Doghouse

DOGHOUSE is a British stab at the comedy horror genre, featuring a group of guys who go off on holiday to a remote woodland locale and find themselves at the mercy of some zombie-type creatures. It's a film that's more than happy to reveal its inspirations, which here seem to be the likes of horror classics such as THE EVIL DEAD as well as more recent fare like SEVERANCE, which also starred Danny Dyer.

As such, the story is entirely predictable and almost everything that happens has been done before, and probably better. Despite that, it's quite a watchable film, filled to the brim with lots of humour - a lot of it sexist, it has to be said - and gore effects which keep it bubbling along. It's surprisingly entertaining given the pedigree of director Jake West, who has made some real tosh over the years (I'm thinking of EVIL ALIENS in particular).

The cast is littered with familiar faces and more than a few decent actors (Stephen Graham, Noel Clarke) and Dyer plays one of those laid-back, likable lead characters that he always seems to adopt. The special effects and various action scenes are all well-handled, although it has to be said that the actresses playing the various Zombirds are all terribly, embarrassingly over the top (particularly Emily Booth). Still, this is unashamedly adult in tone, which is a plus, and it's a masterpiece in comparison to the execrable LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS!

After travelling to a remote village for a weekend of drunken debauchery and male bonding, a group of friends come under attack from the women of the village, who have turned into bloodthirsty cannibals as the result of a top-secret biological warfare experiment carried out by the army.

Those looking for a stylish slice of quirky Brit comedy/horror in the vein of Shaun of the Dead, be warned: Jake West's Doghouse is aimed squarely at the lad-mag reading, post-footy, post-pub, post-curry crowd, and as such, the level of sophistication is not exactly high. Don't expect clever word-play, irony, post-modernism, surrealism, or satire; do expect tit jokes, loads of swearing, mindless violence, and puerile gags about shagging zombies, all of which could have been tons of fun, if only the film's characters hadn't been such an unlikable bunch of 'blokes' (fully deserving of everything they get), and director Jake West hadn't forgotten to develop his plot beyond a repetitive string of silly chase scenes and gory battles.

Although Doghouse is far from the worst British film in recent years to attempt combining laughs with scares (that honour goes to the abysmal Lesbian Vampire Killers, closely followed by The Cottage), I really was expecting a lot more from the director of zany splatterfest Evil Aliens, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The basic premise—a blood-drenched battle of the sexes—is an interesting variation on the standard zombie plot, the design and execution of the female creatures is impressive (each has its own distinctive look and personality), and the gore is well executed; but with the comedy being so moronic, the narrative rapidly going nowhere, and not one sympathetic person to root for, Doghouse is definitely something of a disappointment.

"Doghouse" is a very silly British zombie movie in which the small town of Moodley is overrun by female zombies. They attack nine guys who all traveled there by bus to have a guys only retreat of boozing and partying. The zombie women came in all shapes and sizes, yet they were all singular in their goal. Kill all men.

This is a reasonably funny and campy horror movie that starts off as a bunch of blokes on a road trip to cheer up their recently divorced mate. Since the gathering was sudden and unplanned they catch a lot of crap from their women for leaving on the trip- hence being in the doghouse. They are on their way to a lovely town where the women outnumber the men 4 to 1.. there's women EVERYWHERE! Too bad that winds up not being such a good thing for them. LOL!! If you like a couple of jokes in between killing lots of female zombies, this is your movie, there is some decent creativity with the zombies, just remember the whole thing is tongue in zombie cheek.

Vince is crestfallen, his relationship with his lady is over. Enter his blokey bloke mates who decide to take him out to a country village for a fun lads weekend. Trouble is is that the village of Moodley has seen the female population turned into an army of man-eating "zombirds" out for male flesh.

No doubt about it, Doghouse will not so much divide in two the horror/comedy faithful, it will dissect them into little pieces and continue to do so for quite some time. Already it has been chastised for being misogynistic, a poor imitation of British genre benchmark Shaun Of The Dead, and more baffling to me, a waste of British talent. All of which are wrong. Of which the last statement from me has probably already seen a number of internet users vote negative on this review before reading further. Cest la vie, but if you are still with me? Then thank you for your time.

Doghouse is one of the most in tune self mocking British comedies concerning lad culture of recent times, arguably ever? Fifteen minutes into the film our group of "lads," after having been introduced to us through a series of attitudes involving their partners {there's a gay guy too folks}, stand together and a phone rings. The ring tone is that bastion of British machismo, the "Match Of The Day" theme, our group collectively dig into their pockets for their mobiles thinking it may be their phone ringing. From here on in, the marker for what type of film Doghouse is has been set.

From there we lurch into a battle of the sexes with wry observations as our "heroes" do battle with zombiefied female stereotypes. Hairdresser, dentist, schoolgirl, goth girl, a bride, horsey type and even a god damn lollipop lady. All scripted with astute knowing and self-critique from Dan Schaffer as the "lads" veer from scared cat wimps to once again being sexually brave Ramboesque types. Honestly, and I speak as a seasoned British male, some of the dialogue here is as sharp as the sexy zombie hairdresser girl's scissors are. Oh yeah, forgot to say that the blood flows for those of the gore persuasion, very much so. Some scenes are horror delights, they may come with a quip or a tongue in cheek reference, but there is some fine blood letting stuff here.

In the cast you have Stephen Graham, Noel Clarke and Danny Dyer. I wonder how many folk have noticed the irony that all three guys are not long out of being in "blokey" hooligan type films? Dyer does his usual Cockney wide boy act that will annoy those who don't buy into it, but really there is a reason he plays to type, it's because like it or not? He's effing good at it governor. Graham and Clarke are both British treasures, not based on this film you understand, but they have much ability and it's great to see them having such a great time. While the support from the likes of Lee Ingleby as a horror comic/Evil Dead fan is truly "nudge nudge-wink wink" enjoyable. Director Jake West has moved considerably a few notches forward with this picture, so add his name to the list of British genre directors to watch alongside Paul Andrew Williams and Christopher Smith.

Comparisons with Shaun Of The Dead are folly, that film is an awesome parody of the genre, a film that remains a sub-genre highlight. This is a different film, though, one that parodies the genre with a totally focused observational narrative on a culture that warrants humorous inspection. So be it, I will happily watch this (and have done) with any of my film loving lady friends because I know they will see the pointedness of it all. And besides, any film that slots in Space's magnificent "The Female Of The Species" has to be worth a look at least. 8/10