John’s Horror Corner: Grabbers (2012), evil blood-chugging space tentacles with a sense of humor like Shaun of the Dead

MY CALL:  More fun than a drunk panty raid full of tentacles…okay, that probably didn’t make any sense.  It has evil blood-chugging space tentacles and a sense of humor like Shaun of the Dead.  So just watch this and enjoy.  MORE MOVIES LIKE Grabbers:  Shaun of the Dead (2004), Trollhunter (2010).

In this unexpectedly charming movie, a likable alcoholic is challenged with saving an Irish community of fishermen from a blood-sucking alien invasion through reckless inebriation.  Now I understand that this plot may leave you pondering “just how good could this movie really be?”  Just take my word for it and give this film a chance.  Think Shaun of the Dead.

Our unlikely hero is local drunkard Ciarán O’Shea (Richard Coyle; BBC’s Coupling) and, of course, he of all people makes the discovery that the tentacular aliens are allergic (even deadly so) to the local lushes’ high blood-alcohol content.  Nice choice to begin your invasion, aliens.  You’re deathly allergic to alcohol and you crash-landed off the coast of Ireland.  Smart choice!

Good call on the rolled up magazine.  Definitely my weapon of choice.

Grabbers come in different sizes.

Because we can’t have a proper hero without some romantic tension, the local bar wench exerts some uncomfortable yet cute pressure in coupling Lisa (Ruth Bradley; Beauty and the Beast, Primeval) with O’Shea.  Ruth Bradley and Richard Coyle fair splendidly as a dainty prude who is drunk for the first time (in order to survive) flirting with a drunk who is trying to sober up to impress her.  The warm fuzzy levity is abundant and their flirtatious relationship comes off as shockingly convincing.  And by the way, Ruth Bradley really rises to the challenge of acting drunk.

They had some fun with the gore effects.  This movie isn’t exactly “gory” but it still has its fun with rolling severed heads.  The CGI alien monsters look a lot like the giant facehugger that brings down the engineer towards the end of Prometheus (2012).  In fact, you’ll delight in the cephalopodic mayhem when it actually “facehugs” a victim.  They look great!  Oh, and the hatchling grabbers make adorable squeaky sounds like a Pomeranian chew toy–they’re so cute…until they attack.

The dialogue is nothing short of charming and excellent throughout the movie.  Almost any time I wasn’t laughing out loud, I was grinning at the marriage of the silliness of these scenes coupled with oft-alcohol-induced dialogue.  The characters all play off of each other splendidly and the chemistry between O’Shea and his flirtatious rookie drinker Lisa is a much slurred splendor.