The Cottage | Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith | SURPRISINGLY GOOD LITTLE HORROR FILM

The Cottage | Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith | Some folks are just not cut out for a life of crime

DVDs:

The Cottage

	The Cottage Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith Sony Pictures, 2008 average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Forced into hiding after their kidnapping plan goes awry, two rival siblings, David (Andy Serkis - The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Peter (Reece Shearsmith - Shaun of the Dead), find themselves fighting for their sanity while they hole up in a secluded country cottage. Weighed down by a hostage who refuses to stay quiet, or tied down, they are soon held captive by their own victim.

But everyone's problems go from bad to worse when they come face-to-face with their psychotic axe-wielding neighbor - a demented farmer with a dark, nasty secret buried where you'd least expect.

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SURPRISINGLY GOOD LITTLE HORROR FILM

Andy Serkis, best know for providing the voice and motion capture for Gollum in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, gets some face time in the lead role in The Cottage, a twisted black comedy/slasher film coming to DVD on May 13. Serkis and Reece Shearsmith play feuding brothers David and Peter who have kidnapped the daughter of a strip club owner. They've taken their hostage Tracey (Jennifer Ellison) out to a remote cottage and from there, everything that can go wrong does. Tracey doesn't make things easy on her witless captors...she's loud, foulmouthed, and frankly scares the hell out of timid Peter.

Complicating matters is their befuddled accomplice and Tracey's half brother Andrew, who has led the boss's hitmen straight to the trio. The three and their hostage soon find themselves on the run through the wilderness, taking refuge at nearby farmhouse. Things go from bad to worse as they soon find out the farm is home to an ax-wielding cannibal who has just sharpened all his farm tools for his next meal.

The Cottage is a surprisingly fun little film. While it is thrilling and filled with generous amounts of blood and gore, a requisite for any good slasher film, it never lets it's comedy elements stray too far away. Horror comedies often turn out as campy spoofs but this is anything but campy. The shock elements and the kills made by the enormous, disfigured killer are just as terrifying as in any horror film but director Paul Andrew Williams cleverly manages to sneak in droll bits of humor when you least expect it. Ellison is a riot as the buxom, mouthy hostage, who is more than a match for her captors. Her four-letter tirades allow her to steal just about any scene where she is not gagged.

Serkis, who has lent his name to various film and video game projects, finally gets to shine in a starring role in front of the camera. As David he projects a pretense of the tough guy mastermind but with a genuine love for his hen-pecked brother. He shows a range far beyond just doing voice-over roles. Shearsmith is equally enjoyable as nervous and whiny Peter, always giving into his brother but eventually proving that he is strong and resourceful. Their scenes together early in the film as they argue over things from their childhood are some of the best in the film. It's almost a shame when the caper film turns into the horror film. If there is a weakness it is that the film does take a bit of time to develop and move itself along to the horror portion of the film.

The Cottage is clever and doesn't take itself too seriously although horror fans won't be disappointed. The slasher elements are better than you see in a lot of low budget films and frankly better than those in some big budget horrors. This is one of those unknown gems that will surprise you!

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Some folks are just not cut out for a life of crime

and poor ol' Peter (Reece Shearsmith) is one of them. The guts of the story is a kidnapping gone terribly, terribly wrong. Or very, very funny, depending on which side of the screen you happen to be on. The brothers, David (Andy Serkis) and the reluctant Peter have kidnapped the step-daughter of a rich mafia type. Under normal circumstances you'd think she would be more than a tad upset. Instead she's totally ticked off and not afraid of anything, including her captors. Jennifer Ellison plays the -- I was going to say 'victim', but quite honestly, anyone in her sphere of influence is the victim, not her. While I do recommend this movie, obviously from the 4 stars I gave it, be aware the girl does have a mouth on her, meaning a LOT of foul language. She uses at least one word constantly that I am personally uncomfortable with, but at the same time she's cracking me up.

To start with, the kidnapping is about the only thing they do half-way right. From then on it's a disaster. The brothers, both, are fine actors and get into their characters in such a way they are totally believable. The kidnapee, Tracy, also is a winner. Without giving away the plot, we manage to go from a crime comedy to a...really strange twist in that it turns into a horror movie.

SPOILER ALERT: The only fault I found in the movie was the ending. I really hated it. There were so many directions in which it could have gone, that would have been so much better. Other than that, what a great freakin' movie!

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I'd recommend it, if anything, for the fact that Jennifer Ellison is hot as balls.

This movie I thought was advertised incorrectly. It's more british Crime/Comedy than it is horror.

Aside from the fact that I got something WAY different than I expected, It turned out to be a decent mindless flick.

I'd recommend it, if anything, for the fact that Jennifer Ellison is hot as balls.

6/10

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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