch as she was buried alive.

These dreams eventually lead to a boy becoming possessed and attacking Seamus’ young son Edward, who shortly thereafter disappears altogether. When locals are attacked by what seems like a vicious animal, they bring in well known pathologist John McBride (Boyd Holbrook) to get to the bottom of things.

Altogether Eight for Silver is an engaging werewolf film that succeeds on a lot of fronts. Its an intriguing twist on standard werewolf stories, and the film boasts a number of excellent scares, strong tension, and an overall well executed werewolf design (though the VFX could use a little extra development in parts). The pacing of some individual sequences lags a little in parts, but it’s a strong entry in the genre. Ellis’ cinematography (in addition to writing and directing) is additionally excellent, with some positively stunning shots and a great overall gothic period feel.

Boyd Holbrook excels as the investigator who comes to learn the tragic truth of the real villainy behind the attacks, and he suggests a fascinating earlier history with werewolf attacks and his own family tragedy that give added depth to the character. The rest of the Laurent family are all very able performers, including wife Isabelle (Kelly Reilly in a strong emotional performance) and children Charlotte (Amelia Crouch) and Edward (Max Mackintosh).

Overall, Eight For Silver has everything you want from a great werewolf film—mysterious otherworldly folklore, a tragic yet frightening central ‘werewolf’, strong performances, solid scares, and gorgeous cinematography. If you’re looking for a gorgeous new entry into horror cinema, it’s one cinematic journey I’d surely recommend.