Step right up, step right up, don’t be shy folks. Come see Alligator man, but, don’t get too close, or you’ll be dinner. How about Handy Man, he has an arm growing out of his ass! That’s right folks, you know that itch you can never reach… he can! What’s that you say… more? Ok, you asked for it. But, be warned. We cannot be held responsible for loss of dinner or your sleepless nights. Might want to keep the kids back and your spouses close. The Jersey Devil isn’t for the faint of heart.
Its not everyday that Lou Diamond Phillips stoops to make some made for TV horror film. Oh, that’s right… It is. But, I love the guy anyway. He has never led we in the wrong direction for my taste. However my taste in movies is a little different. I was also surprised to see another familiar name, Sheldon Wilson. He directed this movie and a couple others that I found pretty enjoyable. Another made for SyFy movie, Mothman. He also did Screamers: The Hunting and Shallow Ground. All 3 movies that I liked watching. Lower budget, sure. But, fun none the less.
Cap, (A.C. Peterson) runs a far from legit carnival that arrives in Reliance. Cap has recently acquired a mythical creature that will make him rich. The Jersey Devil. It isn’t to fond of being caged up and poked by local boys either. Death and dismemberment is pretty much a sure thing when it escapes. Keeping consistent with messed up names, Atlas (Lou D. Philips) has a pretty cliché role as our fearless sheriff assigned to save the day.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with the Jersey Devil, it’s a winged creature supposedly taking its mail in the state of New Jersey. Witnesses have reported seeing it in other states near by though. Most of the sightings occur around forest and farm land.
Carny has two great horror themes going for it. Legendary creatures, and the creepy carnival. I just wish they would have focused more on both or either of them more than they did. Lou Diamond Philips did a pretty decent job considering the screen time he had. Just didn’t seem like much and didn’t seem like enough either. He really is a great actor that can get into a role quite nicely. Don’t worry Lou, you’re still cool in my book.
OVERALL SUMMARY
I’m not sure about Carny. I had it in my mind that this was going to be pretty cheesy. I wasn’t disappointed. I do have to say that I was really looking forward to an decent story. I like a back story and some character development. There really wasn’t any of that either. Lou did a pretty good job with what he had to work with, and the special effects are surprisingly good. I was rather impressed with them. But, with the creature not being on screen too long, I suppose there was more money to be used on the time they had. I liked the movie, but, I can’t see myself watching it again. After a couple rum and cokes I started rooting for Lou to kick its ass. I think I ever referred to him as Sea Bass once or twice. I was just in that sort of mood. If you’re looking to kill some time on a rainy day, its not a waste of your hour and a half. Grab this movie off your Netflix instant view and give it a try. Grab some rum too, it surely won’t hurt.
