‘Watch where you step’
Tar is a 2020 American horror creature film about a monster that lurks in the Los Angeles La Brea Tar Pits.
Directed by Aaron Wolf from a screenplay co-written with Timothy Nuttall, the Blacktop Productions-Howling Wolf Productions movie stars Timothy Bottoms (The Shed; Vampire Bats; Parasomnia; The Fantasist; et al), Graham Greene, Aaron Wolf and Emily Peachey. Genre icon Tiffany Shepis has a cameo role.
Plot:
For 40,000 years, a long-forgotten wetland teemed with ancient creatures, but now all that’s left is a pit of hot, sticky tar surrounded by a vast urban landscape.
For Barry Greenwood and his son Zach, there’s not too much left of their family business either. With the city’s subway expanding under their feet and their office building slated for demolition, Barry, Zach and their employees are forced to shut down their shop and move out.
But when something primal is awoken by the underground construction, a night of sombre packing becomes a desperate fight for survival…
Reviews:
“Tar is a lot of fun. It could have been a classic, if it could have maintained the humor and energy better down the stretch, but it is still a far-better-than-average monster movie lark.” J.B. Spins
” …the plodding first act will frustrate the viewers who expect a traditional creature feature. The film demonstrates some talent in the horror department, but the sentimentality of Wolf’s previous films definitely had an impact on Tar’s ability to stay focused on the scares. The horror world welcomes a new type of monster to the screen, but the effectiveness of the creature gets sucked in and consumed by the plot.” Killer Horror Critic
“Tar had the potential to be a lot of fun […] But there’s way too much talk, especially the father-son conflict between Barry and Zach. It was tedious and got on my nerves fast. It also tended to make Zach look like a jerk, and he’s supposed to be our hero. The result is a film that, despite a great cast, never rises above average at best.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
In the USA, Tar was released by 1091 Pictures theatrically on October 2nd 2020 and on Digital on October 20th 2020.
Cast and characters:
Timothy Bottoms … Barry Greenwood
Graham Greene … Homeless Man / Carl
Aaron Wolf … Zach Greenwood
Emily Peachey … Rose
Max Perlich … Alfred
Nicole Alexandra Shipley … Diana
Tiffany Shepis … Marigold
Stuart Stone … Sebastian
Sandy Danto … Ben
Michelle Bernard
Cinta Laura Kiehl … Camilla Landry
Dani Fernandez … Carmenia
Bobby Ramos … Bobby the Construction Worker
Flynn Falcone … Construction Worker
Spike Leffke … Stacy Ingram
