Deathwatch (2002 film)

Deathwatch, a 2002 horror war film, takes place during World War I. M. J. Bassett wrote and directed it, and the cast includes Jamie Bell, Laurence Fox, Kris Marshall, Matthew Rhys, and Andy Serkis. The story centers on a group of British soldiers who become lost and seek shelter in an enemy trench, where they find themselves tormented by a hostile supernatural presence.

In 1917, the men of the British 5th Battalion's Y Company, led by Captain Jennings, charge a German trench. Private Charlie Shakespeare, only sixteen and having lied about his age to enlist, initially hesitates but is urged forward by Sergeant Tate. Many soldiers die from machine-gun fire and artillery, and the unit gets separated in the fog. After hours of walking and carrying the paralyzed Private Colin Chevasse, they discover a labyrinthine trench network. Inside, they find three terrified German soldiers. Private Willie McNess calls for their surrender, but they seem more frightened of something deeper in the trenches. Private Thomas Quinn kills one, another flees, and the third, Friedrich, gives up. Believing they have broken through enemy lines, the squad decides to secure the area. They find disturbing signs: rotting bodies tangled in barbed wire, discarded German bayonets, and stopped compasses and watches. While setting off charges to block passages, they hear a demonic growl, and blood seeps from the mud.

Later, Private Jack Hawkstone is ambushed by the second German hiding in the mud. Jack and Private Barry Starinski wound and capture him, but Thomas executes him with a pistol and scalps him, ignoring Tate’s objections. Attempts to radio command reveal that Y Company was thought to have been wiped out, and then communications fail. The first night passes quietly, with Corporal "Doc" Fairweather treating the wounded. Barry, distracted by strange noises, finds three German corpses wrapped in barbed wire and standing upright. As he calls for help, one corpse comes to life and attacks him. Charlie and Tate find Barry’s body lashed to the wall with barbed wire. Suspecting hidden German troops, the men violently interrogate Friedrich, who speaks French. Charlie understands him as he explains that the other Germans turned on each other and that "evil" exists in the trenches.

The next morning, the company piles up German dead and clears dugouts with grenades. Phantom sounds of artiller