Cryptid movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Cryptid

This monster flick releases on DVD on February 7, 2023.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 114 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

Cryptid is a slow-burn “whodunit” where two journalists must figure out how to stop a deadly creature lurking in the shadows before it’s too late. A small town in Maine is shocked as a mysterious animal leaves a local resident brutally ripped apart. Deemed to be a random bear attack by town officials, freelance journalist Max Frome suspects it might be something more.

The movie was written and directed by Brad Rego who already won Best Director at Shockfest.

The horror movie stars Nicholas Baroudi (The Hating Game, “Person of Interest”), Ellen Adair (“Homeland”, “The Sinner”), Chopper Bernet, Kevin O’Rourke, Kate MacCluggage, and Jeanine Bartel.

The mystery film has already won Best Narrative Feature and Best of the Fest at the Adirondack Film Festival.

THINGS I LIKED:

There is some beautiful scenery that features small-town living in Maine. The movie was originally going to be filmed in the spring, but due to pandemic delays, they changed the season so we get to see some gorgeous fall leaves on the upper east coast. I got to visit Maine for the first time a few years ago just to see the fall leaves. So pretty and cozy.
The cast includes Nicholas Baroudi, Ellen Adair, Chopper Bernet, and Kevin O’Rourke.
The creepy forest and constant rain do a good job of setting the perfect tone for a monster mystery.
I really liked the chemistry between Nicholas Baroudi’s character and that of Ellen Adair. Quite a few times, their faces would get really close to each other and I would wonder if they were going to kiss. (No spoilers!)
The sound effects of rain and slimy creature effectively creep you out.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s a slow burn with very little payoff.
It has some of the monster-movie cliches like a dog barking at a mysterious “something.”
Maybe the color on my screen was off, but the blush on the actresses looked heavy-handed.
Some of the dialogue is stiff.
There’s a lot of talking with not nearly as much action as we’d like. All of the action scenes we do get to see are in the dark.
We have to wait almost an hour and 20 minutes before we get to see PART of the creature and it’s in the dark. It kind of reminded me of how we hardly got to see the monster in the horror movie Cloverfield (the first one).
The run time could have been cut by about 30 minutes without negatively affecting the movie or the story at all.
None of the characters are very appealing. The main female character has a terrible potty mouth and sounds like a tough sailor.
The protagonist’s refrigerator is disgustingly filthy. Yeah, he’s a bachelor with issues, but still. Two of the characters even lean up against it for a long conversation. Gross.
The scenes that started to build delicious tension would end way too quickly.
Some of the special effects aren’t that good.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity, including MANY F-bombs. The language gets worse as the movie progresses.
Monster goo and bloody gore
People and animals get brutally attacked and eaten
Lots of alcohol is consumed.