Evil Breed: The Legend of Samhain (2003)

   
Written & Directed by: Chris Viel

Starring:

Bobbie Phillips .... Karen Douglas
Howard Rosenstein .... Paul
Brandy-Ann Millbrandt .... Shae
Phil Price .... Steve
Neil Napier .... Jim
Heidi Hawkins .... Tara
Gillian Leigh .... Barbara
Simon Peacock .... Gary
Ginger Lynn Allen .... Pandora
Lael Stellick .... The Shape

Special Appearances:


Richard Grieco .... Mark

Jenna Jameson .... Jenny

Release Date: Kingston Canadian Film Festival: March 1, 2003

 

 

Rating:

 

Two American tourists named Mark (Richard Grieco) and Amy (Chasey Lain) go on a camping trip to Ireland in the deep dark woods to have a romantic time together. However they are killed by a cannibal and eaten.
A few days later a group of American university students led by a woman named Karen Douglas (Bobbie Phillips) moves into a beautiful cottage in the woods where they are there to learn about the legend of the canniballistic cult family called the Druids along with other Celtic legends.
Rumor has it that some are still alive wandering in the forest.
A crazed local woodsman named Gary (Simon Peacock) tries to ward them off as his sister was killed and tries to tell them some of the Druids are still alive. However, the students don't listen and still do some exploring.
Two of the students wander off at night and go to an abandoned copper mine where the Druids remained and do some exploring only to be trapped and killed by an ancestor Druid. Then the Druids member slaughters and eats the other people living at the forest and one of the suriviors tries to find a way to survive and kill this monsterous maniac.

 

In the beginning of the film we spot many trashy close up shots on a big breasted bimbo fornicating with her boyfriend Mark in a tent and had a feeling I was in for a lame horror flick as well as later on when he goes looking for her in the woods as this was supposed to look creepy but all of this was terribly trashy while we continue to watch all of this. There's a mysterious moment on his girlfriend crying in pain on the ground which grabs your attention till we see on what happens later on but we get a feeling it's not good and man does it look sick and twisted. Then we spot a brief appearance on the killer which looked fairly okay but the killing seemed a little off.
We have moments when the gang enters the home in Ireland with many trashy discussions between the teens as this seemed pretty bland stuff to watch and could've been better written and performed but it doesn't do the trick.

Also they get into watching a horror with discussions that we've already seen in a 1996 Wes Craven flick that brought back the horror craze which I was thinking to myself "Ho hum!" Also what they see on the screen looked terribly amateurish with ceap Halloween type of killer and scenarios. This looked like a total joke although this was a comedy as well it wasn't funny at all.
We do have a near jumping moment when both leading character's Karen and Paul run into a strange local irish redneck Gary acting creepy and discussing the going on's in the area which was a nice setting in the cold woods as well as a nice discussion between them and Gary's wife Pandora which flows well and greatly focused. Also adds some nice key moments into what we may spot later on when the horrors are about to happen.
Another good flowing discussion with Karen going out near a lake and discussing a histoical moment with sacrifices that happened on Hallows Eve in the early days as the conversations looked good and natural while this is all happening. A nicely concentrated moment when we spot all of this.
Then there's a stale moment with Steve asking the girl of his dreams Shae if she hates him and she confronts him as well as the moments seeming a bit more impressive when they make out but yet this is nothing to brag about.
A good setting with another teenage couple Jim and Tara talking to a troubled woman Jenny looking for her husband which draws in nice mysterious moments as this was only one of the good moments in the story. Also these two walking in the woods and spotting a castle looked perfectly set out too while dusk is falling. But then the story falls flat big time later on when they each get lost and one of them looks for the other as this was supposed to look spooky but it was amateurishly done. Yet there is a scene where the Shape kills one of these people as there's a nice grueseome and deadly looking shot on this.
We have a moment where the Shape runs towards one of the main characters but this looked too obvious and tried so hard to look suspenseful but again it was too hard and unnatural even with the fast movements.
We have another moment when Steve is calling out towards the Shape and his back is turned with something and he gets demanding which was supposed to be a suggestive mysterious suspenseful moment but this situation was wooden and terribly slow too.
We do spot an effective moment with one of the character's named Barbara discovering the castle and a good shocking moment with a dying woman and her unborn child as this draws you in and looked perfectly twisted and gross for what we spot here. It flows well.
There's a moment with the Shape entering a bathroom to do something perverted and gruesome towards Gary which is perfectly gross and inappropriate. Makes you wonder if the makers were watching any of Ryan Nicholson's flicks to get these types of perverted ideas since it was supposed to look horrifying and comedic. It's just plain sick and disgusting.
We also spot a moment where the Shape is slaughtering someone which is everything you could imagine in a gorefest scene as this was genuinely sick to watch.
The fun does happen later on when Barb tries to get away and struggles against the shape as the action looks natural to watch this time and looks very exciting too which saves this clunker from bombing.
Bottom line is that this was a ripoff to Scream and Hell Night but with some Violent Shit cannibalism and gore. It looked promising and very mysterious even if it was made on a video budget. It also promises to be a party teen horror comedy flick but it ends off as very stupid, silly and perverted. Well at least it was made on a descent low budget for a Canadian independent film trying to look like the movie is set in Ireland but the story was a waste of time.

The acting is okay with these actors as they worked hard in their roles. We also get a dozen of Canadian locals performing their stuff as best as they can. Lead actress Bobbie Phillips (Karen Douglas) is the best with her role and has alot of character in her role too. She adds alot of spunk and enthusiasm into her part and seems to come off as someone whom is wise and believeably decent leading her students. Also draws in strongly when she tells a historical moment to her onscreen students.
Howard Rosenstein (Paul) adds some interesting style as the husband in which he offers a strong personality into what he does and shows some decent energy into what he does. He wasn't fabulous in any ways but can pull it off just fine. Reacts well when he is brutally stabbed gasping in pain.
Brandy-Ann Millbrandt (Shae) shows it off perfectly as someone whom is beautiful and charming as well as acting convincingly mature along with a good sarcastic behavior while having a no nonsense type of personality. She seems to do okay while acting romantic as well. But yet when she gets into a lustful mode shis little too over the top and rushing it as well.
Phil Price (Steve) however was the pits and seriously needed acting lessons. Seemed to pull it off as a doofus though but tried way too hard to act cocky and macho as well as his sarcasm is unconvincingly done too. His looks doesn't cut it off either. It's a shame as he was miscast in this one.
Neil Napier (Jim) seemed to do a fair job as his role on one of those types who enjoys exploring and curious on events. He for sure gets into this a nice deal and was pretty good with his energetic speaking too. Roles well with the punches. Also reacts well while in shock while discovering someone which is well noticed.
Heidi Hawkins (Tara) shows it off well as one of those caring types and gets into it nicely when she has a concerned behavior and brings this to life nicely as a decent type and is believeable as a mature and a wise type. However, her talents falls flat when she starts to act scared or freaking out which this comes off terribly wooden and amateurish too.
Gillian Leigh (Barbara) was another one of the better cast members in which she really gets into the mode as one of those insecure teens who has a self centered type of behavior which shines off nicely. Also shows it off greatly as the heroic type later on in the story by bringing her energy to a hype while trying to get away from the terror that is happening and showing perfect fearful expressions too.
Simon Peacock (Gary) is not too shabby as a mysterious and strange backwoods Irish redneck local acting creepy towards others but yet he seems to try a little too hard. In other words a bit over the top. Shows some nice energy here and there especially towards the near end of his role by freaking out and getting sick. His appeal though needed improvement as he was supposed to be a suspect and doesn't pull it off too greatly. His accent is also questionable as he seems like a Canadian trying to pull this off.
We even have former porn queen Ginger Lynn Allen (Pandora) who seems to do not too bad at playing an Irish local but she seems like an American actress putting on an accent. Seems sharp in her appearance as one of the decent types and knows on how to get into a conversation in her first appearance. She wasn't too bad with her fighting scene's while struggling against the killer. Also adds a nice painful intensity at the end of her role too.
We also have special appearances by porn star Jenna Jameson (Jenny) who is very mysterious even if her role was very brief and it makes you wonder who she really is. She was very clear in her speaking which shines off and knows on how to get into character a great deal. Plus has a healthy girl next door types of looks. She can prove to be a character actress and can do well in other legit films.
It's nice to see former 21 Jumpstreet TV star Richard Grieco (mark) doing a bit of acting work again but his scene is only during the beginning of the film I reall wondered how his talents really sloped when I saw him in this as he was supposed to look concerned looking around and you could tell that he wasn't into his part at all. He seemed to just say his lines and lacked with his characteristics. What a shame.

During the very beginning of this film porn icon Chasey Lain is fornicating with Grieco's character in a tent full breasts revealed and a brief butt shot
Porn queen Jenna Jameson's top is ripped off with breasts fully exposed before being gutted alive in the cave of the mine shaft
We have a full naked body of other porn actress Taylor Hayes is full nude and bloody too in a cave of the mine shaft.

Lots of perverted gore as alot seems to be borrowed heavily from and Andreas Schnaas German flick.
We have guts, intestines and hearts being pulled out
Body pieces on a roast
Decapitations
People being sliced and diced
An inborn child being ripped out (How gross)
A knife through a teens head
Plenty of blood too

The music by Alex Khaskin seems to stand out well with it's low budget synthesizer but it's not Z-grade sounding thank goodness as he puts the pieces together well.

Barbara: You guys are really starting to give me the creeps. You sound like some Ted Raimi flick or something.

Gary: Tell the kids to stick to the path. Bad things happen when you stray from the path!