Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2018 Special Edition Magazine right here! Squirm’s intro implies it’s based on a true story, citing an electrical storm which sent thousands of volts into the ground, cutting off a town’s electricity and leading them to experience “one of the most bizarre freaks of nature ever recorded”. "[8], "First Look at Animal, Produced By Drew Barrymore! 27 – The Horde Attacks/The Moat/Dar vs. Jun Leader) (4:48), The Beastmaster (Seq. Zombeavers (2014): It’s about zombie beavers and pretty much does what it says on the tin. The soundtrack album was originally issued by Varèse Sarabande, and subsequently by C.A.M. Fittingly, George A. Romero’s first studio film is all about grey matter: Jeffrey’s been injecting Ella with a serum made with human brains in the hope of increasing her intelligence. When it comes to cheesy spider movies, we have an embarrassment of riches. In this sort of brainless adventure film, one climax is enough. [3] The role of Maax was originally written for Klaus Kinski, but he was not cast over a salary dispute. [3] Norton was unhappy with the liberties taken with the film's script and asked for her name to be removed from the credits. (How very topical.) She sets the fire and burns the monster to death. He returns to his family’s farm to discover that sheep are the subject of experiments which have turned them into vicious freaks. Then imagine cheap sets and bad acting and voila! In a similar vein, I can’t NOT mention David Cronenberg’s Shivers (1975); the parasites fit all too neatly into a list of the unintentionally comical. Special mention must go to the scene in which a survivor of the carnage hallucinates animal sounds as he surveys his collection of taxidermied creatures; all very poignant until a stuffed fish makes a noise like a cheerful dolphin. Named Dar while raised in the village of Emur, the child learns how to fight, and has the ability to telepathically communicate with animals. Slugs has it all: an everyday creature made terrifying by unusual aggression and a population explosion, plentiful nudity for those obligatory sex scenes, and slugs infiltrating homes via lettuces etc. Followed by Alligator II: The Mutation (1991) and many pale imitations. "[11], The film holds a score of 46% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 5.26 out of 10. “Pull a knife on my ship and I’ll gut you with it.”“We have as much money as the Vatican and almost as many lawyers.”“If you throw one more tantrum I’ll bite your goddamn nose off.”“There’s a lot more goo than we thought!”“Keep that nitrogen pointed at me!”“Freeze melts. They have problems with strays almost immediately, but nobody takes it seriously – “We’re talking about a cat, get a grip on yourself!” – and soon things have come to a yowling, spitting, growling climax. Douglas attempts to board up the entrance, leaving Sean and Carl to die outside, but the girls help them get in through the back. Dar returns to save them from being sacrificed. There is nothing I can say that would add to the brilliance of this concept. Sometimes a straight-up thriller becomes a B-movie simply with the passage of time, as the animatronic monster becomes less terrifying and more ludicrous. If you’ve ever wanted to see Joan Collins get ant pheromones puffed into her face to brainwash her into accepting her new insect queen’s authority, you’ve come to the right place. 30 – Finale) (2:05), The Battle on the Pyramid (Film Version) (6:42), This page was last edited on 11 October 2020, at 03:28. [1], The Beastmaster premièred in theatres on August 19, 1982. (If movies have taught us anything, it’s that scientific progress is to be frowned upon.) [3] Coscarelli originally wanted Demi Moore for the role of Kiri, but the executive producer overrode his choice and had Tanya Roberts cast. Ice Cube, Owen Wilson, and Eric Stolz are among the crew accompanying her, but Jon Voight steals the show as a sinister snake hunter. [3], According to Variety, the film opened to mixed reviews. (Biting isn’t always necessary – sometimes you can just squeeze people to death or swing them against tree trunks. Alan is paralyzed from the neck down after an accident; his dodgy scientist pal Jeffrey provides Ella, a monkey home-help. For vintage fun, try 1959’s The Killer Shrews, the first horror film to really make use of them needing to eat three times their body weight every day…. 22 – Through the Gate/Dar the Outcast) (2:44), The Beastmaster (Seq. It isn’t an amazing film (not counting a plate of rats springing into someone’s face) but it has some awesome lines “My god, they’re like an army!” and famous last words – “ALL animals are afraid of fire!”. [3] The films were followed by a syndicated television series in 1999. ", "Chiller Adds 'Deep In The Darkness,' Drew Barrymore's 'Animal' To Original Film Slate", "Drew Barrymore's 'Animal' Sets Ensemble Cast (Exclusive)", "[Review] 'Animal' Is a Redundant Creature Feature", "Review: A Good Creature is Wasted in Animal", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Animal_(2014_film)&oldid=978451372, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 September 2020, at 00:48. An hour later, it is very hard to care what it is all about. There’s a lot of screaming in this film (one actress actually dislocated her jaw from her exertions) and certain scenes may remind you of Honey I Shrunk The Kids, but the H.G. As the bird men worship eagles, they spare Dar when he summons Sharak and give him an amulet should he need their aid. Mandy and Alissa flee into the woods. What are the chances that such a small island would be home to a sugar factory? Here we have another “interfering with nature always causes disaster” movie of the 1970s, starring a suitably dramatic William Shatner. while another programming director, for Cinemax, stated that "You can come into any part of it and not feel you've missed much. "[7] We Got This Covered gave Animal a slightly more positive rating and commented that "Animal has enough carnage to appease more forgiving horror fans, but despite a quick pace and brutal kills, it's repetition that truly kills this beast. 15 – The Rescue of Kiri) (2:21), The Beastmaster (Seq. Without further ado, here are 25 of the best murderous animals to grace the B-movie screen (and if you’re wondering why there are no sharks in the list, they’re all here). There’s also a nice nod to the classic transformation scene in An American Werewolf In London (1981). Another hour later, it is very hard to remember what it was all about. After one of the film's major bad guys has been bumped off, the film inexplicably goes on for another 20 minutes. People visiting from the mainland are attacked by a plethora of humungous chickens, wasps, and rats, which is as brilliant as it sounds. A close second is the man whose wife mistook slugs for anchovies… let’s hope nothing happens at his fancy business lunch! I’m cheating, because just like ultimate B-movie The Blob, this concerns alien bacteria rather than animals. Along the way, they discover the remains of Barbara's body and encounter the same monster that killed her. The film opens with two married couples - Carl and Vicky, and Douglas and Barbara - being chased through the woods by a mysterious beast. Booo! Murphy is now the mysterious stranger who has come to town in search of unknown animals (his title as a cryptozoologist is explained multiple times, presumably because the producers were not expecting the average viewer to be comfortable with big words. “What kind of slug bites someone?” “The kind that’s living in your garden,” is the pithy retort in this enjoyably awful movie. The deaths aren’t morose and chilling, they’re hilarious. [4], The Beastmaster grossed roughly $14 million on its initial theatrical release. In the conflict that follows, Maax reveals Dar's relationship to Zed before slitting Zed's throat and facing the Beastmaster. When an actor forgets which leg is supposed to be stuck in the mud? Stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen used his own special brand of animation (known as dynamation) to sandwich the octopus model into a live action shot – prior to this, actors had to be content to film their reaction shots separately, and occasionally wrestle with puppets. 7 – Ferret Chase/Quicksand) (2:13), The Beastmaster (Seq. The final scene shows a third animal sniffing at the second animal's corpse, where it grunts aggressively, suggesting a call to the pack. Day Of The Animals (1977): A very serious Leslie Nielsen heads up a group of hikers attacked by animals. 1978 TV movie The Beasts Are On the Streets covers similarly amusing ground as zoo animals escape and invade hospitals, carnivals etc. [3], Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time, "The Beastmaster (1982) Weekend Box Office Results", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Beastmaster&oldid=982910620, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The Horde (The Destruction of Emur) (2:43), A Sword and an Eagle (The Epic Begins) (4:49), Friends of Dar (Suite 1): A) The Princess Kiri B) Kodo, Podo and Reu (3:35), Night Journey (Suite 2) A) The Eagle B) The City (3:56), A Hero's Theme (The Legend of Dar) (2:56), The Beastmaster (Seq.