Film Review: Banshee!!! (2009)

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SYNOPSIS:

While on a camping trip deep in the woods, a group of college students encounters a mysterious creature that tricks them by emitting hallucination-inducing sound waves and luring them to their deaths. Taking refuge in a remote farmhouse, the survivors band together and soon realize they must come up with a plan to kill the horrifying creature before it destroys them all. Colin Theys directs this creepy spine chiller.

REVIEW:

Directed by: Collin They
Written by: Collin They, Gregory C. Parker, and Christian Pindar
Starring: Ashley Bates, David McCarthy, Kevin Shea, Kerry McGann, Troy Walcott

When a group of students decide to hit the woods versus the warm sunny beaches of Acapulco, their worst nightmares come true when they are preyed upon by a devilish mutant creature. The goal of survival is enhanced when the group comes upon the locals, and begin their drastic adventure to living to tell the tale that encompasses the story of Collin Theys’s “Banshee!!!”.

Plenty of blood and guts litter the ground, as the demonic creature rips its victims into pieces. “Banshee!!!” begins showing a group of young men watching a TV show with a young blonde woman mesmerizing them. The date is 1970, and they get the munchies after passing around a joint. They take a drive down a country road, and then see the beautiful woman that was entrancing them on the TV. When they stop to pick the woman up, they notice a disgusting stench, followed by immediate weirdness coming off the girl. When they shrug it off as being a side effect from the drugs, they are surprised when the beautiful woman takes a bite out of the guy in the backseat, and the driver drives his car over the cliff in horror.

Cut to present day, a group of excavators are digging out the car that was wrecked more than 30 years ago. Jack Gorman(Kevin Shea) is heading the group, and his dog Max is acting suspicious. When a muddy cocoon falls out of the trunk, the crew calls it a day as Max grows ever wearier of the cocoon. Suddenly, the cocoon budges and the dog follows his owner.

The next scene introduces a group of college students on their way into the forests of east Connecticut to camp for spring break. The girls get out of an SUV, while the guys follow behind in the car. The dominant girl, Veronica(Ashley Bates), encourages everyone to get suited up for their excursion into the woods.

The other three girls Kerry(Iris McQuillan Grace), Jennifer(Christian Santiago), and Lauren(Jade Anderson) gather their things; while the guys: Chad(Jesse Murphy), Thomas(John Doolan), Mike(Nathan Pupillo), and Lake(Troy Walcott) are more reluctant to go out into the woods. Chad and Lauren decide to go out on their own, as the rest of the group venture into the woods. When they find a good place to camp, things turn upside down when a banshee releases itself on the group, killing each victim brutally. The banshee is a black winged creature, with indistinguishable facial features. The banshee makes a loud screaming noise, that causes pain to the victims’ ears.

After the remainder of the pack comes upon Jack’s house, they breathe a sigh of relief being in the hands of Jack and his nephew, Rocker(David McCarthy).

The constable Jules Bansley(Kerry McGann), also joins the group at Jack’s house, to help battle the demonic creature. Hallucinations and jealousy runs wild when Veronica and Rocker connect well, and Lake becomes green with envy due to Veronica being his object of desire for years. The human victims learn that loud noises are the banshee’s weakness, but still have difficulties distinguishing their real friends from the tricks of the banshee’s hallucinations.

The banshee is a terrifying creature, animated by the wonder of CGI. Also, the exploding heads were animated with CGI graphics, adding a cartoony feel to the movie. There were good scenes of blood and gore, as the banshee would completely obliterate its prey. I was also not fond of the placement of Rocker using his guitar to “slay the dragon,” with his heroic riffs causing the banshee to cower in pain.

Collin Theys’s “Banshee!!!” is a thrill ride through the backwoods of East Connecticut, running from a winged creature out for their blood. Their decision to have a relaxing spring break in the woods backfires, as their own lives are on the line in a race for survival.