Directed by Jake West (Razorblade Smile, Evil Aliens) this is another ‘British Horror Comedy’ that unlike a lot of others does actually work. Yes it is gory, yes it is ‘laddy’ but where the likes of Shaun of the Dead (the bar setting British horror comedy) brings alot of popular culture references, Evil Aliens brought the slapstick and the gore and Lesbian Vampire Killers brings the lesbian vampires, Doghouse brings the laddy, boys night on the town crew and dumps them into a small isolated town with a zombie problem.
Being a group of lads, out of favour with their respective other halves, the film shows another side to the battle of the sexes as all of the zombies are female (zombirds!).
Amongst a number of number of Zombie set pieces and actually lacking the obvious one of one of the survivors being infected – but not telling everyone and turning at an inconvienient moment (which couldn’t happen as the zombie virus only infects females) there is actually a fair bit of characterisation which helps hold the film together. I hate to say that Danny Dyer is type cast but he does seem to play the same ‘av it’ laddy character in most films, indeed a bit of a script tweek and this could be the same character Danny played in Severence (last seen sailing in to the sunset with 2 near naked twin strippers).
Stephen Graham stands in as the ‘main protagonist’ but actually pails into the scenery beside Danny Dyer, Noel Clark and Lee Ingleby (comic book enthusiast Matt).
Noel Clark (Adulthood, Kidulthood and Doctor Who) steals the show with his choice of wardrobe (see the film, not saying here) but I couldn’t help draw comparisons between his character Mikey in Doghouse and his character Mickey in Doctor Who (both are in an lax relationship, both are very close to their Nan etc).
Look out for cameos fromBrit horror babe Emily Booth (Evil Aliens, Gorezone magazine, Zone Horror) as the Snipper, though it is a bit difficult to see that it is her, Don Beech from The Bill and Mary Tamm from Doctor Who
Nice, sometimes dark, and gritty horror comedy may fail to be a classic like Shaun of the Dead, but is a great way to spend a couple of hours one weekend, or maybe as part of a halloween lads night in.
