BritishFilmNews.Com

Happy New Year film fans, and a happy new year it is so far. With a great line up of films headed our way in 2026, one of the first films that we have viewed here at britishfilmnews.com is the latest film from Shogun Films. Doctor Plague which is out now on Digital and also on Region Free bluray in the US.  Not every film has to change the world. Not every film has to be an Oscar winner, but every film should either entertain, or educate or both. Doctor Plague wonderfully fits into that first category and was a fun near 90 minutes entertainment. 

Doctor Plague takes us into the world of Detective John Verney, played by Martin Kemp, who is hot on the heels of a serial killer who models themselves on the 17th century Plague Doctor, complete with creepy green eyes and a scary costume. This serial killer is slaughtering people left right and centre and its up to Detective Verney to track down this lunatic. With help from journalist Francesca, played by Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott (Helloween, Nemesis) this two person team are on the hunt! at the same time Doctor Plague is also on the hunt….for more victims in this modern day London. 

Doctor Plague is a great watch, no it might not be groundbreaking but it doesn’t have to be, and we don’t feel that it wanted to be.  This film is what it is. A feature length popcorn movie that is perhaps the sort of film that the characters in Wes Craven’s Scream may sit around watching, and yelling at ‘don’t go in there’ or ‘look behind you’  as their popcorn flies out of its buckets.  Its a great interactive viewing experience which is very reminiscent of many of the slasher films of the 1980s and 1990s  The cast are super watchable and demand your attention when they are on screen, especially Martin Kemp who is having a blast running around chasing this serial killer. The supporting cast is also a who’s who of names and faces including the David Yip who perhaps is best known for his role as Chuck in the 007 masterpiece (yes we said it) A View To A Kill, and also as Wu Han in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. Also featured in Doctor Plague is Gary Webster from TVs Family Affairs, The Bill, Eastenders, and most famously the Arthur Cole starring show Minder.

The main ‘team’ of the film are great onscreen and here’s hoping that Martin Kemp and Jeanine Nerissa Sothcott work together more in the future. We could easily have watched an entire film with these two running around trying to solve these brutal crimes, but sadly with Doctor Plague being limited to its 83 minute running time, this crime solving team only had a certain amount of screen time to entertain us but entertain us they did. The film itself looks great and some of the locations are super intriguing especially what looks like some sort of cave system that features within the film.  It would be interesting to find out where these are. Its also very much worth noting, the music score by Robert Geoffrey Hughes and Chris Hurst which is subtle but felt always present in Doctor Plague and its great to see that the score has also been released, not just on streaming sites such as Spotify, but there is also a vinyl release and CD release of the films score. Its rare that an indie film gets this much of a physical media presence nowadays so two thumbs up to Shogun Films for helping keep physical media alive.

Is Doctor Plague a recommendation? Yes. Very much so. To summarise, its not a groundbreaking film, but it is most certainly a very entertaining film with a great cast who look to be having so much fun making it. Its the sort of film that you can put your feet up, eat some snacks, and be very entertained with.  Another fun film in the growing slate of British production company Shogun Films.