A Horror Summer With Daniel: Offspring (2009 )

Ah yes, a summer with horror films. What more could you ask for ? Well, i suppose it depends what you enjoy. If you happen to enjoy playing with the chainsaw, then i know you are in for a good time. If you prefer shooting arrows, then remember that a head shot is always appreciated, just ask the Noble Prize committee and they can confirm this. Every summer i have a tradition, and that is to watch horror films. Does not have to be new ones only, it´s nice to return to some classics now and then and remind myself why i love seeing body parts flying and 785 bullets drilling through a body. At these moments you realise how wonderful life really is. There are so many wonderful choices for summer horror films, and i wanted to mention 2 films that i feel is a really good choice for gathering the family in front of the TV. Let us begin with a remake ( how often does that happen ? ), and my first pick is the 2006 horror film The Hills Have Eyes. A remake of the classic horror film from director Wes Craven, this remake is directed by Alexandre Aja ( who directed the great French horror film Haute Tension, also known as High Tension ). The 2006 version of The Hills Have Eyes is one of the best horror remakes in many years, and have a lot to offer for fans of gore horror. The story is very similar to the original film, but that´s ok. There are some really great characters here, and great acting as well. One of the highlights of this remake is the cannibal family, more brutal here than in the original film. I love the location of this film as well, the adandoned desert community is a perfect location for a disturbed cannibal family. The second film that comes to my mind, is the Brittish horror thriller known as Eden Lake. The story of a couple who plans to relax a romantic weekend together, that goes horribly wrong when they are attacked by a group of young people. A really effective horror thriller, with really good acting, especially from actress Kelly O´Reilly. This is in my opinion the best film that director James Watkins have done so far. Since it is summer, i thought it would be fun to pick out a horror film i have never seen, in a segment called A Horror Summer With Daniel. I looked through a big list of choices, and decided to start with the 2009 horror film Offspring. Is this a great choice for this summer, or is Offspring as boring as Swedish music artist Anna Books underwear sales ?

David Halbard ( Andrew Elvis Miller ) and Amy Halbard ( Amy Hargreaves ) are recently parents to a new born baby. They get a visit from Amy´s friend Claire Carey ( Ahna Tessler ) and her son Luke ( Tommy Nelson ). What they don´t know, is that a cannibal family are looking for new victims all over the coastline, and David and Amy´s home is their next stop.

I am happy that this film was included in my Blu Ray purchase of Arrow Video´s release of The Woman, because this film is not a film i would have discovered if it was not for Arrow Video´s catalogue of releases. Now, let me make this clear, Offspring is not as good as The Woman is, but this is an interesting film for other reasons. First of all, this is a cannibal horror film. For those who know me personally, they know i am a fan of cannibal films in many different forms and shapes. And to see a cannibal family gatherting for new victims, is something that i do appreciate in the horror genre. We have seen this concept been done before, but it is not often you see these kinds of films being released, so it is nice that Arrow Video included this film in a special edition for this Blu Ray set. The best part of Offspring is the practical effects. We get some really bloody scenes, with body parts and flesh wounds. When it comes to the acting, this film has very divided performances. But my favourite acting performance comes from legendary actor Art Hindle ( who you most likely remember from the 1981 classic comedy Porky´s and in the Chuck Norris Classic The Octagon ) as the character George Chandler. He give his character a personality that fits well with the police investigation surrounding all the mysterious murders. The plot is nothing original, but as a cannibal film, i will have to say that Offspring is more brutal than i expected. And i can´t say i have seen a cannibal film as brutal as this one in quite some time. Director Andrew Van Den Houten ( who have worked as a producer on quite many films, such as The Woman and Jug Face ) have brought back the cannibal film genre back on it´s feet in a surprising way. This is not a future classic in any way, but a pleasant surprise indeed. If you are thinking about getting The Woman on Blu Ray from Arrow Video, you should check out Offspring that is included in this Blu Ray set. A film in our taste, who enjoy some real meat.

Rating: DDD

If you want to get the Arrow Video release of Offspring and The Woman on Blu Ray, you can find it on these links:

https://arrowfilms.com/product-detail/the-woman-offspring-limited-edition-blu-ray/FCD2007

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woman-Offspring-Limited-Blu-ray/dp/B0858VRT8K