The Cottage (2008)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Dead A

  
  Funny yet scary horror movie. I like it.

• Lewis C

  
  First things first. Reece Shearsmith's character in The Cottage was one of the most annoying characters I've ever encountered in a movie. All his spineless cringing, screaming, and his general uselessness, made me want to climb somehow into the movie and kill him. Yes, I… More
  First things first. Reece Shearsmith's character in The Cottage was one of the most annoying characters I've ever encountered in a movie. All his spineless cringing, screaming, and his general uselessness, made me want to climb somehow into the movie and kill him. Yes, I know the character was intentionally written that way, and in no manner is this a criticism of the movie. I'd actually like to commend the director, writer(s), and Reece himself, for creating such a thoroughly annoying character. Now, on to the review. I liked the first half of The Cottage more than the second. The initial half was fairly humorous, and gave off an enjoyably creepy vibe. I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of some vague threat, while gleefully cheering for Ellison's rather intimidating prisoner. Serkis was also in fine form, as his character struggled to salvage some kind of plan amidst the overwhelming incompetence of his cohorts. The second half of the movie is basically a decidedly average slasher-film. Not awful, but nothing special. I found myself missing the humor of the first 40 minutes. Depending on your preference for that genre, you may end up liking The Cottage more than I did. It only came to my attention because of the presence of Jennifer Ellison, but I'm glad that I ended up seeing it.

• Dean M

  
  Hilariously bloody and bloody hilarious! This comedy-horror is like <i>Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i> in Britain as well as I like two rival siblings played by Andy Serkis and Reece Shearsmith, who forced into hiding after their kidnapping plan goes awry, are so hilarious at… More
  Hilariously bloody and bloody hilarious! This comedy-horror is like <i>Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i> in Britain as well as I like two rival siblings played by Andy Serkis and Reece Shearsmith, who forced into hiding after their kidnapping plan goes awry, are so hilarious at the beginning before the horror stock happened after the hostage escaped.

• Dean !

  
  This is a very good comedy horror in the vein of Shaun of the Dead, Severance. Funny, gory in places with a good sense of British humour about it too. If you liked the other films mentioned here this is worth checking out, good to see Andy Serkis in an unusual role and nice to see… More
  This is a very good comedy horror in the vein of Shaun of the Dead, Severance. Funny, gory in places with a good sense of British humour about it too. If you liked the other films mentioned here this is worth checking out, good to see Andy Serkis in an unusual role and nice to see Jennifer Ellison. Even the DVD animated menus are refreshingly good!

• Brian D

  
  Very funny movie with a big dose of gore throw in.Mixed up with the 1st part being a comedy cape double acted which leads to the horror slasher part next.Its great to see the british making horror movies again and not just gangster movies also check out "eden lake" another… More
  Very funny movie with a big dose of gore throw in.Mixed up with the 1st part being a comedy cape double acted which leads to the horror slasher part next.Its great to see the british making horror movies again and not just gangster movies also check out "eden lake" another well made british horror.By the end of the cottage you are left with a very twisted and funning end worth wanting for!

• Gordon A

  
  Disappointingly mundane horror-comedy which is horrid but not funny.

• Luke B

  
  Williams comes off the excellent London to Brighton and takes the only logical step. He makes a slasher comedy. It's a brilliantly made slasher comedy. Not the usual road trip goes bad or just some people being cut up the film starts as a crime caper. Shearsmith and Serkis are… More
  Williams comes off the excellent London to Brighton and takes the only logical step. He makes a slasher comedy. It's a brilliantly made slasher comedy. Not the usual road trip goes bad or just some people being cut up the film starts as a crime caper. Shearsmith and Serkis are excellent comedy siblings with great chemistry, I can imagine them being the burglars in Home Alone. Steven O'Donnell soon joins in the fun as a bungling idiot whom you simply have to sympathise with, he's so clueless you have to wonder if he knows that kidnapping is bad. Finally there's Ellison who looks and sounds great as a foul mouthed violent little bitch. She's more than enough for her captors to be dealing with. After a humourous encounter with the locals the film spirals into slasher territory and does it rather well. It plays with a few horror conventions, uses gory slapstick to excellent effect and keeps the relationships between the characters fun and fresh. It's no horror classic, sacrificing scares for laughs, but it is a nice twisted tale of brotherly love.

• _kelly .

  
  What starts out as a dark comedy about a badly planned kidnapping takes a turn into horror satire territory halfway in. Though the monster/killer that eventually shows up is nothing more than a Hills Have Eyes leftover, the comedic bent of the movie and its absurd kill/gore scenes… More
  What starts out as a dark comedy about a badly planned kidnapping takes a turn into horror satire territory halfway in. Though the monster/killer that eventually shows up is nothing more than a Hills Have Eyes leftover, the comedic bent of the movie and its absurd kill/gore scenes compensate, making this a flick that horror fans will like and laugh at. This movie doesn't take itself seriously, and that makes it. However, in a world where genre-aware horror is becoming more present, at least one gimmick falls short because it was just recently done in Severance. The refreshing style of blending slash attacks with physical humor doesn't fail to entertain, and the characters are pretty funny by themselves. It's also great to see that Andy Serkis can do much more than climb about bluescreen in a latex mapping suit doing weird voices. For those that like their black humour with a good splash of guts, this is a great pick.

• A.D. V

  
  Andy Serkis gives an outstanding performance but it's not enough to make up for this uneven, quirky British horror/black comedy.

• Steve K

  
  Fun horror comedy that has a bit of a split personality problem in that it strides across a few too many sub genres, especially in the beginning. Great to see Andy Serkis in a lead role and not buried under CG. Ample gore is done for laughs and shocks. Had an ending I truly… More
  Fun horror comedy that has a bit of a split personality problem in that it strides across a few too many sub genres, especially in the beginning. Great to see Andy Serkis in a lead role and not buried under CG. Ample gore is done for laughs and shocks. Had an ending I truly didn't see coming. Worth the time for folks with stronger stomachs.

• Jacob P

  
  Wow...that's not what I expected. So, this is a british dark comedy film that has plenty of good bloody moments. The humor was pretty funny, and the story was good...the only problem is that this was definately, a "Hatchet Wanna-be." They copied Hatchet a little too… More
  Wow...that's not what I expected. So, this is a british dark comedy film that has plenty of good bloody moments. The humor was pretty funny, and the story was good...the only problem is that this was definately, a "Hatchet Wanna-be." They copied Hatchet a little too much, with the same humor, and even the same death scenes! It was still good, though. Hope for a sequel, an hope it's not another "Hatchet II Wanna-be."

• Daniel P

  
  Extremely broad comedy crossed with horrific violence is the recipe for <i>The Cottage</i>, Paul Andrew Williams' follow-up to his acclaimed <i>London to Brighton</i>. Hopefully demonstrating his versatility rather than his true love, this is about as far… More
  Extremely broad comedy crossed with horrific violence is the recipe for <i>The Cottage</i>, Paul Andrew Williams' follow-up to his acclaimed <i>London to Brighton</i>. Hopefully demonstrating his versatility rather than his true love, this is about as far from <i>Brighton</i> as possible. The first 40 minutes are like a less subtle version of a "crime gone wrong" Coen Brothers picture, before lurching into <i>Wrong Turn</i> pseudo-<i>Hills Have Eyes</i> style horror. Surprisingly, a lot works. The humor is obvious but often funny, the direction is stylish, the performances better than expected. Jennifer Ellison is especially winning as a foul mouthed Scouser and would-be kidnap victim, who despite being pretty vile is also somehow very likeable. Unfortunately, there's nothing unpredictable going on here, and sometimes the graphicness of the violence sits at odds with the camp, screwball humour. There's a particularly gruesome episode involving a jaw-level decapitation by shovel that I just can't get out of my head; less for the violence itself and more for the manner in which it was done. In the end, this is a decent watch for fans of goofy, violent films. On a personal level, I'm just not sure I can forgive the copious use of moths (a fear of which I share with the character Peter).

• John M

  
  A very entertaining blending of comedy and horror that really works. It is violent, bloody and gory.

• Stefan P

  
  Satisfying gore scenes, but the humour was too ridiculous (over-ridiculous scenes can be fun, but for some reason that wasn't the case here).

• Adam M

  
  Fun, funny and gory black comedy about two brothers who take a club bosses daughter hostage and keeping her in a secluded farmhouse in hope of getting thousands of pounds in ransom money. Obviously things don't turn out as planned when the hostage turns out to be a bit of a gobby… More
  Fun, funny and gory black comedy about two brothers who take a club bosses daughter hostage and keeping her in a secluded farmhouse in hope of getting thousands of pounds in ransom money. Obviously things don't turn out as planned when the hostage turns out to be a bit of a gobby hard case and there's also someone/thing living nearby that likes to kill people in interesting ways! If you don't take this to seriously and just sit back and enjoy,this is a great comedy horror.

• David S

  
  An interesting slant on the brit comic-horror. This is a lot closer to films such as 'Severence' than 'Shaun of the Dead' but is not as funny as either. Saying that Reece Shearsmith and Andy Serkis make a good team and Jennifer Ellison makes a good foil until their… More
  An interesting slant on the brit comic-horror. This is a lot closer to films such as 'Severence' than 'Shaun of the Dead' but is not as funny as either. Saying that Reece Shearsmith and Andy Serkis make a good team and Jennifer Ellison makes a good foil until their alliance is cut short (in a clever twist and shocking moment). The killer looks a bit like a guy in a weird halloween mask though and the ending, although funny and shocking leaves you unsatisfied.

• Christopher B

  
  Okay, truth be told, I'm really sick of horror/comedies. I just think it's a chickenshit way to make a horror film. While most are whining about (I fucking hate this term, but I'm quoting) Horror Porn, I'm sure that it's the horror comedy that will bury the… More
  Okay, truth be told, I'm really sick of horror/comedies. I just think it's a chickenshit way to make a horror film. While most are whining about (I fucking hate this term, but I'm quoting) Horror Porn, I'm sure that it's the horror comedy that will bury the horror genre again. It's like the filmmakers are agreeing that, "Yes, horror is a silly genre" and "Don't take us too seriously, you can see we're not!". That being said, The Cottage rests squarely on the brink of being shitty, but does have a few saving graces. Usually the terms "bumbling crooks" and "horror comedy" will keep me away from a film for a limited time, but I'm a horror junkie, so I'll cave eventually. I really didn't like anyone in The Cottage, though I don't think you're supposed to, but they were all borderline annoying. The plot reminds me of Real Killers or From Dusk Till Dawn in the way that it sets up a number of plot points only to have them cast aside when the "real threat" rears it's head. But not too surprisingly, I did enjoy the gore. Though it's done in the Grand Guignol style and I'm sure is intended for laughs more than scares, it was quite effective. And when the slasher film does kick in and it doesn't focus on the "kidnapping gone wrong" the film becomes far more enjoyable. I don't have anything against characterization, in fact I"m all for it, but the characters were quite one dimensional. Also, I really liked the ending, it was funny while still remaining downbeat. All and all, a good watch as long as you're not being too critical... which I was because I definitely consider a horror comedy to be already a debit. But that's my burden.

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