REVIEW: "Carny" On DVD

Last night I had the pleasure to preview the next installment in the SyFy Channel's "Maneater Series" titled "Carny" - due to hit stores March 23rd. Just a few minutes into the film and I knew I was in for the standard mind-numbing hour and some change that I've come to expect from these sub-standard made for SyFy movies.

On the rare occasion I'm delightfully surprised by one of these "Maneater Series" DVDs but not this time. I had a difficult time staying with this one until the end.

The film is about a carnival that acquires what is supposed to be the legendary "Jersey Devil". When the carnival arrives in a small Nebraska town, the creature escapes and starts killing the locals. The remainder of the film is spent trying to catch or kill the creature.

The story is painfully slow and not very entertaining. The effects are not very impressive and the adage "less is more" should have applied to the computer animated "Jersey Devil". Small glimpses of this creature were far better than seeing it in all it's glory.

About the only draw this film has is for fans of Lou Diamond Phillips, who plays the town's sheriff. Phillips, along with most of the cast, did a remarkable job with what they had to work with.

Special features: I've stopped expecting any special features on these DVDs that come from Vivendi/RHI and this time they did not let me down. Not a single deleted scene or trailer to be found.

So, to sum things up a bit, if you're a Lou Diamond Phillips fan then run out to the store on the 23rd and drop your $14.93 on "Carny". If you're not a Phillips fan then this film has little to offer - unless you're into these really bad low quality sci-fi (or SyFy) films.