Chupacabra Territory

A group of friends take a trip to the country in search of the illusive Chupacabra. It begins with the road trip and the characters they meet along the way and then to the woods where it remains until the end.

Chupacabra Territory is the type of found footage that gives the genre a bad name. It's badly written with multiple cringe worthy scenes. The acting is the equivalent of a high school play with a script that could have been written by a fifteen year old boy. The acting is horrible but they really didn't have much to work with. Although the cast seem to be in their late 20's, they speak to each other like teenagers obsessed with boobs and booze. There are masturbation and sex scenes which do absolutely nothing for the story. The conversations and interactions between the friends are awkward, nonsensical, and unrealistic. I'm certain the locals they come in contact with are meant to be comical but got a face palm instead of chuckles out of me.

I'll never understand how a film can fail on so many levels with a decent story line, good cameras, and a presumed group of creative people. You'd think that someone would attempt to save the project before going through with such a disaster that will be there for the public to see forever.

I love Found Footage and this is an abomination of the genre. Avoid at all costs and check out the ever growing list of creative films which use this platform redefine what a movie can be.

And why in the world they didn't use any Groovie Ghoulies or Chixdiggit songs about Chupacabras is beyond me. I'd given an extra point for the research and good taste but this movie lacks both.

So, without going in with any kind of expectations, I pressed Play at this Chupacabra Territory, as I found it. The movie started out nicely, I actually enjoyed it and time only brought more interesting things to the act.

And for around 60% of the movie, I can say I was surprised and satisfied. It seemed like a cute little indie project, good dialogue, nice characters and an alright build up. But then it hit that mark I was telling you about and it pretty much all went down the drain. So much plot nicely developed for an ending that seriously was so weak and annoying.

Characters become dumb, logic makes a run for, camera is as shaky as possible and the ending seems to take too long. When it does finally terminate, it does so without any kind of style. I can honestly say, this one is a pass. Not recommended, nothing to see here. Sorry to say so.

Cheers!

Gave it a two, because I did not watch the whole thing and maybe the chupacabra looked the part. I hate, hate movies with quirky main characters. One stupid side kick is as far as I can handle. This was a quirky nightmare. By 27 minutes, I was about to go insane. Plus, how did the chupacabra get there? Took a plane?, taking into account they have never been sighted in hillbilly areas like that one. And second, they are not ancient anything. Number one theory, escaped US military experiment going back to around 1995, when first sighted. Yes, I know the 20th century is now ancient history. Actually, the hillbilly guy was the only character I liked.

Sometimes you really wish you'd get an extra hour and a half of your life back that you wasted on a film. Perhaps it was my own fault - I could have turned it off, but I didn't. I was holding out hope that something might actually happen. Spoiler - it doesn't.

Back in 1999 'The Blair Witch Project' redefined the 'found footage' genre of horror films. It was a 'mock' documentary about some teenagers who set off into the woods to chart a supernatural myth (and end up falling foul to it). That's a summary of 'The Blair Witch Project,' but it can also be applied exactly to 'Lair of the Beast.'

It's all filmed 'first person' as four youngsters try to get footage of a creature known as the 'chupacabra' who allegedly stalks and drinks goats' blood. You can effectively skip the first half. It's all set-up. I know the film is supposed to be a 'slow burn' and gradually build up the terror, but it's just boring and nothing really happens that you won't be able to pick up midway. The characters, although the actors do their best with what they're given. Are totally forgettable and you won't remember their names, let alone care about their plight.

I liked 'The Blair Witch Project' and that was hardly a rollercoaster from start to finish, so I was willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt, hoping the second half will pick up. It never did. The thing about most 'found footage' movies is that they're cheap to produce, but this one really didn't seem to have anything in the way of budget in terms of special effects, so don't get your hopes up there.

It's just shaky-cam footage of the characters which starts out normal and gradually gets harder to see what's going on as the climax starts to draw closer. If you like found footage films then you'll have seen better. Don't bother with this one. Ironically, I own 'The Blair Witch Project' on DVD. I wish I'd just put that on instead, as I haven't seen it for a while.

This is just bad. I love these movies but this one was way out there. The acting is just awful. I didn't like any of the actors. Even boobs couldn't make me like them. There were too many things that just tear this one apart. It looked like they filmed it at a dog park. The gratuitous up the skirt shots. ( who wears a short skirt camping the entire time). The blood wasn't even the right colour. I will give it points for some of the effects. I hope to see none of these people in the movie again.