The cuttage in The Cottage is beyond graphic as body parts from toes to entire heads are severed with glee, but the real reason to watch is for the laughs. Yep, The Cottage is a farce, and a well-played one at that. Starring an acerbic Andy Serkis (King Kong, The Prestige, Inkheart) and a pernickety Reece Shearsmith (Shaun of the Dead, Marple: Ordeal by Innocence) as a pair of bumbling crooks, this slaphappy horror movie is not for the squeamish in spite of its pervasive comedic element.

Fargo meets Friday the 13th when bickering brothers David and Peter kidnap a wealthy businessman's daughter and take her to an isolated cottage to await payment of the ransom. As it turns out, theirs is not the most well thought out plan. The shortsighted siblings didn't take into the account that as the owner of a bustling strip club, their wealthy target just might have ties to seedy crime-underworld types, nor did they know just how resourceful their captive, Tracey (Jennifer Ellison, a popular British TV actress), would be. And, oh yes, there's a cache of cannibalistic killers living in the basement.

Truly a hostage from hell, tough Tracey sets things into motion after she breaks Peter's nose with her hands tied behind her back. Bloodied and bruised, the brothers encounter hardships ranging from a swarm of moths to a team of Asian assassins (Logan Wong and Jonathan Chan-Pensley), but nothing can prepare them for the fight for their lives against the monstrous mutant (Dave Legeno) who is determined hack them apart, piece by piece.

In spite of missing various minor appendages and having to tend several skewered organs, David and Peter persevere throughout the film, leading up to a hilariously head-shaking finale (most notably a scene towards the end when it looks as though all hope is lost).

While The Cottage delivers on the acting and hacking, there are times when it borders on tedium thanks to extended dialogue scenes and excess exposition. The lines and set ups are mostly amusing, and there are some great payoffs, but there's little suspense to augment the gruesome and graphic horror.

Furthermore, the prosthetics and makeup effects on the inhabitants of the cottage are not especially accomplished (which is surprising, as they come courtesy of  Paul Hyett, whose work on The Descent was nothing short of amazing). There is also a slapstick element which feels a bit too broad, but overall the movie works for what it is and is worth the price of a rental.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson [1]