Customer Reviews

Carny: Maneater Series

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Nothing better on a rainy Sunday afternoon then checking out a sub-par B horror flick centered around some Garden State folk lure. While trying to make an informed B decision we read up about Carny which is based on the Jersey Devil. After reading the premise and seeing Lou Diamond Phillips was running the show we figured..sure why not? We haven't done a creature feature in a while anyway. Have to say this one was pretty decent in a hilarious B horror kind of way. In no way could this film possible scare you, unless you've got some kind of mental issue, but it will leave you entertained with some low budget computer generated creature goodness.

Lou Diamond Phillips plays the town police Chief, Chief Diamond Phillips as he prepares for a freakshow circus to set up shop. Now the local folk aren't very pleased with thought of these wierdos coming through and protest to Chief Diamond Phillips their discontent. See it's a very old school religious area removed from most of normal civilization and they don't want the freaks and their damn video machines ruining the towns stale charm. Despite their warning Chief decides to let the show go down eventually leading to the main attraction escape. Problem here is the main event happens to be a vicious hungry creature called the Jersey Devil. Once this thing gets loose all these Southern Jersey hicks start getting ripped apart limb from limb. Their only hope lies in their fearless chief to bring an end to the nightmare. Thankfully Lou is a third cousin to Apache so naturally in the end he takes care of business.

Carny turned out to deliver exactly what it expected...well I'm not used to that but that's fine. Lou did his typical low budget acting which isn't good but certainly not bad, just good enough to keep getting booked in straight to video/t.v releases. The true star was the Jersey Devil followed closely by the sideshow boss that looked like Louie Anderson. We'd be willing to bet it was Louie Anderson if were weren't convinced he lost his life battling Santa over the crab leg tray tongs at Chini buffet. The computer generated Jersey Devil was certainly hilarious and awesome at the same time so we can safely recommend this one for the right viewer. In no way will you be scared, but wouldn't think you'd be expecting that from a Syfy channel straight to t.v release anyway.

Carny is a film about a traveling side-show that comes to Sheriff Lou Diamond Phillipp's town. The owner of the freak-show purchases a rare beast that he has no idea what it is, but assures himself it will make him a fortune. It turns out what the beast is the Jersey Devil, or so they claim, looks more like a bat to me. Things go bad for the side-show and town when good ole J.D escapes and rips the town a new one.

The film contains the typical small-town red-neck community with the only brains in town being souley owned by the Sheriff. Everyone else takes there orders from the Pastor of the town who warns the people that the devil is amongst them. Then the typical things in this kind of a movie take place.

Overall, it's watchable, but don't expect any scares or gores, as it's one of those low budget mad-for-television things Phillips is now known for. It may be a bit of a pop-corn flick, but don't spend more on renting this thing the price of the pop-corn itself, if you wait for this to be shown on TV again, you won't kick yourself about it.

Continuing my streak of subjecting myself to every monster movie ever shown on the Syfy channel, I came across Carny. I've had some pretty disturbing experiences from both sides of the "freak" world - I've worked with disabled people who were hurt and frustrated by the prejudices against them and I've had a showdown with a carnie (it ended well, I got my money back). So I always approach "freakshow" movies with some trepidation, fearing that the monster will be an exploitation of a person with a legitimate disability. I needn't have worried. Carny is only peripherally about the carnival.

What Carny really is about is the Jersey Devil. But then, the title of "Jersey" or "Devil" probably wouldn't have been nearly as enticing. The movie's namesake is actually Cap (Alan C. Peterson), the carnival owner. And it becomes clear in the first few minutes that Carny was named after a monster after all. Cap is as sleazy as they come, ruthlessly sacrificing whoever gets in his path to make a quick buck off of the Jersey Devil.

When the Jersey Devil eventually makes its debut, it's a pleasant CG surprise. The beast looks like drawings of the Jersey Devil - and could, if you squint your eyes, be a fill-in for the Amazing Bat Boy. The Jersey Devil interacts appropriately with its environment and its attacks are mostly off camera. Instead we only see the thing's handiwork - faceless corpses and bits of bodies. Director Sheldon Wilsdon knows precisely where to spend his limited budget.

Two other forces opposed the carnies: Sheriff Atlas (Lou Diamond Phillips) and Preacher Owen (Vlasta Vrana). Atlas just wants to keep the peace, but Owen believes the carnies and their devil are Satan's-spawn that must be destroyed. When the beast kills Owen's son he goes on a berserk rampage, stirring up the locals to kill the Jersey Devil and burn down the carnival.

What's refreshing about Carny is its tight focus. This is as much a film about the evil men do -- for the love of God or money -- as it is about the beast itself. There's no unnecessary romance, no sci-fi weaponry, no "monstercam." This is about killing a monster on the loose, both the physical beast and the evil that lurks in men's hearts.

There are plenty of logic holes that, because the movie clicks by so quickly, are easily forgivable. The preacher's plotline is not elegantly integrated into the plot; Atlas attempts to handle a series of homicide that have clearly ranged beyond his control and experience; and Carny's ending is far too abrupt. But if you're looking for a monster movie about the Jersey Devil, and there aren't many, Carny is a devil of a good time.

excellent, 5 star all the way, best(looks,and the way it moves) Jersey Devil dvd to date..lou Diamond phillips older (actually tougher looking and tougher acting, good job lou)story errie and with some evil twists. The Carnivel Ring Leader was at times, creepier than the creature itself. creature well done also, and had a bizarre displacement ( lost in our world ) like character . creepy environments, cool kill scenes,.. fair balance with the gore, Good stuff from begining to end. Yeah, people are gonna say the cgi could have been better, you people need to understand there is more to a horror and sci-fi expierence than cgi..what the human(ANXIETY BUILDER) mind does not know,..when revealed will be even more frightening,..Thank God!! people are thinking and being creative again, when making movies.. give us more like this one fellas. And keep Lou Diamond Phillips in your arsenal for the future maneater movies,..I think this was a Great proving ground(older tougher looking) for Lou..he is your modern day Doug MCclure..This movie is one of my new favorites,. I have lent it out, to many friends, who have enjoyed it as much as I have..and priced less(Good Work amazon.com) then a Popcorn and Soda.. another reason it receives, a 5 *****5 Star..awsome deal and if your a "JERSEY DEVIL FREAK" (not many good flics bout the 13th son) like me..definitly a new copy is the way to go..if you aint really wit it.. get the used,,and wish you got this Bad Boy new.. keep them (well thought out) coming maneater series..

this movie is cool it has
gore,creature violence,
explosions.and the most
important thing a happy
ending.

This movie is great for a rainy Saturday afternoon. A little hoaky but fun. I've seen alot worse than this one.I enjoyed it though. If you take this kind of movie seriously then you'll not like it,but take it for what it is and you'll have a good time!

The movie was okay. Not really scarry, just a little bit of blood. What I watched was fine, but it wasn't good enough to keep me awake, and I slept through the ending.

I'm generally a fan of horror movies and Lou Diamond Phillips. Hard to find any redeeming qualities to this movie, however. The price was right but everything else about it was wrong. Low budget and even lower final product. Come on Lou, you're better than this.

2009's "Carny" is a tv monster-on-the-loose flick about a carnival stopping at a New York town with a new attraction, a gargoyle-like creature that turns out to be the infamous Jersey Devil. The town's prominent pastor initially objects to the freakshow and goes over the edge after the creature gets loose. The sheriff (Lou Diamond Phillips) rounds up some men to end the slaughter of innocents while the malevolent carny owner wants to recapture the creature for greedy purposes.

Being a fan of winged-monster flicks like "Gargoyles" (1972), "Gargoyles: Wings of Darkness" (2004), "Wyvern" (2009) and even "Jeepers Creepers (2001), I was really looking foward to "Carny." But after a very intriguing start I was let down.

The opening act with the introduction of the town, the characters, the carnival and the creature is the best part, but the film fumbles the ball in the second and final acts. Circus-like scenarios are a surefire setting for horror/mystery tales, as verified by "The Funhouse" (1981), "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (1983) and even "The Howling VI: The Freaks" (1991), but "Carny" fails to truly capitalize on this attribute.

The Human interest factor is next to zero. We get three main characters: The evil freakshow owner, the wacko pastor and a likable sheriff. Peripheral characters include the carnival owner's henchman, the pastor's son & friend, and a cougar fortune-teller, Samara. Although the story throws in a self-sacrificial scene there's not enough depth to these characters or their relationships to make it moving.

The second act involves a search-in-the-woods for the creature by the two groups noted above and I appreciated the serious, non-campy vibe (even while the villain and the Reverend treaded the waters of cartooniness). The film and actors successfully gave the feeling that this was serious business and really happening. Yet it was around this point that I also started losing interest. Why? Probably because there was no human interest. A bloodthirsty monster is on the loose and these people are trying to kill (or capture) it; one man is likable, another is ultra-evil and the other is a wack-job. That's it. It goes no deeper.

Another big flaw is the lack of babes. Isn't this a monster-on-the-loose flick? A horror flick? A carnival flick? Where are the babes?!!! (And, no, Samara doesn't qualify, although I suppose she could have). "Wyvern", "The Fog" remake, "Goblin", "The Howling VI: The Freaks" (not to mention parts I, II, III, IV & V), every "Friday the 13th" flick and "Gargoyles: Wings of Darkness" all knew enough to have babes. Heck, even by-the-numbers straight-to-video shlock like "Urband Legends 3: Bloody Mary" had babes. Yes, I'm trying to be humorous but, seriously, a circus plays a big role in the story, give us a freakin' high-wire babe or something, please! Isn't this entertainment?

Also, the stereotypical religious nutjob rings false and hackneyed. Why not get really 'cutting edge' and show us a minister (or Christians in general) in a positive, heroic light, like the original "Poseidon Adventure" and "Rambo"?

That said, there's still enough good here to give it a marginal recommendation for those with who appreciate such fare. The monster looks convincing and there's a lot of gore (not that I care about gore but some people do).

The film was shot in Ottawa, which is a good stand-in for Northern New York since it's only an hour drive south.

The runtime is 88 minutes.

GRADE: C

This is a jersey devil thrill ride great characters and plot one word must buy this one