Five friends go for a hike into the woods.
For two of them, siblings Jeff and Alissa, it is one last visit to an area where their family used to go camping, before developers take over the land. Alissa's boyfriend Matt is eager to impress her brother. Jeff's girlfriend Mandy might be out of her element in the woods. And fifth wheel Sean is along for the ride.
They stay out later than they hoped and it is soon dark. On the way back, they come upon this Animal in the woods. It is a very aggressive animal that soon chases them to a boarded-up cabin. There they find other survivors from a prior attack. As the animal prowls around the cabin, looking for ways in, the survivors must decide if they are going to wait until help arrives, or try to make it to safety on their own.
There are two good jump scares in Animal. The movie does meander in the middle but there are surprises, each at the beginning and at the end. These scares reminded me a lot of Feast to be honest; more on that film a bit later. But director Brett Simmons times them at these moments where our guard is down the most.
There are scares where a director will dangle you and build up tension and if they do it well you are cringing because you know it is coming and "why don't they just get it over and done with!" Or the scares where they are projected so far ahead that you get impatient for it to happen. In Animal, Simmons throws them in at unexpected moments, which is why they work so well. Otherwise, Simmons does manage some good tension throughout the rest of the film.
Character-wise, there are your archetypes. Alissa is strong and confident; a perfect candidate for survivor girl. Sean is your floppy haired gay comic relief. Amaury Nolasco's Douglas is what qualifies as your Negative Nancy during their stay in the cabin. Now, at the beginning of the third act there are some odd developments, all within the span of a few minutes. Jeff's girlfriend Mandy and fifth wheel, Sean, reveal secrets that they have been keeping from others within the group. And it isn't clear why they even have to happen in the first place. Neither of their confessions push the narrative forward or create a shift in focus or energy. It just seems like an odd choice to have a couple characters do this so late in the film and have nothing come of it.
Most of the violence happens away from the camera, which is a shame. There is some belly trauma early and late in the film; it is the meatiest and most accessible part of the human anatomy, after all. But a large amount of gore is left to splashing blood across floors and lanterns. Shame.
FX veteran Gary J. Tunnicliffe designed the creatures and for old school horror fans they are delightfully practical. None of the creature or makeup effects are computer generated. And if the creature designs looks familiar it is because he designed the creatures for Feast. Which would also explain why that film feels like such an influence on this one.
Animal is good for what it is. Though gore-hounds will likely be disappointed, those of us who like old school practical effects will appreciate Tunnicliffe's work. Simmons does maintain a decent amount of tension, despite so few genuine scary moments.
The world television premiere of Animal airs on Chiller TV on Friday, October 10th at 9:00 p.m. EST.