The Cottage (R)

RECOMMENDED

In a word: Hilarious

Plot:  Siblings David and Peter kidnap the chav stepdaughter of the owner of a strip club David frequents, asking for a large ransom.  With the money, David hopes to buy a sailboat and sail off into the sunset.  He will also sign over his half of the family house to Peter - in exchange for Peter's help with the kidnapping.  Unfortunately, they are quite possibly the worst kidnappers in history.  Their victim, Tracey, is quite a bit tougher than they are.  Peter is not cut out for any sort of crime caper.  Their inside man is not as inside as they would hope.  Oh, and their hideout is next door to a farm owned by a deformed maniac who likes to collect heads. 

Thoughts:  Bloody good!  I picked this title up thinking it was another creepy horror film, and was pleasantly surprised at the humor!  This film is very, very funny.  The humor is very much of the British variety, so if that isn't your cup of tea, you may not like this film.  I, on the other hand, loved it! 

The first half deals with the failure of the kidnap plot and the relationship between the two brothers (may I say, it's really nice to see Andy Serkis in a role that DOESN'T involve CGI - he really is quite a good actor!).  The second half is where they ramp up the creepiness.  The "farmer" is a wonderfully grotesque monster - and more than a little bit scary.  All in all, just the right blend of horror and humor! 

Be sure to check out the after credits epilogue!

If you like this, try watching: Evil Dead II, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz