Neither awfully bad nor fantastically good, Carnifex has the misfortune of being okay at best. That said, it is largely unmemorable when compared to other, similar films (Animal, Sasquatch, Exists, Bear Country), some of which may be more worthy of your time.
Grounding itself in a real-world tragedy (the 2020 bushfires that engulfed much of Australia), two biologists; Grace (Sisi Stringer) and Ben (Harry Greenwood), accompany a director, Bailey (Alexandra Park) into the bush, with the intention of raising awareness about endangered fauna.
Little do they realise, human interference has forced the Carnifex - a supposedly long-extinct animal - to move closer to civilization in search of food, with the three travelers wandering into its territory.
It should be said the film's locations look superb - the Australian wilderness looking especially beautiful. This tranquillity, along with the revelation that most Australian animals are nocturnal, means the film's first half, most of which is set during the day, does little to create tension or ambiance; two things almost entirely absent from the movie.
The film's editorial decisions - like cutting between two characters, revealing an almost mirror image of their conflict, is effective. Though characters are provided some minor development, at least to the extent we feel confident in their professionalism, they also suffer the brain-dead disease many in horror movies do.
The worst example of this is when an ultra-violet camera is used; one person is covering another, to make sure the creature is not around, and after using the camera for a second, they decide that using their eyes, in the pitch blackness of the night, is the better option.
Another major issue with the film is the monster itself. On one hand, I'll give credit to the filmmakers for creating something that not only looks quite amazing, but also appears like it could genuinely be part of the Australian ecosystem. That said, we never see the Carnifex until the last few minutes, and by that moment, it is too little too late.
Despite seeing a couple glimpses of shadow and silhouette during the introduction and the second act, it is difficult to create stakes when we don't know what we're meant to be afraid of. Many may recall the 'bigger boat' scene in Jaws, which happened around the movie's half-way mark; I think Carnifex needed something similar, because it is impossible to fear something that may be little bigger than a squirrel. It is not helped that the creature has a habit of changing its vocals on a whim, reducing its authenticity.
As a film that addresses the state of the Australian environment, Carnifex may be seen as a half decent project - however, a horror movie, this is surely not. Carnifex isn't so bad that it should remain extinct; but it is also unable to compete with other films that can genuinely make us afraid of entering the woods.
