BANSHEE!!! „Movie”

BANSHEE!!! „Movie” - okładka


Veronica (Ashley Bates) and her childhood friends embark on a camping trip. These friends picked the wrong Connecticut forest to roast weenies and sing “Kumbayah.” Before the hormone-ridden co-eds can even remove a bra or crack open a beer, a creature begins to pick them off, one by one. An action packed chase through brush and brambles ensues before the survivors reach refuge at a house in the woods. The occupants of the home—a junk dealer named Jack (Kevin Shea) and his rocker nephew (David McCarthy)—and the remaining campers try to survive and find a way to kill the banshee!

BANSHEE!!! has all the elements of a B-grade horror film: It consists of poor plot development, horror movie clichés, bad acting and shallow dialogue. The casts’ resumes consist of second-rate horror films nobody has heard of and porn. Despite all of the movie’s downfalls, BANSHEE!!! is an exciting watch.

The lack of plot and character development results in non-stop action. The viewer doesn’t have the pleasure of being acquainted with many of the characters before the banshee tears them apart. John Doolan’s script provides a blue print of predictability. If a character says more than five words upon introduction, he/she might evade death for at least twenty minutes.

The nudity factor in BANSHEE!!! is akin to adolescent gazing of the lingerie section in a J.C. Penny catalogue. Director Colin Theys alludes to sex in a couple of places, but all we get is a glimpse of bra-encased breasts, which is too bad because Ashley Bates has an impressive pair begging release from her shirt.

While the film contains no nudity, it has a primo gore factor. It depicts the first kill of a camper by impalement through the mouth. Another scene shows the banshee rip a cop’s head off at the jaw, and then splatter another cop’s head. Accolades also come to mind when describing the monster. At the forefront of every creature feature is a good monster. This monster has the power of a sonic boom voice that moves matter. It also has the ability of flight, it can appear as a friend or family member, and is incredibly fast and strong. By the use of dark light and quickly changing angles, the camera veils the creature’s obvious CGI appearance.

Originally released in overseas theaters during 2008, BANSHEE!!! will soon see DVD release in America. The film is also slated to appear on NBC’s homage to the horror genre, the Chiller Channel. Seeing the TV movie tag brought doubts of quality. Many of these doubts were confirmed. While the film will when no honors for its script and acting, the action, gore and modern twist on an old tale make it worthy of a second viewing.

Director: Colin Theys
Writing Credits: John Doolan
Rating: R
Run Time: 85 min
Cast: Kevin Shea, Ashley Bates, Greg Nutcher, Christina Santiago, Jess Wakefield, Shawn C. Phillips and M. Kelly
Theatrical Release Date: 2008 (overseas release)
DVD Release Date: March 23, 2010
www.syntheticcinema.com

note: 6/10

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