Gnaw (2008)

I really wanted to like this film, I like to see British horrors, but the script was predictable and badly written making the characters very one dimensional, not only did you know what was going to happen but you knew exactly what they were going to say.They stuck every cliché in there: sex starved young people in an isolated place, the strange cook who was in on it all along, the killer who wears a mask for no reason, the slow walking bad guy always catching up easily with the running characters, the Gothy chick who has a strange bond with the killer, lots of people wandering off by themselves to make them easier to kill, even down to a 'shock' victims hand slamming against a car window after exactly three seconds of silence. This really did feel like horror making by numbers.The gore wasn't gory, everything was off screen with a couple of exceptions of bits that were too much on screen and brightly lit so you could see how fake they were.The suspense wasn't suspenseful, there was a big deal in the 'what's in the kidney pie' even though you saw someone having their kidneys removed in the very first scene and one character finds a human hair in her food right near the start which destroyed any chance of prolonging the mystery.This is to British horror what x-factor is to real music, bland and damaging.And after I figured out that 'Gnaw' was 'Wang' backwards I couldn't take it seriously anyway ... even though it was from Poundland I felt slightly ripped off.

Six dumb, stereotypical friends go to the English Countryside for some drinking, sex and other activities. So, what's with the old lady and all the meat they've been getting? Oh, and look out for a bloodthirsty cannibal with a sheep skin covered mask."Eden Log", I congratulate you: you are no longer the worst horror flick I've seen this year. A poor attempt at doing a gory, tongue in cheek cannibal/slasher flick, "Gnaw" is a film that desperately wants to be a British answer to the "Wrong Turn" and "Hostel" films, as well as a British "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." That's fine and all, except it lacks the fun 70's/80's horror throwback aspect of the "Wrong Turn" flicks, as well as the Black Humor and Social Commentary of the "Hostel" movies and the choking atmosphere and claustrophobia of "Chainsaw." Hell, there's already a British answer to "Chainsaw"-it's called "Raw Meat", and it's much better than this movie.It also doesn't help that everything else falls flat. The Black Humor of the film is neither clever or interesting, while the attempts at more serious, dramatic moments are laughable at best. Plus, while there's plenty of gore, it's all so lethargic and monotonous-there's no energy to any of the violence or viscera on display, and it's a bore to sit through. Add to an twist so predictable it would be insulting to call it a twist, as well as an annoying score and poor acting, and you get a really bad horror flick that borders on unwatchable.On the plus side, at least the killer has a unique mask. In the end though, "Gnaw" isn't worth your time or consideration. For a better British Slasher flick, see Christopher Smith's movies "Creep" and the satirical "Severance" instead of this. For a better British Cannibal flick, see the aforementioned "Raw Meat" instead of this. Trust me, you're better off doing that.

OK firstly, this has been done over and over and over in the past few years! How many times can we be subjected to the same old story and cliché characters?? A group of friends go for a holiday in a remote cottage in the middle of nowhere! Amongst the characters are the "Jerk", "Bitch", "Nice Guy" and "Misunderstood Girl" oh and we shouldn't forget the "Psycho Maniac"!!!! Jeez! Anyone that has seen Severance or The Cottage will have seen this without even knowing it! Basically it is just a combination of the 2 movies! One saving grace was the direction, it was pretty tight! If only the acting, story and characters could have been as good!

This low budget (and surprisingly high quality) English horror flick pulls no punches and delivers a steady stream of chills and jump scares from the menacing residents of an isolated country hotel. If you loved Texas Chainsaw Massacre then this is for you. Features no famous faces, but this aids the believability of the desperate situation facing a group of young holidaymakers who pick the wrong hotel. Gore factor is fairly high, and executed well, as some films in the genre try too hard with this element. If you have a weak stomach then stay away. As a horror veteran I rated this film and feel it falls into the category of "pure horror" and delivers a fresh perspective on an age old format..... LH.