Especímenes

This is a failed attempt at a movie made using a worn out recipe. I usually revel into films with parasites, infestations and so on. This one made me squirm, and not in a good way, either.

The plot revolves around a group of friends that come on an isolated island in order to process an inheritance. The people there are a closed community of scientists that dabble in genetics. One of the guys has "low immunity" which is kind of weird for someone coming on an isolated island.

Anyway, you can see it, right? The potential. The closed community from Wicker Man, the parasites from any number of films, the low immunity resulting in a different condition than other infected, and so on. The film managed to ignore all these possibilities, instead basing the thrills on CGI critters that crawl under the skin. Really? Epic fail.

In response to the first reviewer: I've seen Squirm and Slither. I liked Squirm and I loved Slither, but Growth was a mess. The difference is the former two didn't take themselves too seriously and it seemed they were made with more care than this.

Growth starts out with an interesting premise, and actually very good dialogue and characters. Unfortunately, the story and editing made me sorry I got my hopes up at all. First of all, the film takes itself deadly seriously, and suffers for it. Not that I wanted a horror/comedy, but the script just couldn't pull off a straight horror story, alas.

The other main complaints with the film are as previously mentioned, characters make bizarre decisions beyond the typical "stupid horror character decisions" and are not explained. The effects of the parasites are too amorphous: do they affect the will of the victim? And the weak story too heavily relies on flashbacks.

On the positives, I actually thought the CGI was decently well done, the dialogue/script believable and the casting was not objectionable.

I can see the director doesn't have much experience, so team him up with a better story editor and I'd see the next one.

Parasites. You can't live with 'em, you can't live...well, I guess you can live without 'em. Don't ya hate it when they destroy your property, or eat everything in your garden, or turn you into zombie-like killers? Okay, they last part has never happened, but it's something that's not too uncommon in horror. The mother of this sub-genre is clearly David Cronenberg's debut feature "Shivers", with more tongue-in-cheek but still great entries "Night of the Creeps" and "Slither" following in favor. Now, we can add Gabriel Cowan's 2009 film "Growth" to that list.

Taking place on an island called Cuttyhunk (*snicker*), "Growth" takes place 20 years after a horrible incident involving a scientific breakthrough gone horribly wrong. Well, Jamie Ackerman (Mircea Monroe) has returned has returned to the island, and what else, the slimy worms they were created by the scientific breakthrough return, and as it turns out, they increase their hosts strength and makes them more sexual-too bad said hosts tend to become more violent.

Though it sounds like a good horror flick, "Growth" ultimately resembles a mix between a Scy-Fy channel movie and an episode of "One Tree Hill." While the acting is hit and miss and Cowan isn't a bad director, the script is unspectacular and tends to jump around and not explain several plot points. What's with the cultists (though they are the only creepy thing about the movie-a scene in which one pursues the character of Kristen (Nora Kirkpatrick) stands out)? Why do the town's people want Jamie out? None of this is explained, and it all feels left over from another movie.

It also doesn't help that the whole plot revolving around Justin (Christopher Shand) is too goofy for it's own good, as he becomes a host for these worms that's as scary as a wet bag. In fact, the film is far too serious, not to mention at times boring because it doesn't offer any real reason to take interest in any of these characters. They're mostly just cardboard cut-outs, and you end up wishing the worms and whatever other evil that's around would take care of them sooner.

As a whole, I can't say that "Growth" made me too angry, but that's because I couldn't really feel anything while watching it. It's essentially a big bag of whatever.

Didn't have too much expectations to this movie, as it already seemed like a fairly low budget movie on the cover. I loved the movie Slither, so I thought I would give this one a look as well.

The story had potential, had it been properly executed on the screen. There was just something missing from the entire movie, that magical something to tie the movie together and make it come together in a greater coherent meaning.

The worms/parasites were nicely made, though I had little understanding for why they needed to make those screechy noises. But I guess it was for effect, perhaps they had seemed more boring and dull without a sound. But then again, a silent killer is more terrifying, right? Just look at Jason Voorhees.

As for the cast? Well, it was good that it was fairly unknown actors and actresses to me. I think I just recognized two people in the entire movie. Some managed to do a good job, while others could have been better.

This is the type of movie that you watch once, and never pick it up again. So many things could have made this movie better. It is not an all together bad experience. I liked parts of the movie, and the ending was a blast.

There are tons of mad creature movies out there, this one is not one to avoid, but not one that sits at the top of the "to watch" list either. It wasn't scary, but not dull either. I sat through it all in one go and didn't have the urge to change it for something else.

Below average movie, but if you like creepy crawlers give it a go, just for the heck of it and if you go nothing more important to do.

GROWTH is a sci-fi / horror film in the tradition of movies like FLESHEATERS, BRAIN EATERS, NIGHT OF THE CREEPS, THE HIDDEN, etc., where unearthly parasites invade the bodies of the unwary, mutating them into automatons of doom.

Jamie (Mircea Monroe) brings her boyfriend, her half-brother, and her best friend to an island she's inherited. Unbeknownst to Jamie and company, this particular island was the site of a biological disaster some years earlier.

Now, something is loose. Something that's looking for warm bodies to inhabit, and the new arrivals are in for a disgusting shock.

GROWTH isn't bad for a low-budget effort. The slippery critters are fairly well-realized. Unfortunately, CGI always has that synthetic, cartoonish look to it. This can have the effect of taking the viewer right out of the movie, almost ruining everything.

Worth watching, though you might find yourself rolling your eyes during some of the CGI sequences...