A year ago a group of animal activists broke into a vivisection laboratory and one was caught by the police. Now he’s contacted the others from prison because he’s the one being experimented on. The group reassembles for the first time and breaks into an abandoned laboratory complex to find and free their friend, but something unnatural is hunting them as they search.

Lethal Dose is very promising little British film. The group is interesting, and I’m constantly amused by the “ugly American” stereotype, the sole American being a cowardly, idiotic stoner who’s jokes all come from the eighties. Don’t be sensitive, fellow Yanks, it could’ve been lots worse.

The story’s tense and kept me on the edge of my seat until the first real encounter with the “thing”. Once that happens, it slipped a lot. The evil is a good one, and it's a well thought out and a really intelligently put together story. However, for much of the movie it’s really not cohesive, this abstract evil thing that tosses people around and shakes the earth, it’s hard to be afraid of at that point in the story.

I’m not too hard on the makers, though, because it is a very clever, well-written story that doesn’t have a real downside except for a couple points in the execution. I’d rather watch a movie where something really good is attempted and not really accomplished than a movie that easily reaches it’s attempted goal of mediocrity. Let’s face it, that’s what most horror movies are, lacking in ambition.

To add to this issue, the biggest problem in the movie is that the climactic scene is drawn out entirely too long. If the action/gore/killings/pursuit go on too long in a movie, they become tedious. At least that’s so unless the film’s truly magnificent, and Lethal Dose really isn’t at all.

However, it’s entertaining, got a good little story, and a really sweet and satisfying ending. If you want to watch a horror movie that isn’t a rehash of all the other movies you’ve watched recently, check this one out.

6 out of 10 really cool uses of buddhism in a horror film