I rather enjoyed this British horror/comedy. It was not as good as say Shaun of the Dead or Dog Soldiers, but it was a rather entertaining film. Why did I mention those films? Well Shaun of the Dead is a horror comedy that keeps its comedic tone constant throughout and is more comedy than horror. While Dog Soldiers was mainly horror, but did have parts that were comedic. The problem with this film is that it feels a bit uneven. The first portion of the film is a kidnapping gone wrong and black comedy while the second half it becomes a horror/slasher film that maintains some of the comedic tones, but at the same time gets too dark. When I watch a film like this, I expect the leads to survive the crisis like in Shaun of the Dead...well okay, I guess one did not technically survive. In this one, does not happen. That being said it did manage to surprise me with the ending.The story has two brothers who have kidnapped this girl and are holding her for ransom. Things begin to go wrong fast as the brother who does not seem to have a handle for the type of thing the two brothers are doing lets things slip. Another member of the group who brings the money makes his fair share of mistakes too, less to do with an inability to handle the situation, but more to do with the fact he is quite dim. Things begin going badly and just as they do not seem to be able to get worse they get much worse as they stumble upon a farmhouse where something sinister is lurking.I liked the film, as I found the first portion of the film very funny. I kind of wish it would have stayed a simple kidnapping gone wrong as it got a bit too dark once the deranged lunatic showed up. There are still funny moments, but like I said, was not expecting it to be quite so brutal. They put everyone through so much only to put them through even more! So not the best horror/comedy I have seen from the British, but still every enjoyable.

This is a surprisingly entertaining film. It shows what a bunch of good actors and producers can do on a budget. Nowhere near as gory as some and the plot has been done to death a thousand times but when the gore comes it is really surprisingly well done and will make you jump out of your skin at times. Well worth the money and one to watch more than once. Miss Ellison is a delight. Hilarious Comedy mixed with blood & gore, I think the cast must have had a real job to keep a straight face during filming, especially the scene with David and the bumbling idiot character, Andrew. (re the bottle opener, and the balaclava).... What comedy genius!THIS FILM TRULY IS A GEM!!

In a remote part of the countryside, a bungled kidnapping turns into a living nightmare for four central characters when they cross paths with a psychopathic farmer and all hell breaks loose.My experience with Paul Andrew Williams has been brief, though with his limited filmography this probably is no surprise. The first thing of his I saw was "The Children", which was excellent. However, being that he only supplied the story and did not write the screenplay or direct, his influence is hard to gauge.Next I saw "Cherry Tree Lane", which I do not particularly care for. I will admit that if you want a realistic story of a family being terrorized by teenagers, this is about the best job that could be done. But it is not my cup of tea, and did not leave me overly impressed.And so, I entered into "The Cottage" a little bit less than confident, and was immediately impressed. Williams has a phenomenal script here, seamlessly blending a crime drama, a comedy and a horror film without missing a beat. As the genres blend together or flow from one to another, it never seems forced or awkward. The success of this feat alone make the film worthwhile, as I am unable to think of any other picture that has even tried this blend.But beyond the script, the characters are excellently cast and acted (it is nice to see Andy Serkis in a human role). The special effects are well above average. The makeup is quite good. And there is enough action, suspense and humor to really keep just about everyone interested in the picture.Ultimately, a great film that received too little publicity at the time of its release. Hopefully it is not too late to save it from obscurity.

For 4 years it was laying on the shelve 'not seen' at my place. finally i had a look at it and I must say that it enjoyed me a lot. As a comedy it doesn't fulfill but as a horror it does deliver.Due it rather started as a crime flick it quickly turns into a comedy when the hijacked girl Tracey (Jennifer Ellison) goes berserk and turns against the hijackers Peter (Reece Shearsmith), the nerd and David (Andy Serkis), the brain. From there on you can't see what's coming and slowly it turns into a gory flick. If you just can stand the first 10 minutes then you're into a nice flick.But it is the combination of Tracey, Peter and David that works here in this flick. They all gave a sublime acting and it's weird to see that Jennifer stopped also in 2008 with acting. Of course Reece already came from a comedy/horror Shaun Of The Dead (2004). Andy of course we knew from doing voice overs for the ape Ceasar in Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) and in TinTin (2011) as the Hadock voice. Don't go watching it for the icon Doug Bradley, he's only a few minutes in it. But do watch it for the gore and funny situations. ExcellentGore 3/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 4/5 Comedy 1/5