6.1/10
11,980
99 user 84 critic

The Cottage (2008)

R16 | | Comedy, Crime, Horror | 14 March 2008 (UK)
A tough, cute woman is kidnapped for ransom and brought to a rural English cottage. David and two morons have way more to worry about than her crime boss stepdad, his two Asian killers and her.
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4 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Andy Serkis ... David
Reece Shearsmith ... Peter
Jennifer Ellison ... Tracey
Steven O'Donnell ... Andrew
James Bierman James Bierman ... Bouncer
Cat Meacher Cat Meacher ... Club Receptionist
Danny Nussbaum ... Man in Suit
Logan Wong Logan Wong ... Muk Li San
Jonathan Chan-Pensley Jonathan Chan-Pensley ... Chun Yo Fu
Simon Schatzberger Simon Schatzberger ... Steven
Doug Bradley ... Villager with Dog
Dave Legeno ... The Farmer (as David Legeno)
Katy Murphy Katy Murphy ... Farmer's Wife
Georgia Groome ... Farmer's Daughter 1
Eden Watson Eden Watson ... Farmer's Daughter 2
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Storyline

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. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Sleeps six bloody comfortably.


Certificate:

R16 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The man with the dog who speaks to David when he goes to the village telephone Is Doug Bradley, better known as 'Pin-Head' In the Hellraiser film franchise. See more »

Goofs

When David returns from the Public telephone In the village the Alarm Is blaring out and lights flashing on one of the cars. David runs Into the house with the alarm still sounding but a few seconds later the alarm mysteriously switches Itself off. See more »

Quotes

David: She alright?
Peter: She's still unconscious.
David: That's chlorophyll for you.
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Crazy Credits

Stay till the very end of the credits for an additional scene. After the scene fades to black "Fin" appears onscreen, followed with a question mark a few seconds later to read "Fin?" See more »

User Reviews

 
It's a comedy with bite, right to the end.
14 April 2008 | by hitchcockthelegendSee all my reviews

Two brothers, David & Peter, kidnap Tracey, the daughter of local tough guy gangster Arnie, they hold her to ransom for the sum of £100,000. What they hadn't bargained into the equation is that Tracey is one tough feisty lady, and that a turn of events will lead them to something far more scary than big bad gangster Arnie.

This is the second feature from director Paul Andrew Williams, and bearing in mind that his debut effort was the highly lauded gritty drama London To Brighton, it's no surprise to find that some folk are a little bemused as to the genre splicing nature of The Cottage. The Cottage is far more in keeping with Christopher Smith's 2006 horror comedy, Severance, and certainly it wouldn't be out of place as a double bill with that criminally undervalued picture.

Very much a film of two halves, this picture is likely to prove a very divisive piece, and it will (has) only find an audience based on word of mouth alone. You will be hard pressed to find any sort of press marketing that will prepare you for the type of genre fusion film you are getting. Already, based on the comments written on this site thus far, you can see that some people were confused (or annoyed) by the tonal shift for the second half of the film. The first half sees poles apart brothers, David & Peter, swapping comedy dialogue as they whisk through a number of exchanges and circumstances with the marvellously volatile Tracey. While the second part of the picture hits you over the head with a quick switch to horror formula that has catering fulfilment for the gore junkies amongst us.

And this is where the problem lies with many, why didn't the film stay as a kidnap farce? Why didn't it set its stall out to be a horror film from the off? There is no denying that the films' high points come with the horror moments, but the film is first and foremost a comedy, from the first reel to the cheeky end of credits sequence it is what it is. As deliciously sick as the gore shift is, The Cottage never once takes its tongue out of its bloody cheek. It's obvious that Paul Andrew Williams is having fun here, and he is clearly hoping his audience will as well. View it as an all encompassing comedy/horror/thriller in that order and you wont go far wrong.

Andy Serkis plays David, the tough brother of the two, with Serkis doing a wonderful line in both visual and vocal comedy. This benefits Reece Shearsmith as Peter, a character so far under the thumb he can barely be seen. Shearsmith feeds off of Serkis to seal the comedy deal for this odd brotherly couple. British tabloid fave Jennifer Ellison plays Tracey, literally swearing for England to have the audience divided as to if they want her to survive or not! But it's a gutsy show from her and one hopes she ventures into this territory a bit more often. There is nothing new or fresh here, and this wont win any awards; even in its homeland of England, but it is FUN and it shows a director intent on making films from different genres. 8/10


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 2008 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

Bienvenue au cottage See more »

Filming Locations:

Isle of Man See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

GBP2,500,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,626,080
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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