Poundland of Terror

Not that the film makers would jump for joy, but you can pick up some not too bad horror DVDs in Poundland these days. And I'm not talking about some bashed up old Bela Lugosi, but contemporary films, some that even had a cinema release. In the first of an occasional series (I've always wanted to write that) I'll take you through the best and worst of what I've found on the shelves of that most hallowed of stores.

First off is Colin, a zombie film told from the zombie's perspective. We follow Colin's adventures as tries to make his way home, slowly decomposing as he goes. Strangely, what it most reminded me of was the old Burt Lancaster film The Swimmer where Burt swims from pool to pool, making his way home to an uncomfortable truth. Here Colin is physically breaking apart, unlike Burt's mental breakdown. The idea is much stronger than the film and Colin's encounters get a little tiresome at times. The sleeve boasts : The £45 zombie movie! Now I've bought one, they only need to sell 44 more in Poundland to break even.

Roland Joffe started out making such bona fide epics as The Killing Fields and The Mission. You don't need to be a genius to know things have slipped since then, because now he is making Pound shop classics like Captivity. Where Elisha Cuthbert, forever remembered as the trouble prone Kim Bauer, is in trouble again as she is held prisoner by one of those unfeasibly ingenious serial killers. In fact this one is so inventive, with his contraptions and gizmo's, that he makes Jigsaw look like Peter Griffin. The film gets sillier and sillier, as it goes on and you'll be miles ahead of the twists in this blunt Saw-alike.

Best of the batch is The House of the Devil, a kind of throwback to the late 70's early 80's horror film. I could quite easily imagine it being support on a double bill back then and giving the main feature a run for its money. A cash strapped college girl accepts a babysitting job at a house in the middle of nowhere. Never a good idea and even worse when Tom Noonan, of Manhunter fame, is offering it to you. It's a slow burner, more mood than gore, and the tension builds and builds, Captivity could have learnt a fair few lessons from it. The House of the Devil is one to grab for a quid, if you see it.

That's all for now, but with Halloween on the horizon, I'm sure the aisles of your local Poundland will be full of horrors, and that's just the customers. Don't go alone!

Over