Inbred and Ready to Kill: A Movie Review

Director: Alex Chandon.

Writers: Alex Chandon and Paul Shrimpton.

Cast: Jo Hartley, Seamus O'Neill, James Doherty, James Burrows, Neil Leiper, Chris Waller, Nadine Rose Mulkerrin, Terry Haywood, Damien Lloyd-Davies, Derek Melling, Mark Rathbone and Dominic Brunt.

Tagline: "They came in peace...they left in pieces."

Inbred is a little indie horror production from the United Kingdom and director Alex Chandon (Cradle of Fear). Chandon brings his years of experience in digital special effects to this title in bloody fashion. Very gory, Inbred is a tale of several youths sent up to the north of England to find reform with two social workers. They find a group of blood-thirsty town folk who need more bodies for their terror filled carnival. Thus, outsiders and locals collide in this horror production, which is filled with hilarious moments of dark comedy.

Tim (James Burrows), Zeb (Terry Haywood), Sam (Nadine Mulkerrin) and Dwight (Chris Waller) are the dysfunctional kids. Kate (Jo Hartley) and Jeff (James Doherty) are tasked with keeping these four in line. This is not an easy undertaking for the social workers as the kids seem more villainous than the locals. Dwight seems particularly anti-social as he peppers his dialogue with a curse word in every single sentence. The two social workers have more to deal with, however. The locals are not very good with visitors. These bushy haired and buck-teethed characters antagonize the kids and the workers at every opportunity. Soon, all of the city-folk are on the run and possibly on the menu.

Don't Mess with These Townies!

The inbreds are a dastardly sort. Chandon has based some of his characters on America's horror classics such as Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Straw Dogs with Dustin Hoffman and The Hills Have Eyes. There is a United Kingdom Leatherface played by actor Dominic Brunt in this picture. He uses his miniature chainsaw to cut through the fallen. There might even be a little of John Landis' An American Werewolf in London here. Travelers should be wary of where they go. Not everyone in the countryside is welcoming. The villains in this feature are truly based on classic cinema.

The director knows his horror material well. Chandon has worked on close to two dozen films in varying capacities. He has been a horror film fan since a young age. His immersement in this genre comes through well in this piece. He knows the tragedies of horror. Thus, the script here has this false hope attached to it. It almost always seems like the protagonists will overcome the odds of a town full of maniacal townsfolk. But, escape seems just out of reach. Chandon also has a knack for drawing upon dark comedy. The gory bits are especially laugh worthy. Chandon creates a splash zone for several locals, who have to don glasses. Otherwise, their vision will be blurred by the whirling crap from a dying character. This scene is grotesque and oddly humourous at the same time. Chandon brings his sense of humour and a career spent with horror films to make scenes like this seem realistic and disturbing.

The splash zone

Chandon has managed to create a solid indie production with Inbred. This is a film that few will forget or toss away. Inbred utilizes the local countryside of Yorkshire to create for a beautiful backdrop in which all of the brutal deaths occur. Everything seems so tranquil until Gris (Neil Leiper) begins to stalk the very vulnerable Sam. There is a brewing tension early in Act I as the locals try to hide their murderous activities. Viewers will become aware quickly that something is not right with these townsfolk. As well, Chandon is able to display all of the violence onscreen in a very believable way. He utilizes years spent in digital effects to make bodies explode via shotgun and mine blasts with an affective style. This is one of the better independently produced horror films to come out of the United Kingdom this year.

Inbred has released in the United Kingdom and recently, this title was picked up by XLrator Media for distribution in the United States. Fans of indie horror are encouraged to pick this title up abroad or once Inbred is released locally in North America. Chandon's story here is based on the best in horror. His characters and story brush up close to horror tropes, but this film consistently sets itself apart from the films from which it borrows. There is almost always another laugh to be found in this piece and the protagonist's hopelessness accumulates as the picture winds down. And, Chandon gets this reviewer's vote for creating more from the depraved townsfolk of Mortlake.

Overall: 7 out of 10 (some of the protagonists are unlikeable, there is a whole slew of villains, lots of bloody kills, dark humour and beautiful photography).

The film's official website is here:

Inbred's Homepage

There is an interesting interview with the director at Horrorbid. Chandon discusses his influences for the film reviewed here in this interview:

Alex Chandon Interviewed on Horror Bid

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