Fun horror fare (The Cottage (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	The Cottage (DVD)
Date:	01/09/09 (1 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Serkis is great, very amusing, inventive kills

Disadvantages: None especially

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room

The future of horror seems to lie firmly in comedy these days - the likes of Shaun of the Dead and Severance really opened the door to filmmakers who wanted to meld gore with laughs, and the last few years has seen a spate of these sorts of films, most of them surprisingly good. The problem is that genuine horror has been so overdone that if it's too self-serious, it just isn't convincing, but if something just goes off the rails and runs with it, it can actually work rather well, as evidenced by The Cottage.

The film opens as David and Peter (Andy Serkis and Reece Shearsmith), kidnap Tracey (Jennifer Ellison), who is the daughter of an infamous mob boss. They take her to a cottage, where they hold her ransom, but they don't count on the cottage being attacked by a gang of undesirables, most of all a psychopathic murderer known only as The Farmer. All Hell breaks loose, and the blood (and body parts) start flying.

It's a loony and rather wild ride indeed, with plenty of gore and chuckles to be had. I expected very little from the film, but despite a very low budget, it delivers some inventive kills, and nifty effects to boot. Also, things don't end as you might expect them to, and I sure was surprised a few times at the fates of various characters. Also, the ending is a real kicker that screams "sequel!", but whatever the cause, it ends on a clever note. Andy Serkis is notably quite impressive as one of the lead kidknappers - up until now he's had very similar "soft" roles in Peter Jackson films, and here, he lets loose, showing that he can play a living, breathing villain as well as the CGI-laden Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

Few will expect much from The Cottage, yet with an outstanding turn from Andy Serkis, as well as a wealth of styled blood-letting, it is an unpredictable, highly enjoyable breath of fresh air.

Summary: Well crafted low budget horror