shannon-bill

This movie is a blast from beginning to end. It's absolutely hilarious and the gore is wet and plentiful. Nothing to be taken seriously, it's definitely horror-comedy with the emphasis on comedy. Nick Frost, eminently likeble, is perfect here as the head of a moderately dysfunctional 21st century family complete with a latent homosexual son, wild child daughter and oversexed wife. The scenery of "Sweden" is gorgeous. Apparently Finland stood in for Sweden here but honestly, all of Scandinavia is quite photogenic. I love the use of Iron Maiden's seminal "Run to the Hills" as the rousing musical backdrop to a triumphant slaughter scene. Maybe some of this isn't right for millennial or Gen Z types, but for this Gen Xer this is what it's all about. A perfect horror-comedy that fits in with other classics of the (sub)genre like House, The Burbs, Bad Taste, Return of the Living Dead and Evil Dead II. It's that good.

This movie features a generation that is not my own. I'm closer to 60 than 50 but I was pleasantly surprised by this. Essentially a no-budget affair it kept me intrigued, interested and entertained for the duration. Not once did I check my watch, fast-forward or consider watching it at a faster speed. That says a lot!

I see quite a few negative reviews here including at least one 1-star and that made me wary but various points raised by more positive reviews convinced me to give it a try.

Yes, the main character was obnoxious but I think he was supposed to be and cudos to the kid who played him - he was quite believable.

Actually everyone did great work here and they ought to be proud of their work. If talent is what the industry is all about, this whole team should have bright futures. Alas, success in Hollywood has scant little to do with talent and everything to do with nepotism and connections as well as saying and thinking the "right" things.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this relatively short movie. Several reviews here had me skeptical by suggesting that the acting and/or direction were subpar. I found this to be completely untrue. The budget was small, yes, but they made the most of it and I thought they made good use of the scenery and locals. The plot was easy to follow and there was enough tension to keep it interesting. The main players were Theodore Bikel and John Bentley who were excellent. Bentley exudes confidence and Bikel was perfect as the Hungarian defector. It was also interesting to see Donald Gray in a role other than Mark Saber. He did fine and here had a prosthetic arm unlike his Saber character who went without. All in all a pleasant, if short, diversion.