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Doghouse (DQ)

5/10

Stars: Danny Dyer, Stephen Graham, Noe Clarke, Lee Ingleby, Christina Cole, Terry Stone, Adele Silva, Emily Booth, Billy Murray, Keith-Lee Castle, Emil Marwa, Neil Maskell

Director: Jake West

Some way behind Shaun of the Dead but good for a few chuckles, here's another in the popular genre of lads versus ghouls. The seven guys at the centre of things are all in the doghouse for walking out on their partners for a weekend in the country at a village where one's granny lives, and women are said to outnumber men by four to one.

This not only proves to be in the middle of nowhere, but is also the site of a scientific experiment gone wrong, which sees our anti-heroes pursued by an army of man-hunting, feminist cannibals. Actually the women have been turned into living zombies with a thirst for blood - so the lads get action all right, if not the kind they were looking for.

Phone for help? Ah, the writers have that covered as usual. When mobiles start to buzz with calls from angry partners (they all ring with the Match of the Day theme music), pack leader Neil (Dyer) snaps 'All mobiles off and in the bag', despositing these with the coach driver (Cole), who conveniently turns into a zombie.

Since the boys are all pretty dislikeable, you're quite content to see them dispatched one by one, though the processes are often clumsily executed and the acting unlikely to project any of the hapless seven to stardom. The theme does give rise to one good joke which could find its way into Christmas crackers. 'What kind of virus only affects women?' Answer: bird flu

David Quinlan

UK 2009. UK Distributor: Vertigo. Colour by deluxe.
90 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 0, Swearing 3.

Review date: 06 Jun 2009