The Haunted Airman (2006)

As a Twilight and Pattinson fan, I was extremely eager to see The Haunted Airman. After it was over I wondered what the hell I just saw.The film version of the book, The Haunting of Toby Jugg by Dennis Wheatley, is very choppy and confusing. Each scene gets stranger as it progresses and its running length, seventy minutes, is not enough to justify a conclusion. It was as though director Durlacher decided to just end it because he couldn't think of anything else. Robert Pattinson plays Jugg and he is the best thing in this movie. This was the first non-Twilight film with him in it that I saw that PROVED he is an actor. He is absolutely breathtaking and you can clearly see his descent into madness. He realizes that his lover, Julia, has turned against him and the only person he can trust is himself. This sets off a chain of events that will lead to a tragic end.Pattinson does very well playing a paraplegic; he drags his legs around convincingly and shows his humiliation when he has to be sponge-bathed by a nurse (Melissa Lloyd). His wheelchair fits the time, the old ones that were run manually and he moves fast! When Toby wants to get away, there is no stopping him. It is a brilliant performance and Pattinson shines.The second reason, if there are others, to see this short film is Rachel Sterling. She plays the beautiful aunt-in-law of Toby's who starts a relationship with Dr. Burns and pulls away from him. Sterling is gorgeous and you can see the chemistry between them; it is as though they really WERE the characters and the strain of the relationship is evident…especially at the end.Other stand out performers include Julian Sands as Dr. Hal Burns. Although the run time is short, you learn quickly that he is the one driving Jugg slowly mad. He is slime and Sands pulls it off perfectly. When he steals Jugg's letters, I was ready to throw something at the screen. Sister Sally Grant is played by the spectacular Melissa Lloyd. She shines in this role. She appears to be Jugg's friend and confidante, but it's clear whose side she's REALLY on. I would recommend this movie for the acting but nothing else. It is good to watch near Halloween if you want to feel your skin crawl and jump over every shadow or spider. Pattinson makes this film worth it.

Being a typical stereotypical Aussie, I am broadminded and satisfied with most films, be it Top Shelf, big Budget Block-busters or 'B' Grade beauties..... BUT, in this instance, I am going to be a complete hypocrite and severely knock this woeful movie. I do not care that Robert Pattinson is some kind of bubble-gum-toy-boy Twilight twit....that is inconsequential, I take each effort on it's merits. Julian Sands is a fine actor, no thespian, and I was surprised to find him accepting the outcome of this trash. Maybe the Director, his Screen Writer and such are aware of the tedious progress of this movie, but to us mere mortals...."what the heck is this plot all about, where is it going". Anyway, I've had my say, albeit probably a target of the 'Net Trolls, but I paid my hard-earned-cash to go see it and if I were more aggressive, I would have stormed back to the Ticket Office and requested a 'Refund'. I have NEVER criticised a film as I have here, so hopefully, this is the last.

As a fan of the late prolific Dennis Wheatley who found "The Haunting of Toby Jugg" to be one of his most gripping thrillers, I was confused to find that this tedious mess was supposed to be inspired by that work. What there is of plot is undercut by uncertainty whether Jugg, from whose POV the story is seen, is a reliable narrator or a nutcase. Playing Jugg, Robert Pattinson mostly gives the perfect Goth fashion model note of cool emotionlessness, which presumably serves him well in the hunky teen vampire stories to which he owes his fame. For this story I would have preferred an actor.Just for fun, the script includes a bit of interracial flirting which is perfectly appropriate to the 21st Century and perfectly inappropriate to World War II, during which the story is set. Casting a black woman as nurse in a British countryside rest home was inane altogether considering the era.Don't waste your time. Read the book if you can find it.

This was an absolute terrible film. I have not read the book and therefore cannot comment on the accuracy of the film. However the fact remains it was torture to watch. I and my wife and daughter sat down hoping to enjoy an evening's entertainment. What a mistake after only 40mins we knew this was a disaster but struggled through to the very end. The film was filmed in bad light, the story seemed to be all over the place. I believe you would more appreciate the film if you yourself had a disturbed mind maybe then the film would make sense. I thought the acting was laboured but would make a great advert for cigarette companies.