The Cottage 2008

 After writing the unsettling Christmas horror film The Children, Paul Andrew Williams followed it up by writing and directing The Cottage a 2008 British dark horror comedy.  Starring Andy Serkis (known for being the voice of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movies) and Reece Shearsmith (from the British comedy troop League of Gentlemen who wrote and starred in the horror comedy series Psychoville) as two bumbling brothers who kidnap a mobsters step daughter and hold her for ransom.  Their plan runs into problems and soon they are being stalked by a psychotic serial killer only known as The Farmer.  Also starring is Jennifer Ellison as their foul mouthed victim.  Doug Bradley (Pinhead from the Hellblazer franchise) makes a cameo as one of the villagers that warns David (Serkis) about being in the cottage they are holed up.

The Cottage is made up of two halves. First it is a crime drama with the kidnapping plot going south and the brothers being forced to figure our what to do next.  The second half is a slasher film that doesn't skimp on the blood and gore.  The farmhouse looks like something taken right out of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and when it is introduced into the film the horror part of the horror comedy begins to ramp up.  There's even a suitcase with the words "You Will Never Leave Me" carved into is as well as the "moth room" that Peter enters and it just so happens he is terrified of moths.  When one of the leads asks the question "Why are there hands in the freezer?" you know you've hit horror comedy gold.  

I've been watching horror films for about forty years so when I say I saw some very inventive kills as well as sudden amputations in this one that is saying something.  There is definitely something to be said for British horror comedies.  They certainly know how to do it the right way.  The way Shaun of the Dead made a zombie movie into a horror comedy this one nearly succeeds just as much as a slasher horror comedy.  The second half in my opinion is definitely the better half of the movie but as a while it is quite decent.  Oh and there is a short extra scene after the credits so stick around for that.  I've read some pretty bad reviews on this one and while it's not perfect and not a classic I still can mange to give it 3 and a half Pick Axes out of 5.  The Horror Honey and I are back on the same page for this one as she mirrors my grade.  Now before I go I want to ad this special little announcement that beginning tomorrow we will have not one but two movies a day for the final 10 days of the month.