Carny (2009)

Great Film overall

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A disreputable carny (A.C. Peterson) manages to obtain the Jersey Devil and uses it as a sideshow in a small town in Nebraska. It gets loose and raises havoc in the woodlands of Nebraska that looked like Quebec, Canada, There is a seer named Samara (Simone-Élise Girard) pronounced like "Tomorrow." Only Lou Diamond Phillips can save the town....well part of it.This is a 2009 made for TV film. The script left much to be desired as did the characters. You do get to see the creature unlike found footage films. The boys didn't have any girlfriends, like LDP's daughter which would have added some human interest to the tale. She could have been the Final Girl that helped kill the beast. As it was all we had was some hateful preacher we wanted to see get eaten.Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.

The lethal and mythical beast the Jersey Devil is being shown as the main attraction at an eerie traveling carnival. The monster escapes and terrorizes a small town. It's up to stalwart sheriff Atlas (a solid and likable performance by Lou Diamond Phillips) to stop it before it's too late. Director Sheldon Wilson relates the entertaining story at a steady pace, presents a flavorsome seedy'n'sinister carnival atmosphere, maintains a serious tone throughout, and sprinkles in some neat bits of grisly gore. The smart script by Douglas G. Davis tweaks the standard premise in a clever and surprising manner (in an especially inspired touch, some of the human characters prove to be every bit as dangerous as the beast). The sound acting by the capable cast keeps the movie humming, with stand-out work from Alan C. Peterson as shady carny owner Cap, Vlasta Vrana as hell and brimstone preacher Owen, Dominic Cuzzocrea as Owen's meek assistant Quinn, Dan Petronijevic as redneck yahoo Luke, Simone-Elise Girard as fetching psychic Samara, and Joe Cobden as eager deputy Rogers. Moreover, extra props are in order for both the scary'n'nasty monster and the surprisingly good quality make-up for the grotesque carnival freaks. Danny Nowak's slick cinematography makes neat use of a mobile camera. Ned Bouhalassa's shivery score hits the shuddery spot. Only the shoddy CGI effects and rather abrupt ending leave a little something to be desired. A fun fright flick.

"Carny" was like a trip down memory lane for me, and perhaps will be for anyone who watched horror movies during the mid- and late 80's. This movie was like it was plucked right out of that era and then shined up for a 2009 release.The story in "Carny" was pretty tame. A carnival of traveling freaks come to a small town, and with them they have a new attraction. A certain abomination as they call it. And of course, the creature breaks free and wreaks havoc upon the town and the inhabitants. Pretty much standard 80's horror plot right there.Now, I think that the creature actually looked good and was believable. I read some reviews who weren't as forgiving to the effects and the creature, but I found it to actually be good enough.And as for the cast and the acting, well there were some questionable performances, sure, but there were also some fairly decent performances as well. Don't put your hopes up for any award-winning performances, because then you will be sorely disappointed.As for being a horror movie, then "Carny" wasn't particularly scary at all. And there weren't even any moments of intense suspense or dread. The movie pretty much rolled onward at a good pace, though it was weak in scares and thrills. And as for the ending, well who would have seen that coming... Not saying anything else, just watch it yourself.All in all, "Carny" was a fairly average horror movie, though it was weak in scares. The good thing about it was that most of it was actually shot during the day, so you had good, clear and well-lit scenes, and you saw the creature clearly in the daylight (as to where many other movies use glimpses and darkness to hide whatever is prowling the innocent). So that worked. Just don't have your heart set on being scared out of your seat.

When side-show circus owned by Cap (A.C. Peterson) arrives in Reliance, the greedy owner kills the driver that brings the new attraction – the Jersey Devil – and his henchman dumps the severed body in the woods and the trunk in the muddy lake. The local sheriff Atlas (Lou Diamond Phillips) checks the permits of the carnival under the protests of the deranged pastor Owen (Vlasta Vrana) that does not want the abominations in the small town. In the opening show, the Jersey Devil escapes and attacks the audience, killing Owen's son. Atlas organizes a hunting party to kill the monster, while Cap and his partner try to capture it alive to sell to a wealthy investor. Meanwhile Owen rises up the locals against the monster and the performers of the freak show with tragic consequences. "Carny" is really a terrible movie. The story and the screenplay are awful, with a ridiculous conclusion; the development of the one- dimensional characters is shallow, even for the lead ones; and the Jersey Devil and the special effects are very poor. The acting is affected by the script and the silly lines and the poor actors and actresses unfortunately can not do better than they do. I like B-movies but this one sucks. My vote is three.Title (Brazil): "Carnívoro" ("Carnivore")