‘It wants your soul’
Creature Cabin aka Tarnation is a 2017 Australian “demon-unicorn-cabin-in-the-woods-twisted-fairy-tale-monster-horror-adventure” film written, edited and directed by Daniel Armstrong (Sheborg Massacre; Murderdrome). The movie stars Daisy Masterman, Emma Louise Wilson and Danae Swinburne.
Plot:
When Oscar’s dreams of becoming a rock star are brutally crushed her boyfriend leaves (taking the cat and sofa with him), forcing her to reflect on her life. Oscar hits the road with her roommate Rain, Rain’s fianceé Bo, and Bo’s hot cousin, Wilmer, to recuperate at a cosy cabin in the woods.
Unfortunately, the cabin is host to a cursed painting, and the surrounding woods are, literally, Satan’s playground.
Oscar soon finds herself battling demons, a flying unicorn headed monster, a spider with a human face, a zombie kangaroo, a demon unicorn, Satan himself and, ultimately, the evil inside herself in an epic battle for her soul…
Reviews:
“If you love Evil Dead half as much as these guys, you should check it out, if only for the fact that there’s also a demonic kangaroo and sex so hot that it melts through the carpet. I’ve never seen either of those things before. There’s also a rap battle with the hordes of Hell, band practice and lots and lots of blood. I mean, a lot.” B&S About Movies
“The cabin location, as well as it’s terrific interiors, are brilliantly conceived and give the story its focal point. Their rustic and decrepit textures enhance the production value and allow the lighting design to bounce shadows and colours in all kinds of cool and kooky ways. The kaleidoscope of fluorescent colours, having no practical purpose other than adding to the surrealism…” Fake Shemp
“Raimi certainly never had Ash go up against a boxing kangaroo (replete with boxing gloves), and a third act rap battle means Tarnation, if anything, is a cross-pollination of The Evil Dead and The Mighty Boosh. It’s a lot of fun and you’re not going to walk away bored.” Film Ink
” …if I wanted to watch a blood-spattered story about a weekend spent at a cabin in the woods gone horribly wrong, I’d watch The Evil Dead and its sequels. Hopefully, Armstrong can develop something that shows off his unquestionable talent, imagination and ability to squeeze every penny out of the budget…” Girls with Guns
“The practical effects are great but the visuals are a little rough. I really loved the practical effect and how they were incorporated into the scenes. Overall, Creature Cabin aka Tarnation is a highly entertaining horror-comedy that fans of films like Evil Dead and Tucker and Dale will truly appreciate it.” Horror Society
“Being filmed on a low budget, there is much to be excused in the production of Tarnation, but this does not justify awful dialogue, shameless rip-offs of one-liners from other films and terrible choices in wardrobe […] The soundtrack kicks ass, along with creative use of camera angles during the more rowdy scenes.” The Movie Sleuth
” …proceedings do, unfortunately, get a little lost along the way; certain plot elements don’t add up while others aren’t wholly explained, the narrative fairly unfocused as a result […] still, those who enjoy cross-genre type entertainers will surely revel in the scatty smorgasbord that’s splattered on the screen.” Mr Movie’s Film Blog
“It brings to mind early cultish horrors like Raimi’s, as well as the kind of camp, idiosyncratic horror of an early Peter Jackson movie like Dead Alive. There’s gore, sex, possession and even a fistfight with a boxing kangaroo. It’s loads of fun…” The Plus Ones
“With its veranda awning and Tardis-like interiors, the cabin is a masterfully recreated version of Raimi’s Evil Dead cottage, and Armstrong uses every corner of the set to offer shout-outs to his favourite genre works […] His nighttime sequences achieve more with one source light and a fog machine than most would with twice the resources…” Screen-Space
Release:
Tarnation received its world premiere on November 24th 2017 at Monsterfest in Melbourne, Australia.
In the USA, Creature Cabin was released on DVD on July 21st 2020 by Wild Eye Releasing. Buy via Amazon.com
Main cast and characters:
Joshua Diaz … Bo
Emma-Louise Wilson … Wheels – From Parts Unknown; Sheborg Massacre
Sarah Howett … Virgin Sacrifice
Sean McIntyre … The Boss – Sheborg Massacre
Jasy Holt … Cameron
Daisy Masterman … Oscar – Murderdrome; Sheborg Massacre
Mitchell Brotz … Stoner
Jen Costello … Self
Danae Swinburne … Rain – – Sheborg Massacre, Cat Sick Blues
Blake Waldron … Wilmer
Joshua Black … Self
Mark Entwistle … Self
Benjamin Hall … Creepy
Nathalie Gellé … Self
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