Siren (2013) – Movie Review by LAW

Director: Jesse Peyronel
Writer: Jesse Peyronel (screenplay)
Stars: Vinessa Shaw, Robert Kazinsky, Bess Wohl

Format : DVD/DIGITAL

Release date :18 August from Osiris Entertainment

Siren is the debut feature from British writer/director Jesse Peyronel. It is the story of loner Leigh, played by Vinessa Shaw (Eyes Wide Shut), a woman who has spent her entire adult life living in an old house surrounded by security cameras and locked gates, on the outskirts of some north-eastern backwater US town.

The reason for this forced exile is that Leigh has a very special power, she secretes an extremely potent pheromone that once smelt, makes any man who comes in contact with her fall instantly, and ultimately violently, in love with her. This power has put Leigh in danger from not only her besotted suitors, but their jealous wives, nefarious pharmaceutical companies and curious scientists. The film opens after a storm, which has taken out the electricity to the security system and brings with it a drifter named Guy, played by Robert Kazinsky (True Blood, Eastenders). Guy has his own secret, as he has gone awol from active duty and if caught will be court marshalled. He arrives as Leigh’s saviour, having been an electrician in the army he is in the position to fix her security system but in an even better stroke of luck, a mortar attack has left him with no sense of smell so he is entirely immune to her pheromones.

Siren, named for the mythological creature, is a bit of a misnomer as Leigh is not dangerous to anyone but herself. Leigh is merely a vessel for the sexual desires of the men who become obsessed with her. She appears to each man as a different figure of their desire – in itself a confusing device to the viewer as I was left wondering who all these different women were at the beginning. Leigh craves a normal life, and it is not until she meets Guy that this has ever presented itself as a possibility.

Siren premiered at the Austin film festival and has done the small festival circuit. Peyronel graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of Arts prestigious film/TV program and started his career as a director of music videos and commercials for Ad agencies. He was a writer on NBC/Sky’s Dracula (staring Jonathan Rhys Meyers). His next big project is to bring to the screen Chuck Palahniuk’s novel “Invisible Monsters”.

Siren treads a line between supernatural thriller, love story and horror. It feels like it is going in the horror direction but never makes that leap, leaving the viewer on edge with no real reason. It is a very interesting debut and marks the beginning of what I imagine will be a successful career for Peyronel who is one to watch for the future.