Cherry Tree (2015) User Reviews

Yes, It's a Rosemary's Baby copy, but it's not that bad

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 28 May 2016]

CHERRY TREE is an Irish horror yarn that comes to us courtesy of the team behind Hammer's WAKE WOOD. I didn't like WAKE WOOD much, finding it an uninspired copy of PET SEMATARY, and CHERRY TREE in turn is a somewhat weak retread of ROSEMARY'S BABY except done on a low budget and lacking that classic film's atmosphere of deceit and dread.

Saying that, this isn't a bad film at all. It's quite well made and I appreciate what the filmmakers were trying to do here. A young cast give performances that are pretty good for a genre flick, with lead actress Naomi Battrick very effective as a protagonist who must find reserves of inner strength in order to fight some very literal demons.

As a horror film, CHERRY TREE goes for the gross-out approach throughout, with some very gory moments included particularly towards the climax. KILL LIST is another film that this one appears to be indebted to. The director also has an obsession with centipedes, although they're included as random CGI nasties here rather than being truly disgusting as in an '80s Hong Kong horror flick like CENTIPEDE HORROR. Anna Walton (who played the elfin princess in HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY) is highly effective in a crucial role.

A blatant rip off

[info-31034 · 5/10 · 20 January 2017]

What if you moved The Wicker Man to Ireland?

Cherry Tree

The film is a blatant rip off of both The Wicker Man and another recent British film called Wake Wood, its a tale of selling souls to a larger more sinister force. A bit of witchcraft a bit of devil worship and it's all tied together in a neat little bow.

The story is simplistic and a nice view of Irish life, it's a little predictable and a little uncaring but on the whole it's good stuff.

Cherry Tree seems to get a lot of flack, but it's really not that bad, it's a quirky way to end a day, a different way. It's nothing you've not Sen before, but it's also very much something we've not seen in a while.

Good effort Ireland.

Creepy - and it delivers a lot of horror!

[zhivago97 · 5/10 · 24 October 2021]

This is a pretty good movie with believable acting and a suspenseful storyline. The creators did a good job making it atmospheric and creepy, especially for people with a phobia of centipedes.

But the downside is there there is a serious lack of character development and elements that make no sense, for example the centipedes everywhere. Yes they certainly add to the creepiness factor but what's their purpose? And why centipedes and not some other creature? Anyway, there are plenty of unanswered and underdeveloped elements in this movie.

Overall, this is an interesting and entertaining movie, and it's flaws are easy to overlook.

Lazy impersonation of a horror film

[Chromex · 2/10 · 30 August 2015]

Cherry Tree was the opening film for Frightfest 2015 and I can only conclude the festival organizers wanted to get it out of the way asap.

Filmed in Ireland (strangely with very British sounding cast) Cherry Tree attempts to shock the viewer with a coven of nasty witches that are stuck, sort of kinda, under a Cherry Tree plagued with witch friendly centipedes. After occasionally lubricating its roots with the blood of locals boss witch, who teaches hockey to teenage school girls, plans to get one teenage girl pregnant with Satan's brat then kill aforementioned brat under the you know what. Supreme witch powers will then follow.

The teenage girl happy obliges in the hope said witch will cure her poor dad's cancer. However, this under age mum quickly finds herself in a heap of 'Rosemary's Baby' trouble.

The first real clue as to how bad this film is are the slow motion shots of town landscapes to pad up the feeble script. This is a hodge podge of horror concepts shoe horned into a truly indolent movie. The dialogue is terrible, the character behaviour implausible and the whole story seems to me a lazy supernatural 'giallo' copy.

At the Frightfest screening the highlight of the film was the Director, entering just after a hyperactive Jonathan Ross intro, proceeding to catapult a big rubber centipede into the audience. If I new what was to come I'd have left then and there with a favourable impression of said person. This film was like watching George Lucas remake an Argento classic "Attack of the Clones" style.

Why this was Frightfest 2015's opener is a real surprise. Maybe someone stumped up the money to make this an event movie for them. Much better films have followed at Frightfest 2015 I'm pleased to say.

The only reason I don't rate this 1 is the lead actress (teenage girl) was half decent. However I suspect she wants to forget this as quickly as I do.

Under the Cherry Tree are Centipedes

[dcarsonhagy · 2/10 · 14 January 2016]

This thing opened at "Fright Fest," huh? Wonder who they thought they would scare?

"Cherry Tree" is about a coven of witches who gain their powers through the blood of living sacrifices. This blood is poured into the roots of the tree and the powers of this coven grows collectively. Sissy, the Grand-Poobah of this coven, desires a sacrifice, albeit the sacrifice of an infant fathered by that cloven-hoofed bad boy, Satan. Sissy must find someone to bear the child, and she meets a girl whose father is dying of cancer. In a quid pro quo moment, the young girl volunteers with the understanding her father will be cured from his cancer. You would think that plot would make for some entertainment, but you would be wrong.

The "Cherry Tree" was just a big old mess from the opening scene until the end. I again was left scratching my old bald head asking way too many questions about such a simple movie. The dialogue was unbelievable, as was the young girl's introduction to the coven. Save the girl who played the innocent, the acting was "adequate."

Rated "R" for nudity, simulated sex, language, and violence. Not recommended.

Just please don't bother.

[HScottMolloy4-279-757873 · 1/10 · 2 June 2018]

I love horror, its my favourite genre, if you also love horror I would suggest you avoid Cherry Tree. It makes a joke of the genre, it isn't scary at all, the script is bad - the actors tried their best with what they were given but it couldn't be saved. If you're into seeing underage girls showering (I know they're actors and probably are over 18 but the point is they're supposedly school children) and having sex, giving birth to blood covered dolls and really really bad special effects makeup that look like 99p halloween decorations then maybe you could get something out of this. Also, another note, you graphically see a newborn be murdered, then later see a close up of its dead face twice. This film would of been a million times better if certain things had of just been alluded to, there was absolutely no atmosphere, no suspense, well no anything here really. All I can say is just avoid at all costs.

Watchable

[facebook-524-719286 · 5/10 · 20 January 2020]

I see other reviews calling this a rip off of other film ideas, but is that not simply a genre? Is every vampire film a rip off of Nosferatu? Every werewolf film a rip off of The Wolf man? You get the idea. It's an OK film, seen far worse.

The one thing that got me is why every cast member had an English accent when it was clearly filmed in Ireland?

Rosemary tree

[kosmasp · 3/10 · 30 June 2016]

There is nothing wrong copying a classic (at least that's how I feel, I know some people think this is sacrilege). There is something wrong if you don't do it right though. I'm still being nice considering how bad the acting and the script for this is. It's not that the actors in this try to be bad, but sometimes the script is not helping you do your work either.

There is nudity and blood though, so if you are into exploitation sort of, you may find things that are at least a bit exciting. So this is more graphic than Rosemarys baby for example, because it can. It doesn't elevate it or bring it close enough to even make it a contender. If you like filth, go ahead watch, but don't forget: you've been warned

low on horror, you have to wait until the end

[trashgang · 7/10 · 14 July 2016]

Strange to see that this flick has a low rating. Of course I can understand it because it's not a typical horror. It's all about witchcraft but it take a while before things go awry.

But for me it immediately got my attention from the start. And i agree, you have to wait until the end before the real horror comes in and in between it's a bit of a normal story, maybe the story itself isn't that strong but I still found it worth picking up. In Belgium and the Netherlands this flick is well promotes even as it is a Irish flick because it's been supported by Jan Doense well known in both countries for his addiction to horror. And naturally at film festivals it was programmed by him.

The story is simple, a girl her father is dying but she's been bullied aged 15 and still being a virgin. A new teacher at school watches her closely and brings her into witchcraft. If she gets pregnant then the witch promise her she will heal her father. But there's one thing she must agree, she has to give over the baby to the witch to be offered to the Devil.

For the geeks this will be indeed be a no go flick but if you are a newbie then just pick it up. If you are a geek and can stand horrors without to much horror just until the end, pick it up too.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 0,5/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

Death is the beginning of everything

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 6 February 2018]

The opening monologue describing past folk-lore events clues the viewers that this is going to be a witch-Omen style movie involving a cherry tree and centipedes, the familiar of the devil, and not my cat. The film switches to modern times where Faith (Naomi Battrick) is a 15 year old teased virgin. Her dad (Sam Hazeldine) has leukemia, Brian (Patrick Gibson) is crushing on her and Sissy Young (Anna Walton) is the new field hockey coach who moonlights as a witch in league with the "Lord of the Underworld" as they shy away from the "S" word (Satan). Sissy can cure Faith's dad, but at a price. You got to pay to play.

I liked some of the special effects, particularly the ending scenes of Sissy's head. Perhaps it is time for 24 year old Naomi Battrick to stop playing 15 year old girls. In fact all the teens looked older. This was a witch's coven with burlap masks being a fashion option. I never did figure out who had to wear them and why. If you don't like bugs, the centipedes provide a creep factor. A bit formula, but then what horror isn't nowadays.

A decent "B" horror rental.

Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Anna Walton, Valerie O'Connor + shower girl)

Rosemary's Baby for a 21st Century audience ...

[parry_na · 8/10 · 1 December 2016]

Hellboy 2's Anna Walton plays teacher Sissy. I wish my teachers looked like her. Naomi Battrick is one of her pupils, Faith, who has a troubled personal life. Her school life isn't a bed of roses either, as she is bullied by her bored, empty-headed classmates. She's also a virgin, which marks her out for special attention in this fast-moving horror tale.

Director David Keating piles events on top of each other, giving us no chance to become distracted. The moments of horror are competently staged, and the acting is convincing throughout. With so much going on and so quickly, I sometimes got the impression while watching that the film doesn't quite know what it wants to be. The finale takes on a rather different tone, in which we get the impression we're not supposed to be taking things too seriously, which further compounds the uneven quality. Nonetheless, an enjoyable, energetic chiller. My score is 7 out of 10.

It wasn't a total waste.

[klashaye · 6/10 · 26 June 2021]

If you watch enough spawn of satan movies, yoy can see the set-up a mile away. Which in itself, is not a problem for me.

What is a problem for me is desperate people making deals with the witches, doesn't get proper understanding of said deal, gets an innocent person killed, reneges on deal with witches and gets other innocent people killed. The only won who breached the contract was Faith.

She could have had the baby, like agreed and possibly had her father still alive, with minimal casualties but no... it wouldn't be much of a movie if she did that. I just wish they would have characters making better decisions in horror movies and bring in the drama somewhere else.

Other than that, it was decent.

Oh great, another Satan's baby story

[selfdestructo · 3/10 · 18 April 2022]

I made a mistake. I'll watch any movie involving zombies, a post-apocalyptic setting, the paranormal, or witches. I got Cherry Tree in the mail, flipped it over, and at the end of the synopsis it says From the director of Wake Wood (David Keating). I saw Wake Wood. While I wouldn't consider it a bad movie by any means, what it was was unpleasant and gross. Not a movie I'd sit through again, so I got rid of it. Cherry Tree suffers from similar issues (I'd consider Keating to be a Master of All Things Unpleasant), though it is also a pretty bad movie.

So, Faith goes to this private school for young teenage girls (where part of their school uniform is a tight black skirt with black stockings... Yup, written by a guy. Also, naked shower scene!), and her new field hockey coach happens to head a local witches coven. Her Dad's health has taken a turn for the worst, and only has a few months to live. This entire premise grows even more suspicious when you spot his doctor (literally just standing around) beneath the cherry tree with the coven. What's a girl to do? Tell me if you've heard this before: She agrees to a pact with Field Hockey Witch to save her father, in exchange for a baby. Oh jeez, what could possibly go wrong? Yes, this story's biggest sin is an incredibly tired premise.

I hope you like scenes of large, poisonous centipedes burrowing into skin, as well as crawling in and out of varius orifices. Wow, is this movie packed with them. SPOILERS: Er, Faith wants to save her 6-week Satan baby, so she travels down through the tunnels that lead to the coven's hideout, guided by her charred Dad, from beyond the grave, somehow. Only, she's too late, but she takes the dead baby anyway. Somehow... Some way... She defeats the head witch (I need a head scratching gif here).

Ok, at the very end, she denies she's a witch. Yet she was able to perform the witch's re-animation ritual (head scratch). And the denial wasn't done to avoid scaring the kids! I literally LOL-ed at the very end. I won't spoil it, but it does involve a bad CGI effect. You've been warned.

Beautiful women...

[VeganVag · 2/10 · 6 November 2021]

.....in a ridiculously crappy movie, where I actually wanted the witch to win after seeing how the blonde teen, while acting like an ungrateful brat after agreeing to the deal, pretty much led 2 of her buddies to their deaths. And the ending, no matter how much I wanted for that to come, could have at least been better than that!

An Irish film with an English cast?

[sparkyhughes33 · 5/10 · 19 April 2023]

The Wtching Tree meets Rosemary's Baby.

I don't understand why this film was made this way, an Irish film with an all English cast, no problem with an updated remaining of other films and stories but why they chose to confuse an audience with the depiction of location and the obvious misallocation of accents?

It's clearly low budget which in the old days of 70's and 80's horror was perfectly acceptable as they usually used shock factor to make up for the poor imigary and acting.

This is the opposite, the acting and imigary are acceptable for a modern audience but it has no shock facter which just makes it meh.

Passes the time I suppose.

Sissy is one sexy witch

[Stevieboy666 · 7/10 · 23 August 2017]

Filmed in Ireland but presumably set in England, judging by the actor's accents, this is a tale of witchcraft, teenagers & life & death. The leader of the coven is played by Anna Walton, surely one of the best looking witches ever to grace the screen. Sexy on the outside but ruthless, powerful & evil on the inside, it's down to a 16 year old school girl to put paid to her dark scheme of domination. It's a good, well made film (though not without a few goofs & gaffs), well acted & contains enough gore for most. Yes, Rosemary's Baby is an obvious influence & the end is rather comical, but it's well worth watch. Just don't confuse it with Cherry Tree Lane!