‘They’re not extinct’
Terror Birds is a 2016 science fiction horror film directed by Sean Cain (Utero; Dead by Dawn; Jurassic City; Silent Night, Zombie Night) from a screenplay written by Jake Helgren. The movie stars Jessica Lee Keller, Lindsey Sporrer and Greg Evigan.
Plot:
College student Maddy Stern (Jessica Lee Keller) knows something is wrong when her father (Craig Nigh) goes missing during a weekend bird-watching trip in the woods of East Texas.
As she enlists the help of her college pals to trek into the wilderness to find him, rampaging, six-foot-tall prehistoric “terror birds” with man-eating tendencies are the last thing anyone expects to find, much less a wealthy, mad archaeologist (Greg Evigan)…
Reviews:
” …the effects, along with the semi-self-aware story and the talented cast—including familiar faces like Police Academy’s Leslie Easterbrook as a bird expert and B.J. and the Bear’s Greg Evigan, but also fresh young talent like Jessica Lee Keller, Lindsey Sporrer, and Sarah Joy Byington, made for an entertaining monster romp. Terror Birds is not to be taken too seriously.” Ain’t It Cool News
“Oftentimes, it is difficult to decipher whether or not the film is a horror flick or a parody because of its over-the-top scripting, and it does not help that the film lacks the acting talent required to make the story believable. Clumsy, poorly-executed and sloppy, Terror Birds serves as a reminder of the inevitable failures of independent, low-budget horror films being wastefully produced today.” Daily Trojan
“Occasionally the filmmakers employ some practical effects for wounds but given their poor lighting and HD photography even these practical effects look poorly done. I was hoping that Terror Birds would be a fun romp or at least a “so bad, it’s good” cheese fest but it is neither, it’s just bad.” Forces of Geek
“Whilst Terror Birds is packed with the same dodgy CGI that plagues all these direct to market creature features it does at least feature some original villains in it’s jurassic-age monsters. Plus what’s not to like about a film whose monsters love to peck people brains out and rip heads off?” Nerdly
“The only knock I had with Terror Birds was writer Jake Helgren’s script lacked humor, I think a little more invested in here would helped. I do commend it for investing time in character development, you end up caring for the five kids and want them to make the General’s Fried Chicken out of those birds.” The Inner Circle
“Fans of the genre will be thankful that a somewhat unique monster gets a run out, but the novelty does wear thin after a while. One would be better off checking out director Sean Cain’s previous effort, Jurassic City, which was an altogether much more fun film largely due to a more enthusiastic cast and better scripting.” Geek Ireland
Buy: Amazon.co.uk
“Cut-price CGI may be the order of the day here, but props to the design team who have actually created a… ‘unique’ looking creature that looks like the mutant offspring of a turkey and a dodo, albeit with a prehistoric lilt. Such kooky shenanigans are a welcome distraction from cringy dialogue and generic young cast…” The Schlock Pit
” …it is filled with mostly fresh faces but anchored by veterans Greg Evigan (Deep Star Six) and Leslie Easterbrook (The Devil’s Rejects, Halloween). A smart movie which adds gravity the two roles that could easily slip into parody. Terror Birds isn’t meant to be the next Jurassic Park or anything of the sort. It is a fun creature feature with good kills, fun characters and the goal of being a good time.” Sinful Celluloid
Cast and characters:
- Jessica Lee Keller … Maddy Stern
- Lindsey Sporrer … Taylor
- Greg Evigan … Harvey Sullivan
- Leslie Easterbrook … Doctor Slater
- Dillon Cavitt … Justin
- Evan Miller … Brett
- Sarah Joy Byington … Paige
- Heath Allyn … Dale
- Mark Hanson … Russell
- Craig Nigh … Keith Stern
- Sam Stinson … Trent
- David Lee Hess … Gas Station Clerk
- Carlton Caudle … Gatekeeper
- Clint McCreery … Dog Wrangler
- Spencer Greenwood … Compound Guard #1
Technical details:
87 minutes
Our rating:
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