Doghouse Review

Doghouse is probably the best horror/comedy that you have never seen. I heard about this movie from several websites and I really had to watch this movie after hearing how great it was. This is a very refreshing horror movie because it tries something different and it also has some of the best young actors in England in it. British cinema has produced some of the greatest horror comedies of all time with classics such as Shaun of the Dead, Attack the Block, and now Doghouse. This is the goriest of the bunch and also has the best collection of actors in it. Maybe not the best chemistry (that will always go to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost), but it has the funniest action and most solid acting.

The movie starts off with a group of friends trying to bring their friend back to the world of being single after he goes through a difficult divorce. The three main characters are played by Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire), Noel Clarke (Doctor Who), and Danny Dyer (Severance). Them along with four of their friends form a group of friends that have been together for a long time. Each has their own way of dealing with women and that is displayed in a comical montage at the start of the movie. While on their way to a village in England that has a ratio of women to men of 4-1, the group learns that the village is pretty much a dead end and there is nothing exciting there. When they arrive at the village, they discover that it has been seemingly deserted and they start investigating the town. This the point at which the action ramps up and the gore begins. There is an airborne virus that turns all of the women who enter the town into crazy man-hating cannibals or in other words man-eating zombies. This is a great idea because it really shows how this group of friends has to band together to save each other and get out of this terrible situation. Each of the friends has their own relationships with the other and you see their relationships grow through the situation they are in. This movie also has a fantastic effects team and sports some impressive gore effects. Just a quality movie overall.

The tree main actors in the movie really are fantastic. Stephen Graham, who currently plays Al Capone on Boardwalk Empire, is the main focus of the movie. He is the friend that the friends are trying cheer up after he goes through a divorce. Graham has been in some fantastic movies and his role as Capone is Boardwalk Empire is amazing. Danny Dyer is probably the biggest star of the three having starred in some of the best British horror movies in recent memory. He is in one of my favorite British horror movies, Severance, which is probably second to Shaun of the Dead on my list of best British horror movies. Noel Clarke for a time starred in the best show on television, Doctor Who. He is a quality actor and has played mostly supporting roles until this movie.

Everything in this movie works in my opinion. The characters are very strong and each one gets their fair share of screen time and attention through the course of the movie. The three main characters are great and each represents a different attitude towards women and this plays an important role in the overall plot and themes of the movie. I really liked the story because it really altered a plot that had been used to an effect in The Crazies but this one plays it with a seemingly lighter tone and it was really great. The effects in this movie are pretty high quality but I'm reasonably sure the faces of the women were meant to be exaggerated for effect and the gore was pretty spot on. What really made the movie for me was the interaction between the different characters within the movie. Every interaction felt natural and nothing was forced which is a great strength that this movie had. Stephen Graham had the best part in the movie, I feel he represents most men in society because he was simply trying to be a good man for his wife and that was just not enough for her. He is not an asshole and was just doing his best, and he was completely thrown for a loop when she divorced him. He really represents the everyman and that along with the extremes that the other characters in the movie represent make the movie very enjoyable and deep if you take the time to read into it.

This is a very quality movie and one of the funniest of the new wave of British Horror/Comedy movie that have hit the market of the last few years. Strong leads, solid story, and great effects make this a movie that is deserving of a viewing. If you like movies like Shaun of the Dead and Severance then this is your type of movie and you will love it.