Home Reviews YesFlix/NoFlix: Citadel Or Grabbers?

YesFlix/NoFlix: Citadel Or Grabbers?

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There’s nothing better to busy yourself with while you can’t sleep than watching a horror. I’ve been on a bit of an Irish movie buzz lately, so was delighted to see two Irish movies in the horror genre during the week. I gave both a bash to see what to make of them. 

Yesflix – Grabbers

Based on an island off the coast of Ireland,  we meet a charming Ciaran O’Shea who is tasked with welcoming Lisa Nolan, a straight laced garda who has arrived from the mainland. There is not a lot to do in this quiet fishing island apart from dealing with the odd drunk. But strange things are starting to happen; the crew of a fishing boat disappears and whales start appearing dead on the shore. Soon it becomes clear to both Ciaran and Lisa that there is something big and bad out there. And it is hungry. Time to get everyone rallied up, to prep and… head to the pub.
The dynamic between the two main characters is always engaging and meaningful, but they’re not the only characters who shine; the other townsfolk are also a delight to watch. Overall, there is a great round up of a magnificent cast that pulls together to bring the audience right into the middle of the community.
This movie combines solid drunken humour with antics from a playful octopus. It creates an atmosphere that doesn’t take itself too seriously making it feel a bit nostalgic. At the same time, however, it’s quite violent and there is quite a lot of carnage.
Grabbers is way more entertaining than I thought it would be, with its small town charm and clever wit. Its premise is simple and the cast is brilliant. The story is pure solid and its characters are genuine. The monsters are unique and eye-catching overall, moulding a horror and comedy into one extremely satisfying movie.

Fans of Shaun Of The Dead and The World’s End will LOVE this !

Noflix – Citadel

Citadel, an eery and unusual film, was directed by Dublin based filmmaker Ciaran Foy. Some plot points happens to be based on something Foy actually experienced himself. He was attacked by a group of hooded youths with a dirty syringe so, like the protagonist in this story, he was left an agoraphobic, and Citadel was a catharsis for Foy to use.
The story is based on Tommy Cowley and his pregnant wife, who live in a decaying apartment complex. The couple are attacked one day by a group of hooded youths and, after a shocking act of violence, Tommy is left to raise his newborn daughter alone. He becomes extremely agoraphobic, alternating days hiding indoors in his new flat and going to intense therapy to bring him back to some sort of normal life. When the same hooded gang begin to haunt him again, seemingly to kidnap his daughter, he is torn between his instinct as a parent and paralyzing fear. He seeks help in the form of a vigilante priest who has uncovered the truth of this potentially supernatural gang. Tommy must search the tower block known as the Citadel to save his family.
Now with an intro like that this has all the makings of a great psychological thriller about a man emotionally broken; someone who can’t parse reality from fantasy. But, sadly, it is not like that at all. Tommy is sadly a poor excuse of a protagonist with his whole story being based on a frightened man who learns to be brave. He is not deep or dynamic enough to capture our attention as the anchor for a character based horror film.
Fair is fair, though, and the last third of the movie is some pretty good horror; basically an abandoned apartment is exactly as spooky as it needs to be. The lighting and the makeup also makes for a pretty amazing horror atmosphere.
Citadel isn’t a complete waste of time, though, as Foy has some great tricks throughout the film; striking ominous visuals and the muted and concrete scenery makes it suitably dismal.  However, this is overall a shoddy muddled film that I think should be avoided if you are looking for something with a good plot line that will keep you intrigued from start to finish.

Fans of Dawn Of The Dead and Rec will HATE this!

 

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