Dir. Paul Andrew Williams, UK, 2008, 91 mins
Cast: Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith, Jennifer Ellison, Steve O’Donnell, Dave Legeno,
Doug Bradley
Review by Jean Lynch
Horror and comedy, and any combination thereof, are two film genres we Brits tend to be quite good at. That said, it still comes as a bit of surprise when you realise that The Cottage, the new Britflick that simultaneously goes for the jugular whilst tickling your funnybone, is the sophomore outing from the current brightest young thing of British cinema, Paul Andrew Williams. Just to remind you, Williams was previously the director on the critically acclaimed gritty thriller London to Brighton.
This is nothing like that film. And fair play to Williams that, with just two films under his belt, he is already proving the diversity of his talent by being able to successfully deliver two very different pieces of cinema. That said, The Cottage is the film that the young director wanted to make all along but didn’t have the budget for; now that he has – and it’s still considerably low – he pulls out all the toys in the box and sets down to having some fun. Imagine Withnail & I but instead of Uncle Monty lurking outside there’s something much, much nastier.
The plot centres on two squabbling brothers, David (Serkis) and Peter (The League of Gentlemen's Reece Shearsmith, sporting a very fetching balding combover). David is a shady character who works in a strip club, while Peter is a henpecked, inept, whiny mouse of a man. The brothers need some quick cash and have set aside their differences in order to kidnap Tracy (Ellison), the daughter of David’s underworld boss. Holed up in a creepy remote cottage, things begin to go from bad to worse. Feisty, foul-mouthed Tracy isn’t one to play damsel in distress, their simpleton accomplice (O’Donnell) has led the boss’s henchmen straight to them, and what’s more, there is something very, very nasty wandering the fields and farmhouses out there.
First and foremost, The Cottage is good, scary fun. Personally, the film would have been much stronger and tighter had Williams stuck with one genre or the other, because the dynamics between the two do not flow as well as in, say, Shaun of the Dead. Serkis always brings an intensity to his roles, with a dark edge to his performance, even when he’s playing it for laughs. Shearsmith is a terrific comedy character actor. However, they are both so good at what they do that put together their marked acting styles seem to bump off each other rather than gel. Ellison, however, is delightful as Tracy. From the moment the gag is loosened she is spouting out expletives that would give Tarantino or the South Park boys a run for their money. Hers is the strongest character too, and the one you might just find yourself rooting for most.
A film of two halves, the mostly dialogue-driven first gives way to out and out horror when Tracy escapes into the night, taking Peter with her. Events then turn more than a little (video) nasty. It’s fun, it’s thrilling but it’s really, really scary, and the horror scenes are genuinely stomach churning. Literally. It has the gore factor of a Saw movie but, where in that franchise the horror centres around elaborate built-up set pieces, here the horror strikes suddenly, horribly, leaving you no time to brace yourself. It’s also as relentless as that of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre – once it starts it doesn’t let up. In fact, there are lots of intentional (and not so intentional) nods to well-known horror movies, including Predator and Night of the Living Dead, and it’s fun spotting these.
The Cottage, perhaps, tries a little too hard. Do we really need so much back story about the brothers relationship? We know enough about the complexities of sibling rivalry to know that even those who hate each other would probably save the other from drowning. And why the madman out there became that way is kind of interesting, and a little poignant even, but would we really sympathise with him when he’s hacking off our body parts?
Quibbles aside, The Cottage really is a scary roller-coaster ride. And if that’s a cliche then so is the film, but that won't stop you enjoying it any the less, and there are enough new twists and turns to make this one white-knuckle experience you won't forget in a hurry. A thumbs up - if you have any left.
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