Shrooms

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If there appears to be a 'given' with the recent influx of horror films, it's that their plots are going to be cliche-ridden, and the majority of their characters mere targets for whatever creature/masked assailant is trying to off them. Sadly, Shrooms is no different. Centering around a group of archetypal American college students who have travelled to Ireland planning to get off their bins on magic mushrooms in the middle of the woods, the plan goes horribly astray when one of the girls takes a 'death-shroom'. This causes her to foresee the imminent deaths of her fellow vacationers by a nasty hooded figure with a pointy stick. Even by the lower standards of theatrically-released horror, Shrooms is a disappointment. Stealing liberally from many a horror flick (The Grudge, Blair Witch Project), it tries to be a straightforward, irony-free slasher flick one minute, and hints at the post-modern paranormal the next - and neither tactic really works. It also doesn't help that it's just not that scary. Director Breathnach (the fantastic I Went Down) works hard to build a foreboding sense of dread, as figures inevitably become separated and stagger about the woods alone; but the atmosphere is pointless when the payoff stumbles this much, and the sense of dread gradually disappears with each sloppily-handled death scene. Naturally, there are plot-holes galore, with certain points in the film making frustratingly little sense - all of which could have been forgiven, if any of the other proceedings were in any way innovative or even mildly compelling. To be fair, it's not all bad; some of the visuals are surprisingly nice, and lead actress Haun is by far the pick of the bunch as she takes to the 'Scream Queen' role with confident ease. The filmmakers should also be commended for the bold attempt that has been made here to take Irish cinema in a new direction. But ultimately, it's a B for effort and an F for execution.

Details: Ireland / 86 mins (18).