The sleepy coastal community of Erin Island is about to receive some unexpected visitors. Vicious extra-terrestrial predators have landed and they’ve got a thirst on…. for blood. With razor sharp tentacles and an insatiable hunger, the alien creatures are about to indulge in a feeding frenzy the likes of which has never been seen before. With a storm fast approaching and with no means of escape, the townsfolk have one last shot at survival. Will the locals find enough Dutch courage to survive The Grabbers? Starring: Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Russell Tovey, Lalor Roddy, David Pearse
Directed by: Jon Wright
Runtime: 94 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent.
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDBReview: Grabbers
Jon Wright’s horror comedy is set on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. A group of fishermen witnesse what looks like a meteor crashing into the ocean. They are soon killed by something in the water with what looks like tentacles. The film switches to the arrival of Lisa Nolan (Ruth Bradley), a Garda who is stationed on the island for 2 weeks to support Garda, Ciaran O’Shea (Richard Coyle), whose superior is on leave. Lisa arrives to find she turns many heads on an island with more men than women and soon finds herself drawing interest from both Ciaran and Dr Adam Smith (Russell Tovey). Ciaran informs Lisa that there isn’t much that happens on the island and so confident is he of this that he drinks heavily at night and even on the job. Lisa takes her work more seriously and very soon there is a crisis on the island.
With fishermen missing and mutilated whales washed up on the shore, it’s clear that the locals are under some threat. Another fisherman, Paddy (Lalor Roddy), accidentally catches a tentacled sea monster and decides to take it home and put it in his bath. He tells Ciaran about what he’s found but Paddy is dismissed as talking nonsense due to being drunk. Paddy returns home and comes under attack but somehow, pissed out of his brains, he manages to fight the monster off. The islanders soon come under attack from another monster in the water that can only survive by drinking blood and remaining wet. It has a weakness though that Ciaran works out. Paddy only avoided death because he was so drunk the alcohol levels in his blood were high enough to put the monster off. With this in mind the island’s only pub is open to everyone to partake of an epic piss up to protect themselves from being devoured. Genius. However, although the locals will be drunk, including Lisa and Ciaran, they will still need to find a way to stop the monster.
Grabbers is an amusing but silly horror comedy where the monster’s worst enemy is the intoxicated locals. Usually with these films it is the drunk people that are easy prey so credit to the writers here for turning this idea on its head. A fun cast and amusing script make this a good night’s entertainment. It’s not the most spectacular horror film you’ll ever see but the premise is interesting and there are many laughs to be had.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
About the Author:
I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.
David M. Brown – who has written 779 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.
