THE COTTAGE (2008)

THE COTTAGE
***
Rating: R
Length: 92 minutes
Director: Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton; It’s Okay to Drink Whiskey)
Writer: Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton; It’s Okay to Drink Whiskey)
Starring: Andy Serkis, Jennifer Ellison, Doug Bradley, Reece Shearsmith, Steven Berkoff, Steve O’Donnell, Dave Legeno, Johnny Harris, Simon Schatzberger, Katy Murphy

Let’s face it- there’s not a lot of places to really go with the slasher genre any more. So it’s nice to come across a film of it’s sort that has a bit of zip and humor to it. I hate to throw in another “Shaun of the Dead” comparison two reviews in a row, but the type of British black humor mixed with gore here makes for a pretty favorable comparison. I liked “The Cottage”. It was nice to watch a slasher movie that wasn’t completely hateful like the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” remake. Don’t get me wrong- I love those movies when they’re done correctly. I don’t want sunshine and lollipops in my slasher flicks, but some of these recent ones have been downers even by the genre’s standards. I went into the film knowing nothing of the plot (which was a good thing, so maybe you should stop reading here and come back after you watch it), so when a pair of bickering brothers- David (Andy Serkis- Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy) and Peter (Reece Shearsmith) - arrive at a cottage hidden in the English countryside, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The plot slowly reveals that they have kidnapped a strip club owner’s (Steven Berkoff) foul-mouthed daughter (British tabloid queen Jennifer Ellison) and are awaiting the ransom money. The owner’s dim-witted son (Steve O’Donnell) is in on it and doesn’t follow directions very well. I had heard that this was supposed to be a horror movie, but half way in and I thought I was in a standard semi-comical “heist-gone-wrong” movie. You know, more Guy Ritchie than Edgar Wright. Then Peter goes into the local village to make a phone call. He soon finds himself surrounded by a group of locals. He receives a warning about how he should be staying indoors. Needless to say, at that point, the information could have used a tad bit earlier. Not to mention that the club owner has sent his goons out to retrieve his daughter. The goons, however, pale in comparison to the “monster” (Dave Legeno) that is waiting back at the cottage. I won’t go into any further details, but let’s just say the movie takes a 180 and it completely works. The villain will remind horror fanatics of the old school Leatherface, but with his own personal touches. The gore is a bit extreme at times, so I wouldn’t recommend this for the squeamish- though if you’re sick of the typical “set them up and watch them fall” emptiness of the recent slasher movies then “The Cottage” is the movie for you. I will go ahead and warn you now that the ending may leave you with a little bit of wanting (there’s almost certainly a sequel on it’s way), so pay close attention once things get rolling to get a better understanding and stay through the end credits to get a little more closure.

(Note: “Hellraiser” fans will be pleased to find that Doug Bradley, Pinhead himself, has a small role in the film)

Download Soundtrack MP3:
William Bell- Happy

Pre-order the DVD Here (Release Date: 5/13/08)