When a field is plowed in rural Ireland, the title demon is loosed from its imprisonment beneath the earth. Rawhead Rex (played by Heinrich von Schellendorf) proceeds to terrorize and slaughter various unfortunate souls. An American writer named Howard Hallenbeck (David Dukes), who's come to the country to do research, gets caught up in the gory goings-on, and in fact it will be up to him to piece together the story and learn the means of dispatching the fiend.
The extreme cheesiness of the monster can't help but diminish whatever horror that director George Pavlou might have otherwise created. As it is, this agreeably goofy creature feature has some great Irish atmosphere going for it, as well as a spooky music score by Colin Towns.
Scripted by the legendary author Clive Barker, based on his story, this often plays out like a standard American horror film. One cannot blame Barker for being disappointed, especially as this movie version sidesteps any sort of nuance in favour of clichés. (Such as the classic moment we've seen in countless genre films where the hero describes the monster to the authorities, and wearily intones, "I know how this sounds.")
That said, there is some nifty gore to go with the onslaught of cheese, as well as some capable supporting performances by Niall Toibin (as a priest) and Niall O'Brien (as a pig headed inspector). Hugh O'Conor ("Botched") and Cora Venus Lunny play Hallenbecks' likable children. Kelly Piper (the nurse from William Lustigs' "Maniac") plays Hallenbecks' wife. Ronan Wilmot is a scream as the crazed verger Declan O'Brien. And Dukes is a very amiable hero. Some of these people give this schlock better performances than it deserves, especially Dukes after tragedy has befallen him.
That's not to say that the movie isn't pretty damn entertaining, because it is. (If only because it's utterly laughable a lot of the time.) Still, there is some potency to the material here and there, and the tale being told has an excellent forward pace, allowing the movie to clock in at a reasonable hour and a half long running time.
The highlight? A "golden shower" scene with the monster.
Seven out of 10.
The extreme cheesiness of the monster can't help but diminish whatever horror that director George Pavlou might have otherwise created. As it is, this agreeably goofy creature feature has some great Irish atmosphere going for it, as well as a spooky music score by Colin Towns.
Scripted by the legendary author Clive Barker, based on his story, this often plays out like a standard American horror film. One cannot blame Barker for being disappointed, especially as this movie version sidesteps any sort of nuance in favour of clichés. (Such as the classic moment we've seen in countless genre films where the hero describes the monster to the authorities, and wearily intones, "I know how this sounds.")
That said, there is some nifty gore to go with the onslaught of cheese, as well as some capable supporting performances by Niall Toibin (as a priest) and Niall O'Brien (as a pig headed inspector). Hugh O'Conor ("Botched") and Cora Venus Lunny play Hallenbecks' likable children. Kelly Piper (the nurse from William Lustigs' "Maniac") plays Hallenbecks' wife. Ronan Wilmot is a scream as the crazed verger Declan O'Brien. And Dukes is a very amiable hero. Some of these people give this schlock better performances than it deserves, especially Dukes after tragedy has befallen him.
That's not to say that the movie isn't pretty damn entertaining, because it is. (If only because it's utterly laughable a lot of the time.) Still, there is some potency to the material here and there, and the tale being told has an excellent forward pace, allowing the movie to clock in at a reasonable hour and a half long running time.
The highlight? A "golden shower" scene with the monster.
Seven out of 10.