Filthy Review - 'Inbred'

Inbred (2011)

Review by Jude Felton

Director Alex Chandon is not what you might say the most prolific director working in movies today. In fact, his last movie, Cradle of Fear, was released back in 2001. Be that as it may, my anticipation for Inbred had reached a ridiculous high, since first reading about it in 2011. The title alone was enough, and then it went quiet(ish). The film played festivals, trailers were released and some cool looking posters started doing the rounds, but this is an English flick, so I thought I was going to have to wait forever for it to get a domestic release in the States. Well, I am still waiting on news of that release, but it is about to hit Blu-ray and DVD in its native Blighty, and that itself is grand news thanks to all-region hardware. For review purposes I watched an online screener.

The basic plot of Inbred is a horror staple; a group of city folk venture out into the remote countryside and fall foul of the locals. It’s been done before, and I am in no doubt that it will get done again. What separates Inbred though is the manner and execution of this story. Before I go any further I will just say that Inbred in a mean and nasty film. Sure, there is a comedic tone to events, albeit of an incredibly dark humor, but make no bones about it, Inbred is dark and vicious.

The city folk that are travelling out to the country consist of two care workers, the by-the-book Jeff and the more open-minded Kate. Along with Jeff and Kate are four kids, all of whom have their own issues with authority, and this trip is seen as a team building exercise in which the kids can rehabilitate to a certain degree.

Their destination is a small Yorkshire village named Mortlake; a charming place where the local pub is called The Dirty Hole and the local kids appear to be beating a live scarecrow. Upon reaching their residence, things don’t appear to be much more inviting, as the cottage is in disrepair and is virtually uninhabitable. Jeff wants to make the best of it though, and after a quick clean-up the six of them make a trip down to the pub. It is hear that we get our first real look at the locals.

Inbred is a horror film, so you know that eventually the shit is going to hit the fan, and it does, quite literally, and before long the city folk will find themselves in a fight for their lives against a very sick and twisted local population.

As mentioned, there are plenty of elements that we have seen before; from movies such as Straw Dogs, Eden Lake, Evil Aliens and even An American Werewolf in London. In Inbred though, everything that happens has a kind of manic and sadistic glee about it. This is a film that is filled to the brim with graphic gore and other such gooey (or should I say shitty, in the literal sense) delights.

There’s an impending dread and sense of futility throughout the running time of the film, and Chandon seems to take great enjoyment of building a feeling of hope, only to rip that hope away from you. If you don’t like manic sadism or films that are just plain mean, you will not get much enjoyment here. If, however, you revel in the true darkness of horror, and want to reach down into the dark recesses of gleeful and wanton violence, you will lap this up, as I did.

Now, violence and gore can be seen anywhere in horror movies, but what set Inbred apart for me, aside from the tone of the movie, was the actual production value of the film. The acting is good throughout, the cinematography is sharp and the special effects are just wonderful. For once in a movie the makers have managed to blend practical effects with an element of digital effects and made it work. The gore here is just splendid, with limbs flying, eyes popping and some genuinely disturbing moments peppered throughout.

Inbred is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, as I cannot emphasize enough how mean the film is. However, I loved it. The violence, the humor and tone of the film just pushed all the right buttons with me. Inbred takes horror staples and infuses them with an incredible manic sadism that gives the film its own identity.

Recommended? Ee by gum lad, that it is! Brutal, funny and very gory, I will be ordering myself an import copy of this very soon.

Inbred is release on Blu-ray and DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment in the UK on October 15th and can be pre-ordered here.