Primal Rage

There are a lot of stories worldwide about creatures, that have walked on this Earth for a very long time. And in different cultures, they believe that these creatures exists, or have existed. For example, if you would talk about the Yeti, you would hear a lot of stories from the folklore in Nepal. The Yeti is also know as the Abominable Snowman, and there are people in Nepal who says they have seen the ape-like entity. A lot of people have tried to find evidence, if the Yeti really existed at all. So far there is no real evidence that the Yeti have existed, and the evidence that scientists have checked have not given any proof that can confirm that the Yeti actually existed a long time ago. So this is basically just a creature, that is known from old stories. The same thing about the Loch Ness monster, also a world famous creatures that many people have tried to locate. And i think we can confirm, that this is also a folk lore, just like the Yeti is. But there are still people out there, who dedicate their lives to look for evidence, no matter if they are seen as crazy. One more example of a creature that people actually believe exist, is the creature known as Sasquatch, or Bigfoot. Known from stories in North American folklore, Sasquatch is known for being an ape-like being that is said to leave big foot prints. Perhaps the most famous footage of Sasquatch, has to be the 1967 video known as Patterson-Gimlin film. This short film is supposed to show evidence of Sasquatch walking around in Northern California. After many different analysis from experts, scientists were divided. Some were absolutely sure this was just a hoax, while some says that they can´t proof if this is a hoax or not. I have seen the video many times, and for me personally i feel that this is more likely a hoax for different reasons. First of all, i don´t believe that Sasquatch existed at all, and second of all i don´t think the ape creature in the video look realistic. I will let you decide yourselves if you watch the video. For a very long time in Hollywood, many movie directors have used the idea behind Sasquatch and made films, based on this creature. Several B horror movies was made, and one of them is called The Capture Of Bigfoot, released in 1979. I actually have not seen this film, but have been curious to see it for quite some time. Especially because of the great cast of Otis Young, Jeana Keough and George Buck Flower. There is also a 2014 film i have been recommended called Exists, that is supposed to be a good found footage horror film. After watching the great movie reviews on Geek Legion Of Doom, i came across their review of Primal Rage. This seemed to be like a Sasquatch themed horror film, and this made me curious to check it out. Do we finally have a great gory horror film to enjoy, or is Primal Rage another dull Sasquatch rip off to so many similar bad movies ?

Ashley Carr ( Casey Gagliardi ) and Maxwell Carr ( Andrew Joseph Montgomery ) are a newly reunited young couple, heading towards the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, they hit a man with the car, who seems to be attacked by something, before they hit him with the car. Maxwell accidently hurt himself, and Ashley is forced to help him in the floods of the mountain. With no food, and no supplies, they are forced to seek for anyone to give them a helping hand. They come across BD ( Marshal Hilton ) and his hunting friends, who are all interested in Maxwell´s pretty woman. But the whole crew have something else to focus on, as an ape looking beast begin to attack. No one knows who this creature is, but it becomes clear that no one will survive unless they find a way to strike back.

Primal Rage starts off pretty predictable. We get to find out who the main characters are, but in all honesty this is something you don´t really feel interested in. Usually when you introduce the main characters, it is important to do so in a effective way. Something that does not happen here, unfortunately. It becomes more clear that the strength of this film, is the creature itself. For a film that looks like a Sasquatch themed horror film, it needs to include some classic ingredients. And i came to think about 2 films that seems to have some influences in this film, the first Wrong Turn film and Predator. Not that these films have anything to do with the plot of Primal Rage, but the battle scenes between humans and the beast is clearly influenced by classic horror films. While the acting is not on the greatest level, Primal Rage manage to make a bigger impact in other ways. And this is clearly shown the way that this film is made, as an old school tribute to monster films. To be honest, the design of this ape-like creature, is exactly what this film needed, a well designed beast that kills. We see plenty of low budget horror films, where they use CGI effects instead of making real practical make up, and in Primal Rage this helps the film look more interesting. When we come to the acting performances, there are only a few that i feel stands out from the crowd. Casey Gagliardi as Ashely, is one of the characters that actually grow to become better, as the film goes on. At first she does not leave a bigger impact, until later on when she becomes a tough survivor. There is one ridiculous shotgun scene with her, but apart from this she is one of the better characters. I also like the character known as BD, played by Marshal Hilton, a cocky man who wants to show who is the boss. He fits with the location of the film, taking place in the forest. One thing we have to talk about, that is perhaps the best part of the film, are the practical effects scenes. When the creature attacks humans, where we get plenty of gore and blood. And these scenes looks great, and gives the Sasquatch concept of Primal Rage look more fun. Is there anything negative to talk about ? Maybe the dramatic scenes is something we did not need, these scenes don´t really give anything interesting to say. Director Patrick Magee have worked on many films as a special make up artists, in titles like Shallow Ground, Zombie Strippers and Hunter Prey. Primal Rage is his directorial full feature film, and he have managed to make a good effort into the monster film genre. He clearly wanted to make an old school tribute, to the classics we all grew up to and succeed. Primal Rage may not win any Oscars next years, but if you love gory, bloody monster films, this is one to watch on VOD.

Rating: DDD