The Lair

Back in the early 90´s i used to be a big werewolf fan, and i collected werewolf films on VHS. I remember when i managed to find both An American Werewolf In London, the very first The Howling and the Stephen King film Silver Bullet on VHS from the UK, it was like winning the lottery. I found them all at a videostore called Movieline in Gothenburgh, the biggest Scandinavian video store. I also remember that i picked up Zombie Flesh Eaters on an uncut version as well, but it was actually the werewolf films that made me more interested. I had seen all three werewolf films before, simply because i recorded them on my VHS player from a TV channel called TV3. But seeing these films with commercials was no fun, so buying the actual films was the best way to go. I probably watched these tapes more than 30 times and still loved them just as much. During the 90´s i did check out other werewolf movies as well, but it was the classics i appreciated mostly. When the early 2000´s arrived the horror genre just kept on growing with a lot of different genre´s, and werewolves did return as well. There was especially one film that really made an impact in the year of 2002, and that is the British horror film known as Dog Soldiers. Directed by Neil Marshal, this film tells the story of a British squad of soldiers who are dropped off in the Scottish Highlands to carry out a training exercise against a Special Air Service unit. But as their training exercise is about to begin, they discover that something is not right, finding the remains of the SAS unit. The squad retreat to get into a location for safety, but something is clearly coming after them. Dog Soldiers is not only a really good werewolf film, but i love the practical make up effects done on the werewolves. The acting in general is great as well and i think it is a well made horror film. Definetely worth picking up on DVD or Blu Ray if you love werewolf films. Director Neil Marshall continued making quality horror with the 2005 film The Descent ( his best film in my opinion ) where a group of women who go exploring in a cave system, where humanoid creatures suddenly attack them. This is definetely a must buy on physical media, and one of the best horror films of that year. Neil have continued to make films since then and have tried different genres. When i heard about his latest film called The Lair being a monster movie, i got really excited. Is it possible that this film is as good as Dog Soldiers or The Descent, or have the magic we once experienced from Neil´s films vanished for all eternity ?

When Royal Air Force pilot Lt. Kate Sinclair ( Charlotte Kirk ) is shot down over Afghanistan, she finds refuge in anabandoned undergroud bunker. Until she finds out that this underground bunker had Russians doing secret experiments.....

Imagine if someone would combine the 2009 horror film The Devil´s Tomb with the 1990 cult classic Xtro II: The Second Encounter, and you would have The Lair served on a plate. This is truly a throwback to sci fi action horror movies that i grew up watching on VHS with lots of shooting and instead of traditional aliens we get monsters ( works perfectly fine with me ). The Lair really feels like a respectful love letter to fans of films from the past, and i am so happy to see that director Neil Marshall decided to take this path. Since he have proved that he knows how to make both great monster films such as The Descent and horror films as well with Dog Soldiers, he clearly have a passion for going old school and you can tell that by watching The Lair. So let´s go through some of the positive details that i appreciate. The monsters are actually pretty cool to look at, they almost feel like a combination from Resident Evil creatures combined with a toxic waste deformed version of Venom. The underground facility feels like a secret military bunker and i love the tunnels, a perfect environment to have monsters running around. The lead female character Capt. Kate Sinclair played by actress Charlotte Kirk ( who i remember from the Bruce Willis film Vice, worth checking out ) is exactly what a film like this needs. She is one bad ass female character who does not take shit from anyone and have no problem fighting for her life. Charlotte knows exactly how to make this film entertaining with her powerful female performance, and i can just imagine that she had a good time making this film. Actress Kibong Tanji as Corp. Jade Lafayette is another great female character who is clearly not afraid to go into battle. The male cast work for the most part, but i actually think that the two female characters in this film makes the biggest impact. The action scenes are cheesy fun, made to entertain fans of action films of the 80´s and 90´s. Anything negative to say? Honestly i just had a good time with The Lair and don´t really care if there are any flaws. This is my kind of popcorn film, that takes me right back to the VHS stores of my childhood. Director Neil Marshall have done it again, delivering a film that will surely please fans of B horror movies. The Lair is definetely worth picking up on DVD or Blu Ray, we need more films like this made in the future so a young generation can learn what matters a lot more than TikTok, and that is to bring back classic VHS video violence.

Rating: DDD