El Chupacabra (Video 2003)

The world seen through the eyes of two people, the inequities of society exposed and examined in depth in a most surreal manner.

Directors:

Brennon Jones, Paul Wynne

Writer:

Brennon Jones

Stars:

Eric Alegria, Elina Madison, Anthony 'Treach' Criss

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Alegria	...	Navarro
Elina Madison	...	Starlina
Anthony 'Treach' Criss	...	Dr. Goodspeed (as Treach)
Jerry Rodriguez	...	Det. Noriega
Calvi Pabon	...	Sophia
Layton Matthews	...	Mason
Rina Fernandez	...	Dina
Michael Aranda	...	Che
Paula Ficara	...	Carolina
Victor Herminio Lopez	...	Pablo (as Victor López)
GiGi Erneta	...	Mrs. Pinta
Daniel Anthony	...	Truck Driver
Pablo Patlis	...	Vaco
Nikki Giovacchini	...	Roberto
Kim Collea	...	Bookstore Manager

Storyline

This is a surreal film, inspired by various European cinematic styles, which apparently has no narrative structure. On closer inspection, however, a narrative does exist but is simply the support for a message which the film is attempting to carry over. What this message is, is up to the spectator to decide.

---

Plot Keywords:

chupacabra | detective | doctor | murder | independent film

---

Genres:

Adventure | Horror

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence/gore and language

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Criatura

Filming Locations:

Aberdeen City, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Urban Girl Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the detectives are examining the body on the steps, you can clearly see the victim's chest rise and fall as he breathes.

---

Connections

Follows Guns of El Chupacabra (1997)

User Reviews

Cheap, cheap, cheap

Every so often, a movie comes along. This is one of them.

Really, what can you say about bargain-basement junk like this? El Chupacabra (or simply "Chupacabra" - the movie box, trailer, and movie itself can't seem to decide which title to use) is a really good example of what happens when you give some guys a camera and $20 and tell them to make a movie by the end of the week. It's full of no-name, no-talent people, plus a guest-villain appearance by some guy from Naughty by Nature (personally, I'd stick to music, because his acting isn't good). The whole thing has an amateurish feel. The "star" has trouble remembering his lines, let alone delivering them with any kind of feeling. Monster attacks are confused, filmed in extreme close-up and rapid cuts that defy any sense of what is happening - and, flagrantly flaunting convention, the monster is about twice as slow and three times as awkward when it attacks from a point-of-view shot. The dialog ranges from clunky to laughable, and can be unintentionally hilarious in places (in this respect, it rivals the great works of Ed Wood, Jr. and Coleman Francis).

Some time was put into the monster design, though it doesn't match the description given by the film's "expert," and it looks as if it may have been an off-the-shelf Halloween costume that the prop guys modified. Even assuming it was entirely original, it's less inspired than adequate, and given the astonishingly low quality of the rest of the film and props, it's likely that most people will be underwhelmed.

I've no doubt that El Chupacabra will make money. But it's only because they only need to sell about 5 copies to cover their costs. Even for a low-budget direct-to-video flick, this one is bare-bones. And in movies, as in just about everything else, you tend to get what you pay for. A few hundred dollars and a script rewrite (or, for that matter, an actual script) would have done wonders. It still would have sucked, but only as much as all the other low-budget direct-to-video flicks suck. As it is, it's in a class by itself.

Hail to the chupacabra, baby.