_**Starts out great, and then fumbles**_ Released to television in 2009, "Carny" is a 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 looking forward 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), "Berserk!" (1967), "Circus of Horrors” (1960) 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 cartoonish-ness). 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 capture/kill it; one man is likable, another is ultra-evil and the other is a wack job. That's it. It goes no deeper. Another key flaw is the lack of alluring females. Isn't this a creature-on-the-loose flick? A horror flick? A carnival flick? Where are the women? (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 include a lovely lass or three. Heck, even by-the-numbers straight-to-video shlock like "Urband Legends 3: Bloody Mary" includes 'em. Yes, I'm being a little humorous but, seriously, a circus plays a big role in the story, give us a freakin' high-wire woman or something, please! Also, the stereotypical religious nutjob rings false and hackneyed. Why not get really 'cutting edge' and show us a minister (or believers 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 do). The film runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in Ottawa, which is a good stand-in for northern New York since it's only an hour drive south. GRADE: C
Justice League Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two 2024 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
Arthur the King 2024 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
Monkey Man 2024 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
The Cost 2023 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
Dangerous Waters 2023 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
Downtown Owl 2023 - Movies (Apr 23rd)
Token Taverns 2023 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Time Addicts 2023 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Tigers on the Rise 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Fern Brady Autistic Bikini Queen 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Tiger 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Hip-Hop and the White House 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
Locked in My House 2024 - Movies (Apr 22nd)
My Child Has My Doctor’s Face 2024 - Movies (Apr 21st)
When Evil Lurks 2023 - Movies (Apr 21st)
Flying for the Flag 2023 - Movies (Apr 21st)
Stockholm Bloodbath 2023 - Movies (Apr 21st)
The Bricklayer 2023 - Movies (Apr 20th)
The Breaking Ice 2023 - Movies (Apr 20th)
Abigail 2024 - Movies (Apr 20th)
Hard Miles 2023 - Movies (Apr 20th)
Have I Got a Bit More News for You - (Apr 23rd)
Saturday Kitchen - (Apr 23rd)
The Chase Australia - (Apr 23rd)
Tipping Point Australia - (Apr 23rd)
Accused - (Apr 23rd)
Inside the Force - (Apr 23rd)
NCIS - (Apr 23rd)
WWE Raw - (Apr 23rd)
This Old House - (Apr 23rd)
Bob Hearts Abishola - (Apr 22nd)
The Neighborhood - (Apr 23rd)
Contraband- Seized at the Border - (Apr 23rd)
Spring Baking Championship - (Apr 23rd)
Seeking Sister Wife - (Apr 23rd)
Ugliest House in America - (Apr 23rd)
Lakefront Empire - (Apr 23rd)
Lethally Blonde - (Apr 23rd)
The ReidOut - (Apr 23rd)
All In with Chris Hayes - (Apr 23rd)
Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh - (Apr 23rd)