SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: Approx. 27:19 Min.
First produced as a 2017 podcast, this revised Bedtime Stories documentary is from writer/editor/producer/animator/narrator Richard While and artist Mikey Turcanu. Accompanied by a musical score from Co.AG and Keven MacLeod, While details the true story of the unsolved December 1900 disappearance of three lighthouse keepers on the remote isle of Eliean Mór. Often buffeted by raging wind and monstrous waves, the locale is The Flannan Isles within Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.
Including easy-to-follow captions, While describes the backstory, investigation, and aftermath re: the unknown fates of James Ducat, Thomas Marshall, and Donald McArthur. Various theories are weighed, with an emphasis on plausibility, as opposed to sensationalistic fiction subsequently appearing in the 20th Century. With artist Mikey Turcanu’s black-and-white paintings now animated and more reminiscent of a shifting pop-up book, While conveys a virtual ghost story.
Note: Though While’s narration is practically the same, the original 2017 podcast is ten minutes shorter. Further, Turcanu’s original black-and-white paintings are not ultra-polished animation.
REVIEW:
Boasting impressive production values, this intriguing and historically accurate film is eerie without being exploitative. The ambiance of this animated black-and-white cartoon, when combined with Richard While’s spot-on narration and its haunting musical score, is mesmerizing. Though meant more as ghost story entertainment, “The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Mystery – Reprise” is recommended for all-age armchair sleuths.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
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