SLEEPS SIX BLOODY COMFORTABLY.
Released by: Sony Pictures
Release Date: May 13, 2008
Production Year: 2008
Region Code: 1
Running Time: 1:31:27
Audio: English, French, Spanish and Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: 480i Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
THE FILM:
Forced into hiding after their kidnapping plan goes awry, two rival siblings, David (Andy Serkis - "The Lord of the Rings") and Peter (Reece Shearsmith - "Shaun of the Dead"), find themselves fighting for their sanity while they hole up in a secluded country cottage. Weighted down by a hostage (Jennifer Ellison - "Brookside") who refuses to stay quiet, or tied down, they are soon held captive by their own victim.
But everyone's problems go from bad to worse when they come face-to-face with their psychotic axe-wielding neighbor.
The film was written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams ("Cherry Tree Lane").
I have watched "The Cottage" several times and it never gets old. It has a good mix of horror and dark comedy. The film plays like a botched kidnapping and attempt at a ransom, for some time. But then it changes gears and goes into horror-mode. "The Cottage" maintains its comedic element throughout the film. The three stars of the film, Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith and Jennifer Ellison do a wonderful job of portraying their characters. Andy Serkis fills the role of straight man, while Reece Shearsmith is the inept, accidental funnyman. The beautiful Jennifer Ellison plays the foul mouthed "Tracey," who does a great job at being a thorn in the sides of the incompetent duo. Paul Andrew Williams did a terrific job pulling double-duty for this film serving as both writer and director.
The film is not loaded with blood and gore, but it certainly has some great scenes involving both and tries to make up for it in its second half. Some horror fans may start to get a little impatient waiting for the body count to start rising, but stay with it because somewhere around the halfway point, the film starts to take its darker turn.
This DVD comes with multiple Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. Viewers can pick from English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. There are also subtitles of those same languages included as well. I found the audio to be very good on this DVD. The sound levels were well balanced throughout the film. I did not encounter any issues with the audio in the form of drop outs, hissing and so forth.
"The Cottage" appears on DVD thanks to Sony Pictures. The film is presented in 480i Anamorphic Widescreen with a 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio. Sony's DVD look excellent. The colors are rich and full. Black levels are handled well. In the more well lit scenes, viewers will be pleased to find a fair bit of fine detail present. I did not notice any problems with the picture quality of this DVD.
Deleted Scenes (12:16) - There are nine deleted scenes with the option to play them individually or together via a Play All function. They do have some value in that you get a few more shots of gore.
Outtakes (4:49) - Some funny bits. Worth watching for a few laughs.
Storyboard Gallery - These consist of two selections, Peter and Tracey Meet the Farmer and Peter and Tracey Fight the Farmer.
Previews - A promotional video for Blu-ray and 11 trailers for you to watch.
IN CONCLUSION:
I find "The Cottage" to be a fun mix of horror and comedy. If you are a fan of those type of films, I think you will enjoy this one as well. The DVD looks and sounds pretty good. It is light on extras but the deleted scenes and outtakes are at least worth watching once. In my opinion, the film has good replay value.
OVERALL: 3.5 / 5