Mum & Dad Provide Food, Warmth and Torture During Christmas Time

Birdie and Elbie work as a team to bring Lena, a young polish immigrant into their dark underworld of sadism and manipulation. All three young adults work at the local airport, but when Lena needs a place to stay Birdie and Elbie invites her over to their home. Once there Lena learns what family dysfunction truly is when "Mum & Dad," drug, beat, and torture Lena into submission. As this nightmarish house of horrors goes from slightly crazy to completely insane Lena must find an escape route or become another victim to this family of serial killers.

Rating: Restricted for violence, gore and sexuality.

Release Date: December 26, 2008

Starring: Perry Benson, Dido Miles, Olga Fedori, Ainsley Howard, and Toby Alexander.

Director: Steven Sheil.

Writer: Steven Sheil.

A simple story about human cruelty and survival "Mum & Dad," surprisingly entertains. The plot revolves around one girl's experience at the hands of a sadistic family of killers, and this small United Kingdom film is light on scares, but heavy on fun. The direction of Steven Sheil subtly hints at the gore through open doors and peepholes while adding overtones of torture throughout. "Mum & Dad," is a film that takes itself a little too seriously; however, one scene involving a Christmas celebration and a dressing down of Lena by Dad creates for a hilarious set of shots and lightens the tone of the film.

Several of the sets take place in one location with several tortures devices and restraints adorning the wall; a horrific theme is set early. It is not until later when Lena manages to escape her restraints that the complexity of the film starts to appear and the various other torture rooms can be seen. With Lena moving from room to room the large amount of victims undergoing torture in the house becomes apparent. Cellars, attics, bedrooms, and workshops are all part of mass murder and even cannibalism.

The two central characters of "Mum & Dad," have a great deal of acting experience and "Mum & Dad's," ability to portray sadistic, blood-thirsty killers while putting on the whole everything is normal routine for others creates for an enjoyable watch. The acting of Birdie, a minor character is also well done as she competes with Lena in the film for the love and attention of "Mum and Dad." Ainsley Howard portrays the mentally beaten down, yet constantly looking out for her own self-preservation role of Birdie with brutal ruthlessness.

Somewhat formulaic "Mum & Dad," manages to dodge most of the horror cliches while providing an interesting torture storyline. There is very little gore in the film until the final few climactic scenes, but "Mum & Dad," is rarely boring and the acting of Perry Benson and others makes the film. Providing a few laughs while maintaining a low level intensity "Mum & Dad," is worthy of a viewing.

A trailer for "Mum & Dad," here:



Sources:

Mum & Dad at IMDB

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Posted in: 2008,cast,december 26,dido miles,horror,mum dad,mum and dad,olga fedori,perry benson,review,steven sheil,synopsis,thriller,trailer,united kingdom