Not as big as the village, but still bloody good! (The Cottage (DVD))

Member Name: neillus182

Product:	The Cottage (DVD)
Date:	23/03/09 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gorey, funny, quite well acted

Disadvantages: Annoying lead female

This was a genuine surprise of a movie for me. I mean, i was expecting some low budget trash with very few laugh, but since i am a horror fiend, and it was only 2 quid with post and packaging on amazon, i thought why the hell not? What i got was an unexpectably enjoyable British comedy horror movie, which could well be the best out there if it weren't for Shaun of The Dead.

Plot-
David (Andy Serkis) and Peter (Reece Shearsmith) are a pair of fairly opposite brothers. David is aggressive and tough whereas Peter is soft and manipulated by his wife. The pair are hiding out in a cottage in the woods after they have kidnapped a gang boss's daughter, Tracey (Jennifer Ellison). They are expecting 100,000 quid to get delivered to them in return for their safety, but instead they get a bumbling idiot called Andrew (Steven O'Donnel), two Chinese killers, and a psychotic farmer. What ensues is a comical triumph, as the group hunt each other, and are also all hunted, with plenty of laughs along the way.

The comedy here is pretty good throughout, with a good character bonding between the siblings, which gives the viewers a good dose of sibling rivalry and bickering as the madness ensues. This is always fun, as it gives a very light and very familiar feel to the film. Many of the other gags rely on over the top gross out special effects, but i felt that this also was handled well, and the injuries sustained by the group are both amusing and sickening at the same time.

The acting here was better than expected, with Andy Serkis great as the more pyschotic sibling, who deep down cares for his brother. Serkis is clearly an actor who excels when it comes to violence and is always convincing.

Shearsmith is also on a pretty good form as the softer brother, who comically complains throughout about the cold and his ever more painfull body. I actually felt sorry for the actor having to portray someone with no backbone whatsoever, but he does it well and to good comic effect.
Ellison isn't the best actress, but she is good eye candy for the male audience, though a bit irritating at times with her constant loud aggression...
The film is a little more horror than most horror comedies, as, unlike Shaun of The Dead, it does have the odd fright here and there. This could be due to a contorted killer and the entire film being set in the dark though....
Things are directed with a good pace throughout, and you never find yourself getting bored, with a good blend between the drama filled first half and the horror comedy of the second.

Conclusiuon-
This is a genuinely fun movie throughout, and any fans of Severance, and most fans of Shaun of The Dead will love it. I would personally recommend it to any fan of comedy though, and lots of action and horror fans will appreciate the thrills and gore throughout 

Summary: A pretty good british comedy gore fest