DOUBLE DATE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: BENJAMIN BARFOOT / SCREENPLAY: DANNY MORGAN / STARRING: DANNY MORGAN, GEORGIA GROOME, MICHAEL SOCHA, KELLY WENHAM / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 9TH
As ginger virgin Jim (Morgan) approaches his thirtieth birthday, his wide-boy best friend Alex (Socha) decides to take it upon himself to resolve the issue. A night out is planned, Jim’s least offensive outfit is chosen, and the boys head out. As luck would have it, they quickly meet sisters Kitty (Wenham) and Lulu (Groome), who have Jim firmly in their sights.
Horror comedy is a funny thing, or more often than not, it isn’t. For every Shaun of the Dead (2004) there’s a Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009), so it is a brave filmmaker that enters this rather unpredictable genre. Too much horror and the humour is often lost; too much comedy and the horror risks becoming farcical. A sympathetic lead in genuine peril with a few carefully inserted wisecracks goes a long way but films rarely balance the elements successfully.
Fortunately, Double Date is a refreshingly enjoyable watch. Morgan is an extremely likeable character and as he also wrote the screenplay, he inhabits the role of Jim with genuine conviction and heart. Groome as Jim’s ‘love interest’ is suitably engaging as the lesser of two evils, and one who remains plausible even as the depth of her and her sister’s reality is slowly revealed.
It is with Alex and Kitty that the film’s strengths really come to the fore. Alex could so easily have become an irritating character but Morgan, director Benjamin Barfoot, and Socha blend his confidence and ‘lad-ness’ with the sense that he genuinely cares for Jim and is truly only trying to help. Kitty is the film’s real villain and noticeably relishes the wickedness in the role. Her and Alex’s relationship, and in the final act truly physical performance, prevents Double Date from drifting into apathy and keeps you genuinely intrigued as to how the story will pan out.
With so many potential pitfalls to avoid it takes real skill to deliver a film as much fun as Double Date. There is horror, or more accurately brutality and gore, but while this is an essential ingredient it isn’t really what the film is about. There are also some laugh-out-loud moments, and plenty more chuckles to be found, but again this isn’t the primary focus. What sets Double Date apart is the wit in the script, the empathetic performances from a strong cast – which includes a slightly odd cameo from Dexter Fletcher – blended together with subtlety by Barfoot. It’s clear everyone believes in the characters and the story, and that everyone bought into the project, and this enthusiasm transfers through the screen to the audience.
As it’s likely Double Date passed you by on its initial release then do yourself a favour and seek it out now.
