Doghouse (film)
Encyclopedia
Doghouse is a 2009 British horror comedy and splatter film
.
A group of men travels to a remote village in England for a 'boys' weekend'. Upon their arrival, they found out that all the women in the town had been transformed into some kind of man-eating (literally so) cannibals.
) is depressed over his divorce. Six of his friends, all faced with their own women problems, decide to take him on a trip to a village called Moodley where the women are meant to outnumber the men "4:1" for a "boys' weekend".
Arriving at the town, the boys find that it seems way too quiet and still. An exploration around the town reveals that something is amiss - "Where are the women?". The boys decided to head back to the bus and look for another joint. Along the way, they notice a hooded girl , they reach for change to give to her but she is suddenly tackled by a man in military uniform. They rush to her aid and in the confusion of the moment, the hooded teen takes the soldier's knife and stabs Neil (Danny Dyer
) through his hand and the friends begin to realize what is happening. They run for the bus dragging the unconscious soldier with them but Candy, their once-hot bus driver has already become infected and blocks their escape.
More infected women appear and begin to attack them as they retreat to Mikey's nans's house. They conclude that the virus only affects women, Neil puns it must be "bird flu" and airborne since Candy had not even left the bus. The soldier (Terry Stone
) admits that the town has been infected by a biological agent that turns women into man-hating
cannibals
.
The men make another attempt to get on the bus, the group nominate Neil to lure Candy away since, quoting himself, "women love him". They manage to distract Candy long enough to get on the bus but only to be scared down from it by two more of the infected. They scatter about the village, hiding in a toy store, a clothes shop, and the butcher shop. Patrick gets trapped on a billboard. Neil runs into a house after having outsmarted a couple of women-things, thinking he is safe but is knocked unconscious. He awakes, the prisoner of a morbidly obese woman who cuts off his little finger and eats it, all in the spirit and symbolism of castration (Sigmund Freud
).
Eventually our boys are chased into the village's Church and ironically, discover a military command centre. Matt, the resident geek, powers up the computers and they talk briefly to local politician Meg Nut. They realise Meg Nut had been involved somehow in the distribution of the toxin disguised as biological washing powder. The soldier finds a control box and explains it is a sonar device designed to emit a high pitched sound only women can hear and only works on Phase 2 monsters leaving them stunned. The clock chimes and all the infected turn into "Phase 2" monsters which are faster, more intelligent and weirder. Apparently, the device did not work as the soldier is killed by Mikey's nan who wields a pair of gardening shears. Matt bludgeons the monster-nan to death with a golf club as the friends hold back a protesting Mikey. Traumatized by what he has done, Matt walks off to 'cool it off' and is killed by a "Phase 2" monster which had appeared from the basement of the Church.
The boys decide to try the basement as a route of escape only to stumble into the 'Nest' of the infected where the bodies of men had been piled up for food storage. The group is chased out of the basement and onto the Church's roof.
Banksy eventually arrive at Moodley. Oblivious to what has been happening, he believes his friends to be high on drugs. They send him to fetch a ladder to help them escape from the church roof. Noticing the infected for the first time, Banksy finally understands the seriousness of the situation. Graham is knocked off the ladder to the ground by the obese woman, who then proceeds to jump off the roof, onto him. Banksy leads the surviving group to his vehicle but the ride turns out to be a buggy or a small Smart
car, definitely not big enough for all of them. Tempers flare and Patrick tries to get all of them to see bigger problem. As he speaks he is attacked and dies a messy, bloody death.
Banksy is killed at the minibus. The remaining three Vince, Neil, and Mikey, finally got aboard the minibus. There, Vince has an epiphany and begins a speech. He berates Neil and Mikey who treat their women poorly but get away with it when men like him and their dead friends, behave how women say they want, only to be discarded or killed. He has had enough of it and from then on, his life is going to be "what you see is what you get". As they finally escape the town, the voice of Graham crackles over the walkie-talkie. He had been dragged to a pile of bodies and left for dead in the 'Nest' under the church. The boys are determined to go back for him. As Graham makes his way out from the church he discovers the control box and machine behind the stun device and reconnects the power. With the working stun device the men are able to stop the women in their tracks. Neil plays around with it for a bit and throws the device to give the Vince a turn at it, but he missed and it breaks. The infected are once again unleashed and pushing the injured Graham in a shopping trolley, the four make a run for it, laughing.
described this film as "A nicely gory comedy-horror flick that is a diverting bit of lads' entertainment." Other reviewers disagreed. Jason Solomans Observer
called it "A dim zombie movie." Catherine Shoard of the Guardian
wrote "... undeniable misogyny and a definite creative bankruptcy. So is it fun enough to compensate? Just about" and gave it a rating of 2 stars out of five.
Michael Dwyer of the Irish Times
gave it only 1 out of 5 stars. Critics noted the films release closely followed after Lesbian Vampire Killers
, another 2009 British comedy horror film, and complained that ideas were borrowed from Shaun of the Dead
.
as a video on demand production.
Splatter film
A splatter film or gore film is a subgenre of horror film that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, through the use of special effects and excessive blood and guts, tend to display an overt interest in the vulnerability of the human body and the...
.
A group of men travels to a remote village in England for a 'boys' weekend'. Upon their arrival, they found out that all the women in the town had been transformed into some kind of man-eating (literally so) cannibals.
Plot
Vince (Stephen GrahamStephen Graham (actor)
Stephen Graham is an English actor from Kirkby, Liverpool. He is best known for his roles as Tommy in the movie Snatch, Combo in This Is England and its four-part television sequel This Is England '86, Danny Ferguson in Occupation, Billy Bremner in The Damned United, notorious bank robber Baby...
) is depressed over his divorce. Six of his friends, all faced with their own women problems, decide to take him on a trip to a village called Moodley where the women are meant to outnumber the men "4:1" for a "boys' weekend".
Arriving at the town, the boys find that it seems way too quiet and still. An exploration around the town reveals that something is amiss - "Where are the women?". The boys decided to head back to the bus and look for another joint. Along the way, they notice a hooded girl , they reach for change to give to her but she is suddenly tackled by a man in military uniform. They rush to her aid and in the confusion of the moment, the hooded teen takes the soldier's knife and stabs Neil (Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine Dyer...
) through his hand and the friends begin to realize what is happening. They run for the bus dragging the unconscious soldier with them but Candy, their once-hot bus driver has already become infected and blocks their escape.
More infected women appear and begin to attack them as they retreat to Mikey's nans's house. They conclude that the virus only affects women, Neil puns it must be "bird flu" and airborne since Candy had not even left the bus. The soldier (Terry Stone
Terry Stone
Terry Stone , also known as Terry Turbo, is a British actor and film producer. Before a career in film, Stone was a rave promoter, and is co-founder of Garage Nation and Rave Nation with Jason Kaye. He is most notable for his role as Tony Tucker, in the 2007 film Rise of the Footsoldier...
) admits that the town has been infected by a biological agent that turns women into man-hating
Misandry
Misandry is the hatred or dislike of men or boys.Misandry comes from Greek misos and anēr, andros . Misandry is the antonym of philandry, the fondness towards men, love, or admiration of them...
cannibals
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
.
The men make another attempt to get on the bus, the group nominate Neil to lure Candy away since, quoting himself, "women love him". They manage to distract Candy long enough to get on the bus but only to be scared down from it by two more of the infected. They scatter about the village, hiding in a toy store, a clothes shop, and the butcher shop. Patrick gets trapped on a billboard. Neil runs into a house after having outsmarted a couple of women-things, thinking he is safe but is knocked unconscious. He awakes, the prisoner of a morbidly obese woman who cuts off his little finger and eats it, all in the spirit and symbolism of castration (Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
).
Eventually our boys are chased into the village's Church and ironically, discover a military command centre. Matt, the resident geek, powers up the computers and they talk briefly to local politician Meg Nut. They realise Meg Nut had been involved somehow in the distribution of the toxin disguised as biological washing powder. The soldier finds a control box and explains it is a sonar device designed to emit a high pitched sound only women can hear and only works on Phase 2 monsters leaving them stunned. The clock chimes and all the infected turn into "Phase 2" monsters which are faster, more intelligent and weirder. Apparently, the device did not work as the soldier is killed by Mikey's nan who wields a pair of gardening shears. Matt bludgeons the monster-nan to death with a golf club as the friends hold back a protesting Mikey. Traumatized by what he has done, Matt walks off to 'cool it off' and is killed by a "Phase 2" monster which had appeared from the basement of the Church.
The boys decide to try the basement as a route of escape only to stumble into the 'Nest' of the infected where the bodies of men had been piled up for food storage. The group is chased out of the basement and onto the Church's roof.
Banksy eventually arrive at Moodley. Oblivious to what has been happening, he believes his friends to be high on drugs. They send him to fetch a ladder to help them escape from the church roof. Noticing the infected for the first time, Banksy finally understands the seriousness of the situation. Graham is knocked off the ladder to the ground by the obese woman, who then proceeds to jump off the roof, onto him. Banksy leads the surviving group to his vehicle but the ride turns out to be a buggy or a small Smart
Smart (automobile)
Smart is an automotive branch of Daimler AG. Smart is a German manufacturer of microcars produced in Hambach, France, and Böblingen, Germany...
car, definitely not big enough for all of them. Tempers flare and Patrick tries to get all of them to see bigger problem. As he speaks he is attacked and dies a messy, bloody death.
Banksy is killed at the minibus. The remaining three Vince, Neil, and Mikey, finally got aboard the minibus. There, Vince has an epiphany and begins a speech. He berates Neil and Mikey who treat their women poorly but get away with it when men like him and their dead friends, behave how women say they want, only to be discarded or killed. He has had enough of it and from then on, his life is going to be "what you see is what you get". As they finally escape the town, the voice of Graham crackles over the walkie-talkie. He had been dragged to a pile of bodies and left for dead in the 'Nest' under the church. The boys are determined to go back for him. As Graham makes his way out from the church he discovers the control box and machine behind the stun device and reconnects the power. With the working stun device the men are able to stop the women in their tracks. Neil plays around with it for a bit and throws the device to give the Vince a turn at it, but he missed and it breaks. The infected are once again unleashed and pushing the injured Graham in a shopping trolley, the four make a run for it, laughing.
Cast
- Stephen GrahamStephen GrahamStephen Graham may refer to:*Stephen Graham , British travel writer and novelist*Stephen Graham , British actor*Stephen Graham , American NBA basketball player...
as Vince - Danny DyerDanny DyerDanny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine Dyer...
as Neil - Noel ClarkeNoel ClarkeNoel Anthony Clarke is an English actor, director and screenwriter from London. He is best known for playing Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Mickey Smith in Doctor Who...
as Mikey Mouse - Lee InglebyLee InglebyLee Ingleby is a British film, television, and stage actor.He is perhaps best known for his roles as Detective Sergeant John Bacchus in the BBC Drama George Gently and as Stan Shunpike in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban...
as Matt. Character was based on a friend of the writer - Matt Booker of Automattic Comics who is a big star wars fan and also preferred retailer of Schaffers Dogwitch comic. - Keith-Lee CastleKeith-Lee CastleKeith-Lee Castle is a British actor, particularly known for playing villains and vampires.He has guest-starred in numerous television shows, mostly British...
as Patrick - Emil MarwaEmil MarwaEmil Marwa, born in 1974, is a Norwegian actor, known for his acting in films like Izzat, East Is East, and The Guru. -Awards:-Selected filmography:-External links:...
as Graham - Neil MaskellNeil MaskellNeil Maskell is an English actor who generally appears in British gangster and football hooligan films alongside actors promoted by Nick Love, Matthew Vaughn and Guy Ritchie. He is probably best remembered for playing Rod in the hit film, Football Factory, alongside Danny Dyer and Frank...
as Banksy - Christina ColeChristina ColeChristina Cole is an English actress known for portraying Cassie Hughes in the Sky One supernatural television series Hex.-Background:...
as "Candy". She introduces herself as Ruth however after a generous tip she agrees the boys can call her Candy. - Terry StoneTerry StoneTerry Stone , also known as Terry Turbo, is a British actor and film producer. Before a career in film, Stone was a rave promoter, and is co-founder of Garage Nation and Rave Nation with Jason Kaye. He is most notable for his role as Tony Tucker, in the 2007 film Rise of the Footsoldier...
as Sergeant Gavin Wright - Nicola Jane Reading as the Witch/ Zombird Army - Nightgown
- Jenna Goodwin as Dorothy PerkinsDorothy PerkinsDorothy Perkins, whose trading name was inspired by a rambler rose of the same name, is a large British women's clothing retailer, active mostly in the United Kingdom.- History :...
/ Zombird Army - Librarian - Emily BoothEmily BoothEmily Katherine Booth , also known by her stage name Emily "Bouff" Bouffante, is an English actress and television presenter.- Early life :...
as The Snipper, a hairdresser who attacks with her scissors - Tree CarrTree CarrTree Carr is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist and actress who has played in a variety of London based bands and has appeared in several films.She is also the owner of "Today is Boring" a DVD rental shop and film society based in east London.-Music:...
as Julie Mini-Mart - Ria Knowles as Pigtails
- Alison CarrollAlison CarrollAlison Carroll is an English gymnast, model, and actress. She was the most recent Lara Croft model, from 2008 to 2010.- Biography :Alison Carroll was born in Croydon, Surrey in England....
as The Teen - Deborah Hyde as The Barmaid at the local pub The Cock and Bull
- Victoria Hopkins as The Bride
- Beryl NesbittBeryl NesbittBeryl Nesbitt is an actress and model with numerous roles in major films, TV dramas and theatre productions spanning from the mid 50s to the present day....
as Mikeys Grandmother - Mary TammMary TammMary Tamm is an English actress. She is best known for being the first actress to play the character of Romana in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, opposite Tom Baker as the Doctor, from the 1978–1979 season known collectively as The Key to Time.-Early life:Mary Tamm was born in...
as Meg Nut, local politician. - Billy MurrayBilly Murray (actor)Billy Murray is an English actor, best known for playing Don Beech in The Bill from 1995 to 2004, Johnny Allen in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2005 to 2006, Captain John Price in the video games Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare...
as Colonel - Adele SilvaAdele SilvaAdele Silva is an English actress and television personality who has been on stage and television since she was a young girl. She is best known for playing the role of Kelly Windsor in the television soap opera Emmerdale....
as Bex, Mikey's Wife - Jessica-Jane ClementJessica-Jane ClementJessica-Jane Clement is a British glamour model, actress and TV presenter.-Education:...
as Neil's young woman - Khemico Lumampao as the prostitute
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 48% rating from 23 reviews counted. Mark Adams from the Sunday MirrorSunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
described this film as "A nicely gory comedy-horror flick that is a diverting bit of lads' entertainment." Other reviewers disagreed. Jason Solomans Observer
Observer
Observer may refer to person who is observing. More specialised meanings follow.-Computer science and information theory:*In information theory, any system which receives information from an object....
called it "A dim zombie movie." Catherine Shoard of the Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote "... undeniable misogyny and a definite creative bankruptcy. So is it fun enough to compensate? Just about" and gave it a rating of 2 stars out of five.
Michael Dwyer of the Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
gave it only 1 out of 5 stars. Critics noted the films release closely followed after Lesbian Vampire Killers
Lesbian Vampire Killers
Lesbian Vampire Killers is a 2009 British comedy horror film written by Stewart Williams and Paul Hupfield, produced by Steve Clark-Hall and directed by Phil Claydon.- Plot :...
, another 2009 British comedy horror film, and complained that ideas were borrowed from Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
.
Release
The film was released in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2009 and was released in the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a video on demand production.