DAGGERS INN (2025)

3 stars

Seven Tales. Digital. 23rd March

A small village called Haxanbury – which may, or may not clue you in to what DAGGERS INN might feature.

A young woman Donna (Anna Danvers) arrives there. There are quick cut flashes to something that has occurred previously in the area. She meets car mechanic Samron (Gavin Gordon), who initially thinks she is her sister Sybil. He tells her she needs to leave – as ‘they won’t accept your kind around here’. Whatever that might means.

At a local law firm, the boss Stanley Montagu-John (Martin Payne) is being told by the somewhat obnoxious and slimy Toby Vass (James Hamer-Morton) they need to expand and move money around. Which he can handle. Stanley isn’t convinced and brings Lauren (Terry Bamberger) into the meeting. She agrees that they need to do it to get ahead of their rival in the area.

Donna is there to try and get to the bottom of what happened to her sister, who worked for the law firm and, despite a full investigation, she believes was murdered. When Robbins (David J Biscoe) is sent from the lawyers to check out this new arrival, she puts some kind of hex on her. She clearly has some kind of powers. Is she a witch? This is hinted at but never fully explored.

There is a central mystery here as to what is going on in the village and how it is related to the law firm. The issue though is will you care… The film lacks any drive, as the plot, such that it is, ambles along with ripe dialogue and massively variable acting. Much mention is made of the titular hostelry, but it’s not clear if that’s the ramshackle place where Donna is staying – as the poster makes it look like it’s a pub of some sort. In the end it’s all a bit odd.

Steve Kirkham