Filthy Review - The Hounds

The Hounds (2011)

Review by Jude Felton

To take a premise as overused as a group of friends on a camping trip and still making a film that is not predictable is definitely an achievement. If the film turns out to be good as well that can only be great news. This is what we get with the English horror flick The Hounds.

Dave, Martin, Sarah and Jake are four friends that meet up at the Hound and Hare pub for a few drinks. During the course of the evening they decide to go camping the following day. The next day comes and whilst three of the friends are ready and raring to go, Martin is nowhere to be found. Not wanting to hang around the three friends decide to head on out to their destination.

Running parallel to this plot strand is another featuring Myke, an alcoholic Detective, who is working a case. As the movie progresses the two stories keep their distance and keep you guessing as to how they are both linked.

What I will say about The Hounds is that it is most certainly a film of the slow-burning variety. The focus being very much on the camping friends and the interplay between them, and not on action-packed gore sequences. When the scares, and moderate gore, do arrive it is very effectively done, yet this is secondary to keeping the viewer guessing as to what is actually happening. To draw any comparisons to other films, of which I tried, would only serve to spoil the film. So, it’s just as well I couldn’t think of any off the top of my head. It is that sort of film, the less you know the better.

I would hazard a guess that The Hounds was shot on a moderate to low budget, by the directing duo of Maurizio and Roberto Del Picolo, and even though at times it does show it does not affect the impact of the movie. The acting is decent enough, with only one character being particularly grating, and the cast all come across well, giving solid performances.

I would have liked to have seen the filmmakers tighten the movie up just a little as some of the earlier scenes did drag slightly. The payoff though is well worth it with some genuinely creepy scenes to get the hairs on the back of your neck standing to attention. The fact that The Hounds is the debut feature film for the directors is also worthy of note, and I can only hope they build on this movie in their future work.

Slight pacing issues aside I have no hesitation in recommending The Hounds to fans of original horror, that is unless you have an attention deficit disorder that won’t allow you to sit through a movie that wasn’t edited by someone hopped up on caffeine.

A good, solid horror film that, I am sure, will keep you guessing until the very end. In this day and age that is definitely something to applaud.

The Hounds is currently awaiting release and is due to play Festivals later this year. For more information check out the film's Official Site.