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"Animal" review by Suzanne 10/9/14
Premieres Friday October 10 on Chiller

If you like movies of this type (young college kids go into the woods and get slaughtered by a monster or crazed mad man), then you should enjoy this one. It is low budget, but it has some interesting twists on the formula. Drew Barrymore is one of the many producers of the movie.

Five college kids drive to a fairly remote location and go hiking. Two of the kids are brother and sister, and they used to go hiking there with their dad. The brother, Jeff (Parker Young)  has some kind of other reason for being there (What is it? WE NEVER FIND OUT! One of the basic flaws of this movie.) Of course, each one of them has a secret. His girlfriend, Mandy (Elizabeth Gillies) has a secret that she reveals. His sister, Alissa (Keke Palmer) is fearful and worried the whole movie, for no apparent reason. She and her boyfriend, Matt (Jeremy Sumpter) are mostly happy during the movie until the creature appears.

There are two really annoying people in the movie, and they're the worst actors. The group's gay friend, Sean, (Paul Iacono) is an over-the-top stereotyped gay guy.  He's very annoying and a bad actor in this movie.  The group meets three other (older) people in a cabin. There's a guy named Doug, played by Amaury Nolasco. He's upset because his wife was killed by this creature, but all he does is complain and acts like a jerk. The actor is really bad and also seems to have a slight speech impediment.

The acting and the dialogue are the worst parts of this movie. The story itself (to a certain extent), and the makeup-special effects, are not bad. My husband disagrees with me on this and thought the monster looked laughable, but I thought it looked pretty good.

There are some good actors in the movie. Keke Palmer is the best of the younger actors, and Elizabeth Gillies is not bad. The others are passable aside from the two I mentioned as being so bad.  There's a couple in the cabin, Carl (Thorsten Kaye) and Vicky (Joey Lauren Adams).  These are both great veteran actors, so they're the best in the movie. They really elevate the film, in fact.

Unfortunately, they never really explain what this creature is that keeps attacking them. They hint that perhaps it's some sort of genetic experiment gone awry, but that's it. It seems smarter than your average beast, it seems to heal fast, and it looks mutated. It squeals like a pig, and I could swear that it has feathers, but it's hard to say... The story kind of falls apart in some places. I found the beginning a little confusing.

The only real question in movies like this is: who is the last one standing (if anyone is) and will they kill the beast, or will it be back for a sequel? I'll bet you can guess that second one.

This would be a fun one to watch, sitting around with your friends and some wine or beer. Turn off all the lights and get into it! Just don't expect anything more than a so-bad-it's-good bit of fun.

MORE INFORMATION:

On Friday, October 10 at 9pm, Chiller presents the world television premiere of its newest original movie, "Animal" (following a limited theatrical run in June 2014).

When plans for a weekend vacation hit a dead end, a group of close-knit friends find themselves stranded in unfamiliar territory, pursued by a menacing predator. Holed up in an isolated cabin, tensions mount as long-buried secrets are revealed. As the body count rises, the group must put their differences aside and fight for survival.

Produced by Flower Films, Animal stars Joey Lauren Adams (Chasing Amy), Eve (Barbershop), Elizabeth Gillies (Victorious), Paul Iacono (The Hard Times of RJ Berger), Thorsten Kaye (Smash), Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break), Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee), Jeremy Sumpter (Friday Night Lights) and Parker Young (Enlisted).

Animal is from executive producers Drew Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen, and producers Chris Miller, Ember Truesdell, Kelly Smith and Thommy Hutson for Flower Films. The film is written by Thommy Hutson and Catherine Trillo and directed by Brett Simmons; creature effects are by Gary J. Tunnicliffe.

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