Rainborough-on-sea is a down-at-heel English seaside resort, home to Jamie (Ed Speleers) and his friends. Jamie is a likable, normal sort of lad, a good looking virgin who lives at home in his slutty mother's guest house. His friends are witless, charmless, graceless losers. Into Jamie's life comes the gorgeous Juliana (Jessica Szohr), an American roving reporter for a travel website (you can tell she's gorgeous because she frequently walks in slow motion). A mutual interest develops, but Juliana appears to be the target of suspicions from the strange new resident at the guest house, Sid (Timothy Spall). And locals start disappearing whenever the moon is full....
This sounded promising and the trailer had a couple of good gags, so I was hopeful that we would end up with a British horror/comedy to rival An American Werewolf In London, particularly after the dud that was Lesbian Vampire Killers. Plus, after Eragon, Ed Speelers could do with something to establish a bit of credibility.
Alas, both our hopes were dashed. Admittedly, they got some stuff right. The atmosphere of a British seaside resort well past its prime is conveyed effectively (I live in one such place and Clacton is another, doing a good job of looking fairly unattractive to holidaymakers - being filmed out of season also contributes here, too). Speleers is personable, Szohr is hot enough to sizzle, and there are one or two directorial flourishes which are pleasing. That's about it, though.
Now let's look at what is wrong. One, the 3 lads are simply awful (and the film knows they are awful because it has Jamie remark on that fact more than once). Two, the film is inhabited by a deeply unpleasant female equivalent of the other 3 lads: equally crude and crass and, as written, devoid of any sense of reality. Three, there is a police sergeant who is completely unbelievable. Four, the usually reliable Timothy Spall plays his character broad instead of straight, which removes any possibility that he might come across as amusing. Five, all attempts at humour falls flat - this film is not even slightly funny. Six, the film is not only not funny, it is also not even slightly horrific. Seven, the werewolf reveal, when it comes (you know it's not going to be Juliana because she has been so obviously set up to be the werewolf from the start) is not shown clearly enough for you to be certain who it is. I think it was the police sergeant: if so, that doesn't make sense, because Juliana has been following him around Europe - how can he be a roving werewolf and a resident Plod in some seedy British seaside resort? And, eight, the ending is just horrible - Juliana is infected, so Jamie infects himself, there is a crap animation of two werewolves going at it doggy style, then they go off to America to hunt virgins to feed on. Awful.
I do suggest avoiding this one.
This sounded promising and the trailer had a couple of good gags, so I was hopeful that we would end up with a British horror/comedy to rival An American Werewolf In London, particularly after the dud that was Lesbian Vampire Killers. Plus, after Eragon, Ed Speelers could do with something to establish a bit of credibility.
Alas, both our hopes were dashed. Admittedly, they got some stuff right. The atmosphere of a British seaside resort well past its prime is conveyed effectively (I live in one such place and Clacton is another, doing a good job of looking fairly unattractive to holidaymakers - being filmed out of season also contributes here, too). Speleers is personable, Szohr is hot enough to sizzle, and there are one or two directorial flourishes which are pleasing. That's about it, though.
Now let's look at what is wrong. One, the 3 lads are simply awful (and the film knows they are awful because it has Jamie remark on that fact more than once). Two, the film is inhabited by a deeply unpleasant female equivalent of the other 3 lads: equally crude and crass and, as written, devoid of any sense of reality. Three, there is a police sergeant who is completely unbelievable. Four, the usually reliable Timothy Spall plays his character broad instead of straight, which removes any possibility that he might come across as amusing. Five, all attempts at humour falls flat - this film is not even slightly funny. Six, the film is not only not funny, it is also not even slightly horrific. Seven, the werewolf reveal, when it comes (you know it's not going to be Juliana because she has been so obviously set up to be the werewolf from the start) is not shown clearly enough for you to be certain who it is. I think it was the police sergeant: if so, that doesn't make sense, because Juliana has been following him around Europe - how can he be a roving werewolf and a resident Plod in some seedy British seaside resort? And, eight, the ending is just horrible - Juliana is infected, so Jamie infects himself, there is a crap animation of two werewolves going at it doggy style, then they go off to America to hunt virgins to feed on. Awful.
I do suggest avoiding this one.