[Shrooms]
Plot:Five American students on a camping trip in Ireland, digest what they believe to be *magic* mushrooms. Soon, they begin to have terrifying supernatural visions which could be real or not.

Cast:Jack Huston, Lindsey Haun, Max Kasch, Maya Hazen, Alice Greczyn, Don Wycherley, Sean McGinley, Robert Hoffman.

My Thoughts:Just what you'd expect from a movie about "magic mushrooms".

Review:I wasn't keen on what to expect from Paddy Breathsnaches "Shrooms" but honestly, the film wasn't the greatest, but it was intriguing in it's own way. The movie follows a group of american teenagers who go to Ireland for a camping trip. Because they just wanted to see Ireland, or because there were no good camping spots in their neck of the woods U.S.A...either or. Anyways, of course being american teens, it wouldn't be a camping trip without booze or drugs. So the teens go looking for some shrooms amongst the camping grounds to get high on. From there, the film tries to fool the viewer in a very clever fashion, implementing a story about the woods being haunted before one of the teens accidentally ingests what's called "the dread death's-head mushroom", a mushroom which is not only fatal, but also causes the person who eats it to have supernatural visions and other weird side effects.

Indeed the film does stray into the supernatural realm eventually, but the pic keeps you guessing about many things, most of which being are all of the terrifying events actually happening, are they hallucinations, or a little bit of both? Breathnach keeps this theme throughout the movie, allowing the film to get really creepy at times, and also really weird at times also (including one scene with a cow which is pretty damn funny). Breathnach also knows that without this reality or fantasy story arc, his film is pretty much an Irish take off of "Book Of Shadows:Blairwitch 2", where alot of weird and odd things were put out there but never really resolved until the end. Breathnach really manages to play up the eerie, and weird side of his film because of the subject matter tackled, the way it's shot, and the creepy, dark look of the Ireland countryside.

This acts as a strength for the movie, as in some scenes...you may not be sure exactly what is going on as far as the twists and turns are concerned, but you'll still be intrigued and slightly unsettled. The characters in the film are your typicla fodder characters, and pretty much are just screaming to be picked off considering their obvious cliche character makeup. But the intriguing thing about them is not one is placed out there on a rock unto him or herself to give the viewer a major idea of who the lone survivor will be.

This is one of the few movies I've seen where guessing the lone survivor wasn't an easy task, but a formidable one instead. And anything which cuts down on a horror films predictabiltiy factor is a good thing. "Shrooms" doesn't offer up alot of blood and gore, but does offer up some. The film relaies mostly on atmosphere, tricky editing, and trippy sceneries and scenes to entertain and impress the viewer. This film isn't a bloodbath ala other "in the woods" movies such as "Blairwitch 2", "Sleepaway Camp", or any of the early "Friday the 13th" sequels.

"Shrooms" does get a bit too bogged down at the end though, and by the films final 15 minutes you might find yourself wanting answers to alot of the questions, but instead writer/director Paddy Breathnach decides to really pile on the tricky editing and trippy scenes until the movies final scene which in itself causes one to ask even more questions. "Shrooms" is certainly a movie that takes a unique idea and does some good things with it, but it's also weakened by it's affection for weirding out and attempting to confuse the viewer so much, that it fails to answer any significant questions by the end. Although you're left with an idea/theory or two, or three about the films climax, a definite explanation would've been alot more appreciated.

Positives:Great sceneries which add a dark and eerie mood to the movie, excellent directing, unique and creepy story.

Negatives:Too much focus on being weird and trippy without any clear and resolute answers at the end.

Overall:Above average supernatural slasher which should turn more than a few heads.





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