Rent Grabbers (2012)
3.2 of 5 from 105 ratings
1h 30min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- The sleepy coastal community of Erin Island is about to receive some unexpected visitors. Vicious extra terrestrial predators have landed and they've got a thirst on...for blood. With razor sharp tentacles and an insatiable hunger, the alien creatures are about to indulge in a feeding frenzy the likes of which has never been seen before. With a storm fast approaching and with no means of escape, the townsfolk have one last shot at survival. Will the locals find enough Dutch courage to survive The Grabbers?
- Actors:
- Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Russell Tovey, Lalor Roddy, David Pearse, Bronagh Gallagher, Pascal Scott, Clelia Murphy, Louis Dempsey, Micheál O'Gruagain, Ned Dennehy, Stuart Graham, Killian Coyle, Michael Hough, Jonathan Ryan, Barbara Adair, Roz McCutcheon, Nick Chopping, Daniel Konieczny, Kim Moylan
- Directors:
- Jon Wright
- Producers:
- Tracy Brimm, Eduardo Levy, James Martin, Kate Myers, Martina Niland, Piers Tempest
- Writers:
- Kevin Lehane
- Studio:
- Sony
- Genres:
- Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Countries:
- Ireland
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 31/12/2012
- Run Time:
- 94 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Filmmakers' Commentary
- Behind the Scenes
- Interview with Director Jon Wright
- Outtakes
- Photo Gallery
- Feature Score
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Reviews (1) of Grabbers
Father Ted Versus The Giant Vampire Space Squids - Grabbers review by Count Otto Black
Blimey, this forgettable little straight-to-DVD cheapo "Tremors" rip-off got five stars from the in-house critic? I can only assume bribery was involved. That or she's the director's wife, daughter, or mother.
A small, isolated rural community is suddenly besieged by tentacled monsters that grab people, and are therefore called "grabbers". Not "graboids", because this isn't "Tremors" at all, good heavens no! It's a completely different film in every conceivable way! Well, it's slightly different in several ways. Such as being unable to afford Fred Ward, let alone Kevin Bacon. It's also set in a country with very strict gun laws, which results in by far the funniest running gag; the locals arm themselves as best they can, and end up with a fearsome arsenal that would be barely adequate if they were trying to fight off nervous kittens, let alone giant vampire space squids.
Unfortunately the other novel feature of the plot, the allergy of the monsters to alcohol, is massively overused in tediously predictable ways. In particular, the endless scenes of the islanders drunkenly partying in an effort to render themselves inedible. Oh, and wouldn't you know it, the hero's a recovering alcoholic - now there's a surprise! Equally unsurprising is the cheapness of the CGI, resulting in weightless-looking monsters that wouldn't cut the mustard on "Doctor Who".
It's not completely dreadful, but it struggles unsuccessfully to achieve the difficult balance between comedy and horror that "Tremors" got exactly right, and ultimately there's so little to it that it would have worked better as a half-hour sitcom pastiche along the lines of that "Father Ted" episode that spoofed "Speed". In fact, if Father Ted had somehow wandered into this movie and blown up the space squids with his exploding milk-float, it would have been just as plausible as what really happens, and much funnier. The best I can say about it is that at least it's better than all those increasingly dire sequels "Tremors" didn't need but got anyway.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
Grabbers review by Alyse Garner - Cinema Paradiso
With a cast of British faces you’re likely to recognise from both the great and the dismal end of the TV scene including Richard Coyle (The Whistleblowers, Coupling), Ruth Bradley (Primeval) and a personal favourite of mine Russell Tovey (Being Human and a fab bit-part in Doctor Who), Grabbers is another addition to the comedy-horror genre that us Brit’s are so good at.
Less zombie rom-com than Shaun of the Dead, Grabbers tells the story of a small coastal village off mainland Ireland that is inexplicably attacked by blood sucking aliens whose only weakness is that they can not abide alcohol. In an attempt to save themselves the townsfolk gather in the local pub to “drown their sorrows”.
As you can imagine from such a premise there is a fairly fine line between comedy and crassness, however Grabbers seems to manage the balancing act very well – making enough alcohol related jokes to keep you giggling without lowering themselves to the bottom of pile and pandering to lowest common denominator. This is thanks to the strong writing of Kevin Lahane, in his first full length feature, and the directing skill of Jon Wright. Wright’s seemingly light and gentle directing gives the film a fluid sense of reality, whilst the down-to-earth script and frankly flawless acting make this movie a genuine pleasure to watch.
The surprisingly good special effects and monster design only add to the movie’s overall high quality, though the rather sparse us of alien attacks after the initial outbreak cause the film to lean ever-so-slightly more towards the funny than the frightening.