This B-movie is still enjoyable more than ten years after its debut, thanks to some gross effects and a familiar and likeable cast.
The film sees a group of troubled urban teens on a ‘get back to nature’ field trip with the owner of a youth shelter. The trip organisers have a hard time dealing with the disparate bunch of street smart kids, but things get much worse when they discover that the locals have been using toxins to speed up the rate that they can grow marihuana (to use the film’s spelling).
The kids soon find themselves having to avoid the giant mutated titular ticks as well as the local goons in an icky battle of life and death.
This film is enjoyable thanks to appearances from Clint Howard and father Rance, as well as early turns from Seth Green and Ami Dolenz amongst other familiar faces.
There are many disgusting moments that feature exploding ticks, ticks burrowing their way under people’s skin and a moment with a convulsing dog that is quite reminiscient of ‘The Thing’.
The fashions are dated, especially Alfonso Ribeiro’s ethnic trousers and muscle man vest combo, not to mention his awful trenchcoat, and the cast are essentially playing stereotypes but fans of B-movies are sure to enjoy this.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Produced by Brian Yuzna, the film is a guilty pleasure for many horror fans and I can see why. It’s got blood, guts and laughs. What more could you want in a popcorn horror movie?
