Dog Soldiers

When was the last time you saw a British werewolf film? A long time ago would probably be a safe bet. Now think back to the last time you saw a good British werewolf film. Any luck? No? Well this film will almost certainly give you an answer if someone asks you that very question in the future.

Even by British standards, Dog Soldiers is a low budget film. However, this turns out to be a very good thing as Marshall does not rely upon computer graphics and big name stars but returns to the traditional attractions of horror films - a good storyline with plenty of blood and gore.

Dog Soldiers is a rare thing, a horror film which achieves a good mix between screams and laughter. When a British Army platoon led by Wells (Pertwee) stumbles across a stack of bloody bodies (the remains of a top-secret special services unit) out in the middle of the Scottish Highlands (but actually filmed in Luxembourg), it's obvious that there's something very strange going on. Their suspicions are confirmed when they find a civilian zoologist wandering through the woods looking for evidence of some very hairy beasts.

The script is sharp and witty, stuffed with many genre references and sly, cheesy one liners. The acting is generally very good, as you would expect from a successful low budget film and the comedic moments give a good break from all the guns, blood and explosions which make this film what it is.

Okay, Dog Soldiers is not the most original film of all time and you can have quite a bit of fun spotting which bits have been "borrowed" from which other films but then again there are very few original or groundbreaking horror movies nowadays. Having said that, some of the action sequences and gorey bits have a refreshingly original feel to them with some sequences the like of which which I almost guarantee you'll never have seen in the cinema before. It also features a nice twist in the tail (pun intended) which you may or may not spot coming...

So if you missed this film when it was on general release (which, unless you were very lucky, you almost certainly will have) or indeed have already seen it (in which case you will want to see it again) then this film is a great advert for British film-making and the horror genre. See it.

Ben Goddard