GRABBERS (2012)

Genre: Horror/Comedy
Director: Jon Wright
Cast: Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Russell Tove
RunTime: 1 hr 33 mins
Released By: Shaw
Rating: NC-16 (Some Coarse Language and Gore)
Official Website:

Opening Day: 29 November 2012

Synopsis: On Erin Island, an idyllic fishing village off the coast of Ireland, charming but somewhat work-shy Ciaran O’Shea, is tasked with greeting Lisa Nolan, a straightlaced young officer who has arrived from the mainland. Not that there is much for them to do, aside from dealing with the occasional drunk, and that’s usually O’Shea himself. But strange doings are afoot: the crew of a fishing boat disappears, whales start appearing dead on the shore, a local lobsterman catches a strange tentacled creature in his trap. Soon it becomes clear to O’Shea and Nolan that there’s something big out there, and that it’s hungry. It’s time to rally the villagers, arm the troops…and head to the pub.

Movie Review:

The Irish love their alcohol. And what better way to celebrate that national pastime than to make a creature horror where getting drunk is the only way to survive? A premise like that just refuses to be taken seriously, and fortunately director Jon Wright and writer Kevin Lehane are savvy enough to recognise that. Nonetheless, despite a deliberately tongue-in-cheek approach to the material, the effect of their mildly subversive film is pretty much like drinking alcohol – great while it lasts but hollow afterwards.

Set entirely on the fictional Erin Island where a small tightly knit fishing community lives, Wright’s film pretty much uses its first hour to establish the place and the characters within. That means a slow buildup, as we are introduced to local cop O’Shea (Richard Coyle), his new Dublin partner named Nolan (Ruth Bradley) whom he regards with wariness, and marine biologist Smith (Russell Tovey) with the hots for Nolan.

The first sign of trouble for the island is when one of its shores is inexplicably littered with beached whales that have slash marks on their bodies. On that same day, one of the villagers (Lalor Roddy) with a reputation for being perpetually inebriated finds a squid-like creature in his daily catch, which turns out to have a literally bloodthirsty appetite. It also happens to be female, and its capture leads to an imminent clash with the significantly larger-sized male of the species which desperately wants to fertilise her ostrich-sized eggs.

That showdown between man and beast happens one stormy night at the village bar, where O’Shea, Nolan and Smith have congregated the entire community under the guise of free liquor just so they can stay alive when the sun rises the next morning. Alcohol is apparently toxic to the creature, and so if it sniffs enough alcohol under your breath, it knows better than to eat you alive and spit out your head. Besides the fact that it hates alcohol, the creature is also apparently in need of water – hence their plan to hold the village up for the night until dawn.

Wright too holds out until that last stand in the film’s last half hour to reveal the creature in its entirety - which truth be told, looks like a mutant-sized giant octopus. For the shoestring budget the filmmakers had clearly been given, the CG effects are pretty decent. Better still is what Wright manages to do with the finale, which turns out more exciting than you would expect it to. With the help of some sharply scripted lines from Lehane, that extended sequence is surprisingly packed with laughs and thrills – and most of the fun comes from watching our intoxicated lead and supporting characters stagger and fumble as they attempt to be physically drunk yet mentally alert.

But the journey to the best bits is a little too sedated for its own good. Besides a sequence where a couple living in an isolated house on the hill gets attacked by the gargantuan male, there isn’t much exciting going on. Wright tries to develop the chemistry between O’Shea and Nolan, but while the pair do share an easy chemistry, it isn’t quite enough to make up for a lack of anything else happening. We should also warn you that it does take some effort to get past the accents, especially for some of the characters who speak in thick slurs.

Yet that’s inevitable considering how culture-specific its premise is, which considering its potential could definitely have been more. Indeed, those hoping for some fast-paced comedy like ‘Shaun of the Dead’ – as we did – will likely be disappointed by Wright’s deliberate pacing and low-key approach. There is still fun to be had here though, just not quite nearly enough for you to remember it when it is over. Our advice? Get some alcohol of your own while catching it – it’s a perfect accompaniment to this mildly amusing piece of Irish humour.

Movie Rating:

(Great premise but so-so execution - this horror comedy won't grab your attention, but it is amusing enough to tickle your sides)

Review by Gabriel Chong