The Cottage – 2008 | 92 mins | Horror, Comedy | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Writer-director Paul Andrew Williams’ follow-up to the acclaimed thriller London to Brighton is, by his own admission, a film of two halves: the trouble is, neither of them works satisfactorily. It begins as a comedy crime caper but abruptly switches to rural horror-slasher as the characters face a grotesquely comic battle for survival.  This coarsely humorous horror is hampered by dire dialogue and a failure to blend two genres. There are mixed performances from its principal actors;  the talented Andy Serkis shouts a lot, while busty blonde Jennifer Ellison displays more cleavage than acting ability. Only ‘League of Gentleman’ alumnus Reece Shearsmith has the measure of the material, but his subtle character work is simply drowned out.

In the dead of night, a car arrives at a secluded country cottage. Constantly bickering brothers, bossy David (Andy Serkis) and wimpy Peter (Reece Shearsmith), climb out to inspect the hideaway. The pair have set-aside their differences for a quick moneymaking scheme – a straightforward kidnapping.Tracey (Jennifer Ellison), a gangster’s foul-mouthed daughter, is bound, gagged and unconscious, locked in the trunk of the car. Her black sheep step-brother Andrew (Steve O’Donnell) is also in on the scheme. Unfortunately a pair of blade-happy Chinese henchmen have tailed the bungling kidnappers to their retreat. However,events really take a turn for the worse with Tracey turning the tables on her captors and escaping with Peter as a hostage. David and Andrew follow them into the woods but they soon discover something far more terrifying is lurking in the darkness.