DOGHOUSE (2009)

Directed By: Jake West
Written By: Dan Schaffer
Cinematography By: Ali Asad
Editor: Jake West, Will Gilbey & Julian Gilbey
Production Design: Matthew Button

Cast: Stephen Graham, Noel Clarke, Danny Dyer, Christina Cole, Lee Ingleby

Vince is handling his divorce badly. He's depressed. Gone to pieces. But his mates aren't giving up on him. Struggling with their own women troubles, they drag him off for an ultimate lads drinking weekend in the country. Arriving in the village of Moodley where the women outnumber the men 3:1, the boys find themselves holidaying in a village overrun by psychotic, homicidal Zombirds with a thirst for male flesh.

I have to admit. I had heard about this film before i saw it. What i heard didn't impress me much, but i figured i'd give it a chance only because it has a interesting premise and i am a fan of actors Noel Clarke and Stephen Graham. I picked it up and the cover made it look like typical Straigh to Dvd material, until i noticed the cast and figured it had to be something a bit more. Like a film that they didn't know how to market to a american audience so the distribution house lost all faith and dumps it. Considering i didn't expect much i have to say i was pleasently surprised by this film as it ended up being much more enjoyable then i could believe. I love Horror- comedy when it is done right but it is so rare that each element get's fair play and that it ends up mixing perfectly. This is the rare film that achieves the right mix.

This film is like a adreneline shot. It has a infectous energy that get's you pumped up with adreneline as a audience memeber.

I can see how some people will labelthefilm Misogynistic. It is basically Men Vs. Zombie women withquite a few scenes of the men attacking and brutalizing women. Who have all been turned into zombies. They are doing it for survival though. It doesn't help that there are no positive women characters in the film really. This being a genre title though i wonder is the audience for this film really looking for that. Do they want to look at this film intellectually or are they just watching it for entertainment? The main characters are stereotypical males all having relationship problems. We get to know them and symapthize with them as they gor through this horror.

The film is gory and at times is realistic more in emotions then situations, But it all has a comedic edge that makes the film move along briskly and keeps a smile on your face.

The film has good ideas though in the end is what you expect out of a zombie film. Just one of the better ones.

It's a british film that is full of up and coming british character actors.

I like that the film doesn't offer any explinations. Just like Alfred Hitchcock's classic film THE BIRDS. Though it doesn't come close to the score and skill ued in making that classic. It can be seen as bad or lazt filmmaking offering no answer. The mood set by this film makes it seem like a natural way of things. Not knowing anything really just trying to survive.

Worth Watching

GRADE: B-