It’s a rural retreat to base jokes – and it needed to be a lot cleverer than this to make it a glorious retreat.
The Cottage (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 17
Fresh: 12
Rotten:5
Average Rating: 5.7/10
Rated: 18
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:14-03-2008
Synopsis:
Peter (Reece Shearsmith of the comedy troupe The League of Gentlemen) is a real wimp. He's got a domineering wife and even a fear of moths. So how'd he end up holding a pottymouthed gangster's...
Peter (Reece Shearsmith of the comedy troupe The League of Gentlemen) is a real wimp. He's got a domineering wife and even a fear of moths. So how'd he end up holding a pottymouthed gangster's daughter (Jennifer Ellison) hostage in an isolated country cottage with his brother, a hardened criminal (Andy Serkis, The Lord of the Rings) From writer/director Paul Andrew Williams, this horror-comedy is an about-face from his gritty, award-winning debut, the crime thriller London to Brighton. From the beginning, every step of Peter and his brother's simple plan goes wrong. Their head-butting hostage seems to be more trouble than she's worth, her bumbling brother (Steve O'Donnell, Shakespeare in Love), who is in on the scheme, can't even get a decent ski mask, and they certainly hadn't counted on two murderous Chinese gangsters lurking in the woods. When their hostage escapes on a bathroom break, the chase leads them to a seemingly abandoned farmhouse where someone dangerous lurks-and he has an axe, a freezer full of hands, and who knows what in the basement.
A slapstick splatter film in the tradition of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead, The Cottage wrings imaginative twists from the usual slice-anddice formula of the genre. Made on a shoestring, Williams' film begins on a claustrophobically small scale, making its transition into gory Grand Guignol all the more unexpected. Shearsmith, turning in the kind of nuanced performance one doesn't usually expect in a horror film, is its bleeding heart and battered soul. --© Tribecca Film Festival
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Starring: Doug Bradley, Andy Serkis, Jennifer Ellison, Johnny Harris
Starring: Doug Bradley, Andy Serkis, Jennifer Ellison, Johnny Harris
Reviews for The Cottage
Nice performances from Shearsmith and Serkis, and some outrageous ketchupy grossout, though I have to say The Cottage has nothing like the rigour, originality or power of Williams's debut.
From the miasma of mediocrity known as modern British horror emerges a low-budget fright film that deserves to be remembered alongside homegrown classics such as Shaun Of The Dead.
This is cartoon carnage with a slightly surreal twist - most notably in Peter's encounter with a swarm of moths - but the developing bond between the brothers makes it surprisingly poignant too. All things considered, you'll forgive the shaky parts.
If you loved L2B’s social-realist integrity, you’ll be bemused by Williams’ 180-degree turn into Guignol and gut-busting. A labour of love that’s sometimes plain laboured, but a stronger, splattery second half will curry favour with gorehounds.
Andy Serkis shouts a lot, as if raising the decibel level will compensate for the dire dialogue, while Jennifer Ellison displays more cleavage than acting ability.
With all the meaty goodness of Neil Marshall’s Dog Soldiers, The Cottage offers solid Brit-horror nourishment.
Frightfest regulars and hungry gorehounds will get a kick out of this, but those who hailed Williams as a Brit-indie visionary after London To Brighton might be left scratching their heads.
Williams' story twists and turns...veering from Coen caper to Hooper horror -- but the one unifying constant is the film's wicked streak of humour.
'The Cottage' doesn't have enough horror to satisfy horror fans and not enough comedy to satisfy everybody else.
The degree to which the movie is redeemed by its impossible-to-anticipate third act is consequently quite staggering...
The Cottage, against the odds, makes a better caper movie than gore flick.
Broad comedy and splattery horror are a pretty tough combo to pull off, but if anyone can do it ... the British can.
Latest News for The Cottage
March 19, 2008:
UK Box Office Breakdown: 10,000 B.C. claims no. 1 spot
Roland Emmerich's 10,000 B.C. claims the UK box office number 1 spot, despite being panned by critics. More...
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