‘Fear the skies!’
Roadkill is a 2011 American-Irish horror film directed by Johannes Roberts (The Strangers: Prey at Night; The Other Side of the Door; 47 Meters Down; Storage 24; et al). The movie stars Kacey Barnfield, Oliver James, Diarmuid Noyes and Stephen Rea.
Plot:
Kate (Kacey Barnfield) is traveling around Ireland in an R.V. with her ex-boyfriend Ryan (Oliver James), brother Joel (Colin Maher) and friends Hailey (Eliza Bennett), Chuck (Diarmuid Noyes), Tommy (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) and Anita (Roisin Murphy).
After driving into the countryside, the group stop off at a small shop, where they encounter Luca (Ned Dennehy) who attempts to scam them from buying a medallion, and warns them it is dangerous before Chuck steals the medallion and the group attempt to make a quick getaway.
However, as they drive away they hit an old woman, who puts a curse on the group, telling them the mythical bird the roc will take vengeance on them, before dying.
The group quickly drive away but hit a patch of thick fog and become lost, as fears of the curse heighten. Stopping, they encounter a young boy in the road. Anita talks to the boy, but he runs away before the roc grabs Anita and drags her into the air. Her body is dropped, with half of her face mauled off before the roc returns and flies away with her…
Reviews:
“In case you’ve not realized this yet – this was a “SyFy Original” movie. I didn’t actually know that going in, but the pedigree was obvious after only a few minutes. Had it been called “Mega-Roc” I would have known before pressing “play”. Just stay away from it. It’s the worst kind of bad – uninspired, lazy and insipid.” Depressed Press
“Roadkill is by all accounts bad, but, as with Beneath Loch Ness, it ticks a lot of the silly monster movie boxes for me. I don’t know that it’s the best Syfy horror movie I’ve seen, but it’s probably in the top ten or so.” Digital Retribution
” …Roadkill would’ve been reminiscent of Jeepers Creepers 2 with Ireland substituting for whichever cornfield state Victor Salva’s sequel was set in. However, screenwriter Rick Suvalle jimmies a secondary plot involving a backwoods-style killer a la Wolf Creek or Eden Lake.” DVD Talk
“Yes the bird looked kind of crappy, but that’s why we had hillbilly gypsies. Sure the movie was wildly inconsistent and erratic, but outside of Hailey the slut on occasion, most of these actors were super consistent in keeping their accents in check. What I’m saying is that Roadkill is like another Sci-Fi epic, Pterodactyl, only entertaining. And there’s no Coolio.” Film Critics United
” …Roadkill is just another one of those poor late night creature features which relies on cliches and uses poor CGI. The only genuinely good thing about it is that it is shot on location and the scenery is a pleasant distraction.” The Movie Scene
Cast and characters:
- Keith Burke … Deputy – Boy Eats Girl
- Stephen Rea … Seamus – Out of the Dark; Asylum (2014); Werewolf: The Beast Among Us; Underworld: Awakening; The Devil’s Mercy; Feardotcom; Interview with the Vampire; The Company of Wolves; et al
- Kacey Clarke [as Kacey Barnfield] … Kate – Bayou Tales; Underworld: Afterlife
- Roisin Murphy … Anita
- Colin Maher … Joel
- Kobna Holdbrook-Smith … Tommy
- Oliver James … Ryan
- Diarmuid Noyes … Chuck
- Eliza Bennett … Hailey
- Ned Dennehy … Luca
- Stella McCusker … Fortune Teller
- Eve Macklin … Drina
- Una C. … Gypsy [uncredited]
Filming locations:
The film was shot on location in Ireland.
Release:
Roadkill was released on DVD in the UK on August 30th 2011.
