The lethal and mythical beast the Jersey Devil is being shown as the main attraction at an eerie traveling carnival. The monster escapes and terrorizes a small town. It's up to stalwart sheriff Atlas (a solid and likable performance by Lou Diamond Phillips) to stop it before it's too late. Director Sheldon Wilson relates the entertaining story at a steady pace, presents a flavorsome seedy'n'sinister carnival atmosphere, maintains a serious tone throughout, and sprinkles in some neat bits of grisly gore. The smart script by Douglas G. Davis tweaks the standard premise in a clever and surprising manner (in an especially inspired touch, some of the human characters prove to be every bit as dangerous as the beast). The sound acting by the capable cast keeps the movie humming, with stand-out work from Alan C. Peterson as shady carny owner Cap, Vlasta Vrana as hell and brimstone preacher Owen, Dominic Cuzzocrea as Owen's meek assistant Quinn, Dan Petronijevic as redneck yahoo Luke, Simone-Elise Girard as fetching psychic Samara, and Joe Cobden as eager deputy Rogers. Moreover, extra props are in order for both the scary'n'nasty monster and the surprisingly good quality make-up for the grotesque carnival freaks. Danny Nowak's slick cinematography makes neat use of a mobile camera. Ned Bouhalassa's shivery score hits the shuddery spot. Only the shoddy CGI effects and rather abrupt ending leave a little something to be desired. A fun fright flick.
Review of Carny
