Synopsis: Two friends head out to the wilds of Essex for a walking holiday but they meet a bunch of women with an appetite for more than fun.
Director: Phil Claydon
Starring: James Cordon, Matthew Horne, Paul McGann and MyAnna Buring
Review: Apparently writers Stewert Williams and Paul Hupfield did as writers have done for years, they selected random words (and in this case possibly the most click-worthy words) and decided to use them for the basis for a movie.
I won’t lie to you, it’s not in the same league as Hitchcock, but does offer more than a passing nod to the likes of Shaun of the Dead, Evil Dead trilogy and the Scary Movie franchise. There are a lot of cliches, from the nearly naked, incredibly beautiful foreign students on a field trip to the gormless hero with an unknown legacy, a knight with flashing mobile phone and of course the comic relief provided by Cordon. The scenes are fairly well directed and for a low budget, the scenery and costumes are good. However, there’s lots of choppy editing which can be jarring but given the comedy value, it’s forgiven. For a cast of relative unknowns, everyone puts in a solid performance, although for some, it’s not much of a stretch (I always enjoy Corden but see below).
It would be easy to dismiss this movie but that would be doing it a disservice. Cordon plays the same character he has played in Gavin and Stacy, the beer drinking side-kick with limited brain capacity, Paul McGann hams it up like the best Peter Cushing style as the vicar trying to save his daughter from turning into a vampire. There’s the Buffy-esque ‘Lotte’ played by MyAnna Buring who’s the obligatory virgin/know all who our hero must rescue. And finally Matthew Horne as the likeable, but unlikely hero (again, see his character in Gavin and Stacy).
A quick pointer for any would-be vampires or foreign exchange students deciding to visit the UK: it gets VERY cold here. Short skirts which don’t cover your bum and little bits of flimsy, fluttering material will not keep you warm in the wilds or villages. You may be undead but cover up or you’ll freeze!
It feels like a lot of mates for together to make a film and you’re drawn into the fun the whole cast must have had making this. It’s crude, lewd and very rude but there’s more than a few laughs which make this movie worth watching.