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Plot

A nurse taking care of her daughter's mysterious affliction struggles to hide her secrets when uninvited strangers take shelter in her house during a lethal blizzard.

Cast

Created by a first time writer and starring the always excellent Annalise Basso and Chrissy Metz! I was excited to see these two and what they'd bring to the table here.

Verdict

I'll be honest when I looked at the cast list I was quite surprised to see Annalise Basso, she's an actress I always thought was on the rise and yet this suggests perhaps I was mistaken and she's rather gone the route of AnnaSophia Robb.

A Creature Was Stirring immediately hits you with fantastic style, a claustrophobic feel, great tension and solid performances. It then adds two additional characters who despite being bland are unable to bring the quality down, then it gradually all begins to go terribly wrong.

It delves into the usual tropes and cliches, some writing decisions become rather head scratching, the religious rhetoric becomes tiresome and then it hits you with a frantic finale with another trope and one that I'm so very very very very stupidly sick of. It's seems like an "Out" for writers when they don't have any ideas how to end the thing and it has the habit of outright killing the entire film.

Had they come up with a better finale this could have actually been an unexpectedly great film, alas it didn't.

Rants

If you don't have the budget to create a monster, don't do a monster movie. It's that simple! I'm all for the logic of keeping it in the shadows to save money but even that needs to be done correctly, look at Alien and Aliens for example! Here they do a combination of keeping it in the shadows in a poor manner and trying to present it but making it looking decidedly awful in the process. If you don't have the money to pull something off, don't try.

The Good

Annalise Basso and Chrissy Metz Brilliant style Some decent ideas

The Bad

Scout Taylor-Compton and Connor Paolo were mediocre Falls apart the further in it goes Poor finale.

So, trying to be spoiler free, the movie is just strange. The acting leaves a lot to be desired. The lighting reminds me of the George Clooney Batman. Some of the effects are fun, as I really do like practical effects over CGI. There are just too many holes in the end. There's an attempt to wrap it all up, but it just can't make up for all the questions. Some of the questions were happening as I watched. Others came at the end. I'm not trying to blast the movie, as it does have a fun quality, but it certainly isn't one I'll be watching again. Also, I feel compelled to do a review, because with the rating currently an 8/10 at the time of me writing, I think I'm trying to set some realistic expectations for future watchers.

I have to say that the movie's title and its cover/poster was initially what lured me to pick up this movie. Sure, I had never heard about "A Creature Was Stirring" prior to sitting down and watching it here in 2023, so I didn't know what I was in for here, aside from it being a horror movie.

Writer Shannon Wells put together a rather interesting and enjoyable script and storyline for director Damien LeVeck to bring to life on the screen. And director Damien LeVeck certianly did bring the movie to life in an enjoyable and entertaining manner. I like how the storyline keeps the audience in the dark, letting us guess as to what is really going on throughout the course of the movie.

The acting performances in the movie were good. And while the movie had a very small cast ensemble, the actresses and actors on the cast list did put on convincing performances and carried the movie quite nicely. I was especially impressed with the performance of Chrissy Metz, playing Faith. I wasn't familiar with anyone on the cast list, and that is something I enjoy when I sit down to watch a movie.

Visually then "A Creature Was Stirring" certainly was interesting, and the creature design and effects were good. Sure, they weren't over-the-top impressive, but they definitely served the purpose of the movie well enough.

However, I have to say that the ending of the movie, well the last five minutes or so, were sort of anti-climatic and felt somewhat like a slap to the face of the audience, as if the writer and director had to round things up on the fly.

All in all, a watchable and enjoyable horror movie, though it is hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing.

My rating of "A Creature Was Stirring" lands on a five out of ten stars.

The trailer kind of made this seem like it was going to be a creepy home invasion movie but boy is it not that. It's a straight up creature movie, think werewolf movie buttttt not a werewolf. Lol .. it's bizarre, but fun. I loved the saturated colors and look of the movie. It was well-acted, and the gore work was outstanding. Funny and over the top practical effects will always win me over. And surprisingly it has a twist ending I did not see coming. If you like a silly weird horror comedy (ie: Slotherhouse) then check this out. Always glad to add another Christmas horror to the yearly rotation :)

Not a comedy buy you could not tell by watching. If you have at least 4 beers in you then it is somewhat enjoyable.

Gets a 4 because the 2 lead actresses are very good and did a superb job with a trash script. Annalise Basso is also very hot and good eye candy. So a 4.

The story is piecemeal and the script varies from ok to laughable. Some lines make sense, some do not. I do give them .25 point for an original creature, not seen in any other horror movie.

However, it is ruined by the cgi. It is sub par. Like paper mache subpar. They had zero cgi talent.

There is a plot twist that they get kudos for, and gives the movie a tiny ammount of validty.

A middle aged mother and her teenage daughter have shut themselves in their home- over Christmas- to ride out a blizzard...when two home invaders break in.

The brother and sister claim they were just trying to escape the cold...and convince the woman to let them stay.

However, little do they know what they've walked in upon.

Though...they're about to find out.

And, I assure you, it's not going to be anything you, they, or anyone else is suspecting.

Because it's quite the trip.

And not one of the good kinds, either.

The whole thing is super weird.

And plays out rather cryptically.

Leaving you to wonder if it's just an incredibly bizarre situation...or actually some sort of psychedelic odyssey into the absurd.

Either way...it's quite twisted.

Not to mention wholly and completely original.

But I must say...I loved every minute of it.

If only because it's super friggin' weird.

I won't give away what the "creature" is in this particular case...because you'll never guess (even though the poster hints at it)...and finding out is half the fun.

So just give it a watch.

And get ready to get weird.

6 out of 10.

I had fun watching this one. All of the performances were decent. The first 90% of the movie was straight up campy holiday horror fun. Trapped in a blizzard with a porcupine creature. We've all been there. I actually didn't see the twist coming until well into the second half. That being said, this is partly because the story telling didn't really put in the work. The flood of flashbacks right at the end seemed a bit lazy. I didn't think the ending was terrible but also think the movie would have been much better without it. Turn it off at the breakfast scene and the movie is a 7. Side note, does Connor Paolo not age?

The majority of this movie is surprisingly decent for a low budget, one-location film. Aesthetically the house looks pretty good (aside from some weird lighting choices), the actors all perform adequately, and the entire thing slowly builds up into a seemingly layered and interesting mystery.

While not terribly exciting, I enjoyed the slow progression as the scope of the mystery expanded and we see the characters do stranger and more intense things. I felt like they did a good job making every character seem shady to where a variety of major twist(s) could be plausible and applicable to any (or all) of them, and I was genuinely curious to find out how everything was interconnected.

The creature aspect of the movie is done well considering the film's limitations. You do actually see it from time to time and there are some genuinely creepy practical effects used for it. There is some cheesy stuff too (both in terms of effects and scene where the creature is present), but it doesn't ruin it. Honestly, I wish they had just done a straight creature-feature with the creature being a central character/villain instead of the whole "mystery" aspect where you don't know if the creature is real or not, and I would've liked them to cut out some of the various other things going which reduce the focus on the creature and give ol' spiny some more screen time.

All the serious problems with the film come from the ending. The entire thing is very obviously building to a major reveal which should explain all the weirdness that the audience has been witnessing. Unfortunately, the ending fails COMPLETELY.

It feels like they were writing the story as they went and didn't have an ending in mind but thought "eh, we'll figure it out when we get there". Then the time came and they still didn't have anything that could adequately explain things, so they instead opted for something easy and generic which fails to actually line up with anything that was introduced in the movie.

The ending is cliché and a total cop-out. If you like to try to predict twists than you will absolutely have thought of this but likely dismissed it due to how dumb and nonsensical it would be.

The problem is that the ENTIRE movie hinges on the cleverness of the reveal, and the lame reveal actually ruins, or at least makes insignificant, everything else that happened in the movie. When you go back to the scenarios that played out and take the reveal into account everything actually makes LESS sense and gives the impression it was all a bunch of arbitrary stuff that the writer thought looked or sounded good at the time but doesn't actually tie in or interconnect. Instead of tying things up or providing an explanation, it just introduces a bunch of questions and plot holes.

It's a shame about the ending; this was a solid 5-6 for most of its duration, but, as I stated, the ending makes literally every other aspect of the movie worse, so it's impossible to give it a good overall rating. Worth a watch if you've run out of other horror, but don't have any great expectations.

So this starts with a bizarre depiction of a mother trying to keep her daughter from "turning" into something else. Partial psychedelic style only grows worse as the film progresses. Next, enter two people who broke in to escape the blizzard, but they have ulterior motives.

Now, here comes Christian morality to battle the science of the mother (who is a nurse) trying to cure her daughter. And more jumbled mess of nonsensical plot, imagery, and actions. There isn't much point to this movie, and it grows tired as it goes along.

Oh! And the last minute twist to try to explain it all! Pointless, and lame. Tired film making. Awkward plotting and situations. Muddled acting. Just don't waste your time.

Well, this was...something alright. And that something is horrible. I don't even know where to start with any kind of in depth review, as this fiasco of a film has no real beginning or end - it's just an endless loop of awful that doesn't deserve anyone's attention. Unfortunately, iMDB requires six Hundred characters for a review of a film that needs only four: YUCK. It was filmed in Louisville, Kentucky- a city I lived in for over 25 years. Louisville will not be adding that to ANY attempts to lure other productions. I really enjoyed this director's previous work, but this....this is a new level of bad.

I seen someone say the ending was bad but because of that plot twist, I liked the movie even more. It actually made it better for me. Good job and I'd watch it with someone who hasn't seen it, just to see the response to the ending. Good job on the suspense of wondering what's going on with this creature and where did it come from. The actors did a pretty good job as well. I'd give it a higher rating but I didn't care for the look of the creature. It was a little too cheesy looking but I guess it got the job done. Not a waste of your time and it deserves at least a 6, which is definitely good enough to watch.

A Creature Was Stirring (aKa Good Luck, Nightingale) is a 2023 Christmas horror film edited, produced, and directed by Damien LeVeck (Dark, Deadly, & Dreadful, Asylum: Twisted Horror and Fantasy Tales, and The Cleansing Hour). It was written by Shannon Wells. Faith (played by: Chrissy Metz from This is Us, American Horror Story, Muppets Haunted Mansion, and Breakthrough) keeps her troubled teenage daughter Charm (played by: Annalise Basso from Ouija: Origin of Evil, Captain Fantastic, Slender Man, and Oculus) on a tightly controlled regimen of experimental drugs, their only means of fending off a mysterious, terrifying affliction. After two burglars Liz (played by: Scout Taylor-Compton from the Halloween franchise, April Fool's Day, Feral, Wicked Little Things, Charmed, The Runaways, and They turned us into Killers) and Kory (played by: Connor Paolo from Alexander, Friend Request, Stake Land, World Trade Center, and Revenge) attempt to rob their home on Christmas, they stumble upon a long-kept family secret with monstrous consequences. They should have picked a different place for their home invasion. Will they survive the night????

A Creature Was Stirring is a hybrid of the home invasion and Christmas horror sub-genres. This holiday horror feature kinda flew under the radar last year and I honestly didn't hear much about it. A Creature Was Stirring turned out to be a nice surprise. It has a really good script from first time writer Shannon Wells. Lots of twists and turns in this one so pay attention closely. It goes from a thriller to a horror movie pretty quick here. It's basically a 4 person feature so every actor here brings their A-Game in this independent production. Chrissy Metz goes against her typecast from her very popular television series and she really displays her acting chops in this low budget flick. Annalise Basso is very mysterious until the finale. I enjoyed the build up for her character. Scout Taylor-Compton and Connor Paolo play siblings at the wrong place at the wrong time. They bring a different vibe to the story besides the isolated family that we see before they are there. They have excellent chemistry together. It's great to see Scout Taylor-Compton doing lots of horror recently. The special fx and the monster are very impressive in A Creature Was Stirring especially for it's modest budget. Director Damien LeVeck keeps busy here with multiple jobs on the shoot. His nightmare visuals really elevate this one. It kept me entertained and it keeps you on your toes with all the surprises until the very end. Hopefully, it gets more love on home video. This showed be considered for any upcoming Christmas horror watch list, RECOMMEND!!!!

Definitely a twist!! Loved it..it's honestly the best horror film I've seen all year, for a porky pine as a creature wasn't to sure, but love the psychological twist.... I literally leaned in my chair even at the end saying wtf OMG lol....won't spoil anything. Definitely had a lot of emotions that was unexpected but really good.....and the last scene wtf very unexpected, which I loved most horrors are all basic and expected not this one lol. I give this a 10 for sure. If you like a good horror movie this is worth a watch, hell even if you don't like horrors it's definitely a good movie to watch I been telling everyone I know to watch it...the only thing was the religion thing but I think it sucked me more in since I got that...other than than worth the watch.

Living alone in a remote house, a woman trying to keep her daughter safe from others is alarmed when a mysterious couple arrives seeking shelter from a howling blizzard outside, but the more they spend together the more the daughters' disturbing sequence prevents anyone from leaving.

For the most part, this was an enjoyable genre effort. One of the finest points here is the truly engaging and likable setup that manages to bring about a fantastic premise for what's about to go down. The core relationship of the mother and daughter living alone in the house and doing their best not to interfere with others due to the daughters' condition which is initially written off as a fever but soon grows increasingly more vicious and violent the longer we stay at the house and the relationship gets explored further. This is contrasted nicely with the duplicitous actions of the strangers who arrive and begin bringing about a series of bizarre religious motivations that spend a lot of the time going back and forth on their various ideologies serving the film quite nicely. After this, the other really impressive aspect here is the highly effective and enjoyable setup of the creature effects which is immensely effective and likable. The setup for this is rather chilling with the inhuman design structure focusing on the porcupine-like spines and hunched-over gait that allows it to scuttle along on all fours while charging after victims or hiding away in the darkness. The practical nature of everything and the high-energy chases throughout the final half put this to good use and generate a lot of fun with the chance to let the creature loose in a fantastic Christmas-set atmosphere. With the constant use of lights, ornaments, and decorations placed throughout the house to provide a solid glow of the season, this comes off rather well for a series of positive points. There are some stumbling blocks with this one that hold it back. Among its biggest issues is a sluggish pace that makes for a slough to get through when the first half spends the majority of the section is based on conversations about their differing points of view. While setting up the fantastic interplay that goes on between them as the religious-minded mentality clashes with the more down-to-earth philosophies at work, this ends up providing an overlong beginning that engages more in banal conversations than more overt action scenes and can leave this part of the film struggling to get any kind of momentum or enjoyment out of listening to the two sides go through their paces in a combative role that's not going to endear itself to everyone. Even worse is the way everything piles on together towards the end which is immensely disappointing and underwhelming. The whole facet about the mysterious condition the daughter suffers under and how the various clues here lead up to this one generating a rather weak revelation focusing on the wrong aspect of the setup at play here. With so much time and focus on the mother/daughter relationship with the intruders' misguided intentions that are there simply to be wrong the entire time. It leaves this section of the film massively familiar and treading ground that causes these confrontations to go on for quite a while longer than it should with the idea of it being more like this should've been more of a short film than a feature-length one. As a whole, these are when end up lowering this one overall.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.

Not gonna lie, I watched this because I a huge Chrissy Metz fan but what a waste of her talent. The effects are so terrible and the story line, well there wasn't one. If there was one, I never figured it out. I would not recommend this movie to anyone and I am kind of sorry I ever put it on to begin with because then I had to watch the whole thing just to see how it ended. Typically the end will explain the story, not this movie. Made absolutely no sense and had terrible effects. Good luck if you commit to watching it. Giving it one star was honestly generous. Chrissy Metz needs to get a better agent.