Double Date (2017) Review

Jim (Danny Morgan) is a ginger virgin speeding towards his 30th birthday and desperate to pop his cherry before leaving his 20’s something his sexist idiotic best friend Alex (Michael Socha from Being Human) has vowed to help him to accomplish.

In a bar one day Jim and Alex spot sisters Kitty and Lulu (Dead Set’s Kelly Wenham and Up the Women’s Georgia Groome) and for some reason they seem to be interested in the witless pair. Determined these are the girls to usher in Jim’s manhood Alex engineers a double date however these girls have something other than sex on their minds and that something is human sacrifice.

Opening with Kitty and Lulu brutally murdering a couple of blokes they have brought home to their creepy country mansion cutting into some great cartoon credits Double Date directed by first time feature maker Benjamin Barfoot perfectly balances outright comedy with some nasty horror creating a lovable blend of belly laughs and bloodletting.

Focusing primarily on the fateful night of the double date with the audience armed with some vital knowledge on the ladies violent intentions the boys are not Barfoot does a great job juggling the tension and titters never allowing either to dominate too long before swinging back the other way unlike other films in the genre.

The characters are perfectly written by Danny Morgan, who also takes the lead role, with each appearing like a simple stereotype but developing far further by the chaotic climax which includes a humorous yet horrifying battle of the sexes and an homage to Texas Chainsaw Massacre as the guys end up at the aforementioned man eaters lair to be part of their twisted ritual.

Huge credit goes to the cast all of which are excellent with Morgan’s Jim taking the role of the slasher staple Final Girl purity intact via a gender switch and giving it very British socially inept yet likable interpretation. A stand out scene involves him and Kitty, the more reluctant and awkward of the homicidal sisters played brilliantly by Georgia Groome, visiting his devoutly religious family for a celebration and a sing song which is both embarrassing and funny in equal measure.

At the other end of the sexual spectrum is Michael Socha’s Alex a chart up line spouting, offense generating machine with some of the best lines in the movie who seemingly believes he is God’s gift before meeting his match in Kelly Wenham’s Kitty who is both physically superior and immune to his nonexistent charms. She is also a bat shit crazy killer but Alex doesn’t find that fact out until it’s far too late for both of them and Alex’s Dad played by Dexter Fletcher in a superb cameo.

Well shot there are also some interesting uses of music throughout both on the soundtrack by Goat and within the film as the foursome move from a painfully pretentious gig by a dreadful dance duo known as Krabs to a packed out Grime club night with a Kitty playing Yazoo’s 80’s synth pop hit Only You as her own personal theme tune during a particularly gruesome moment.

One of the funniest films at this year’s FrightFest Barefoot and Morgan are a duo to look out for in the future as Double Date combines the perils of modern day dating and adds in a love interest whose interests include Satan worshiping, black magic and murdering men with her sibling in her spare time creating a hilarious horror comedy that will have you entertained from start to finish for sure.

Movie Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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Alex Humphrey

Alex studied film at the University of Kent and went on to work for Universal Pictures in their Post Room gaining an inside look at the movie industry from the very bottom. Constantly writing reviews in everything from local magazines to Hip Hop sites Alex honed his critical skills even spending a brief period as a restaurant critic. Read more

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