Primal

I first saw this a decade ago on a dvd which I own. Revisited it recently.

I enjoyed this film as it is a fast paced horror with lots of gore, creepy moments n some truly good effects.

I found it to be better than Cabin Fever.

A group of friends travel to the Australian outback where one of em wants to study ancient symbols placed outside a mysterious cave. They come across n kill a mutated rabbit with pointed teeth.

At nite one of the girl goes skinny dipping into a pond and afterwards she starts mutating with pointed sharp teeth, enormous strength and hunger for flesh.

I mostly hate those so-called 'slasher flicks' which feature a group of witless, narcissistic and dim-witted teenagers (or vapid 20 somethings) who go out into the woods and are picked off one by one by either a madman seeking vengeance or some restless supernatural entity. This one pretty much follows the formula except it's a rather good example of the genre. The acting isn't that bad and the pacing is really good. The campers all have distinct characters. Once you accept the premise that some kind of supernatural virus is on the loose in an isolated part the Outback which turns people into carnivorous predators you can watch the group try to work together to survive. Sometimes they get hysterical, and sometimes they do really stupid things but sometimes they actually make intelligent moves. In any case I was entertained.

In horror movie terms, Primal is nothing new or original. It follows a very predictable path of the whole "young people camping in the woods with a monster" story. The characters are fairly predictable, as is the ultimate ending.

What makes Primal stand out, though, is, aside from the Australian Outback setting, the monster itself. Sure, the general idea is pretty standard, but the actual character of the monster is one that, at least for me, is new and exciting. Definitely pulling from the name of the film, the monster is very animalistic in its movements and behavior, but what was most exciting is the bridge between man and beast that it creates. This is perhaps the most terrifying part of the entire movie; the hinting of ourselves from, relatively speaking, not that long ago.

Sadly, all of the tension, thrill, and the interest of our primal selves completely falls apart in the last twenty minutes or so, as it seems that the filmmakers blew their budget, in terms of both money and creativity, as we get a terrible and confusing climax full of horrible (especially by 2010 standards) CGI which hurls us through the wormhole (you'll see) to the expected, but not entirely bad, conclusion.

Oh, and one of the best, and most Aussie, ending lines to any movie.

This movie is watchable but it has the typical character in horror movies that angers you more than the protagonist. If I had to kill a monster or Chad then Chad has got to go and when you watch this I am sure you are likely to feel the same. But overall, this movie is decent enough to sit through without getting bored and turning it off. It has many clichés that you would expect from this type of film, stranded in the middle of nowhere whilst being picked off one by one. If you are expecting a great, unforgettable flick then you'll be disappointed but let's be real, you aren't going to go in to watching this with high expectations.

I was quite entertained with this little horror flick and it doesn't disappoint in the gore department - it is unabashed and unflinching, and far more vivid than any of the usual fair. It rivals the Oz horrors such as Wolf Creek.

The tale is about six young people researching ancient cave paintings in the outback of Australia. A mysterious illness creeps upon one of the young women, stranding the entire party as they fight for survival against the nightmarish force.

Not bad special effects for a low budget film and it keeps up a steady pace of excitement. It's an entertaining 90 minutes despite the last quarter. The ending...well... is full of cheesy, over the top, blatant, symbolism.