It’s 1997, and three friends are frantically trying to escape the clutches of a monstrous killer who has already wounded one of them and is approaching with devilish determination in his stance. Wielding a knife with merciless aim, the youngins disperse in hopes of outrunning and eventually ending what can only be the end of a long string of macabre killings. And before this opening ends in complete carnage, the visible VHS tape of a warped “Steamboat Willy” fronts as a foreshadow of the next round of chaos to come.  

Jump ahead to 28 years later (no, not the 3rd zombie film installment, LOL), and we are introduced to a typical nuclear family made up of 3 teenage/young adult kids, a normal mom and somewhat frustrated dad. Mimi, the eldest of the bunch is buried headfirst in the toilet with despair. Her sister, Blaire is a fun-loving teenager who happens to be a secret cam girl for older men. The only son, Nigel seems to be focused on whacking off to online porn, hoping to lose his virginity in the near future. I would chalk this up to another ordinary American household, however they are NOT from the United States. (Is that a UK accent?)  

This foreign fam heads off to their holiday cabin for what soon becomes a surprise intervention as Mimi’s puking episodes are due to a severe addiction to prescription meds. While they gather to (more or less) lock her in a room as she goes through withdrawals, Nigel sets off to meet his newfound love Phoenix whom he literally ran into at a gas station and Blaire has a hot date herself. Yes, online in skimpy clothing as an older man climaxes to her bedtime twerking. The kids are sexually charged, medicated zombies…practically shells in search of some meaning to their dreary lives. Hence, the perfect set up for mutated mouse slasher, sneaking around in the shadows, ready to pounce.

During Mimi’s cold sweats and trash can vomit sessions, she tries to distract herself from the withdrawals through VHS tapes found in the home’s basement and becomes instantly appalled. The cartoonish images mixed with snuff film clips sicken her more, snapping her brain into a conscious state of unbridled fear for her family’s safety. Through further research, Mimi uncovers the twisted storyline behind the monster mouse and pushes through her pain to save her loved ones from sadistic nastiness which has fallen upon them.  

The bodies pile up with some atrociously violent heinousness which had me wincing more than I expected. My Achilles heel when it comes to extreme gore lies with a person’s teeth…the crudeness of torture without a hint of numbness just irks my body into a chill-filled horror. Once you’ve mastered that ability to cringe your viewers through such trigger points (i.e. finger/toenail plucking; cruel circumcisions, etc.) you have a captivated audience who will stick around to see the conclusion. This is true even when battling an overgrown cartoon character. But for god’s sake, keep the cheese grater away from a deranged rodent!