This is the debut film for Peter Benson and Andy Thompson, and is infused with enough directorial touches to keep things entertaining.
It isn’t perfect. The male characters are not only grotesque but one-note grotesque. Endless sex-bragging and leery pub jokes ensure that none of them will win the sympathy of the audience. The supposed good guy of the group, for example, is more than happy to betray his partner for a quick fumble in the hay. It’s difficult to know how the audience is supposed to react to these people – are they intended to be funny? Is the intention that we long for their death? Are they supposed to represent real people?
This is a shame because with a lightness of touch sadly missing, they might have been people we believe in, which would have improved things. As it is, I enjoyed this as a slightly unusual hybrid combining a Hammer-esque horror feel in places with the video nasties of the ‘80s. The gore is impressive and convincing for a low-budget venture such as this.
The three female characters are rather better realised and well-played. The temptation could have been to overact, but that’s not the case here. There are some mild sex scenes which curiously fail to carry any kind of erotic charge. My score is 6 out of 10.