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THE HOUNDS (2010)

Directed and written by Roberti & Maurizio Del Piccolo
Starring Maddie Moate, David Drew, Paul Tonkin, John Doughty, Andy Callaghan

A trio of pretty people go camping and find a dead body in the woods. Soon the kids become the prey for a shape-shifting entity that calls the woods home.

THE HOUNDS is a trippy little film that walks through well-tread territory when it comes to ghost stories and precautionary tales, but the most effective part of the film comes in the form of its handling of the gore and the creepy camera work by the brothers Del Piccolo. The cast is decent and the premise is entertaining enough. The lead up is heavy handed and it was difficult gaining my bearings on this one in the first half hour—looking for something relatable to latch onto as the characters and camerawork are sort of scattershot and all over the place.

Once the kids get to the forest, things sort of start to make sense, though there’s a ghostly something-or-other in the woods stalking them and ripping pieces of them out one by one. The gore is gruesome and gnarly and this one’s got a shockeroo of an ending that’ll sting if you’ve formed any investment with these characters.

All in all, this is a fun little feature that shows a lot of promise from its filmmakers. THE HOUNDS pays off after the half hour point with gore, shocks, and twists, but might be a tough sit-through in the beginning, so pack your patience.

Check out the trailer here!!