Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

A disreputable carny (A.C. Peterson) manages to obtain the Jersey Devil and uses it as a sideshow in a small town in Nebraska. It gets loose and raises havoc in the woodlands of Nebraska that looked like Quebec, Canada, There is a seer named Samara (Simone-Élise Girard) pronounced like "Tomorrow." Only Lou Diamond Phillips can save the town....well part of it.This is a 2009 made for TV film. The script left much to be desired as did the characters. You do get to see the creature unlike found footage films. The boys didn't have any girlfriends, like LDP's daughter which would have added some human interest to the tale. She could have been the Final Girl that helped kill the beast. As it was all we had was some hateful preacher we wanted to see get eaten.Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.

Small town sheriff Lou Diamond Phillips (as Atlas) has his hands full when a circus arrives. The main attraction is "The Jersey Devil" stolen by carnival manager A.C. Peterson (as "Cap" Caprini) in the opening minutes. Citizens are excited about seeing the animal and other freaky looking people. We're told the people of Reliance have never seen anything like them before. The most normal appearing member of the troupe is psychic Simone-Elise Girard (as Samara). She predicts doom and tries to explain "Jersey Devil" origins. For some reason, Ms. Girard feels "safe" with her boss, who is arguably more wicked than his monster...God-fearing pastor Vlasta Vrana (as Owen) believes the circus will bring sin to the community and starts to campaign against "God's abomination." Ironically, his juvenile delinquent son Matt Murray (as Taylor) triggers the rampage of "Jersey Devil". The flying terror is supposed to be heavily sedated, but seems incredibly alert. The beast is called a "freak of nature" and resembles a gargoyle. It appears to be intelligent - and it's more thoughtfully constructed than the story. The supernatural and Christian religion may have some connection. Maybe the creature is just mad. The gargoyle and Kyle Gatehouse (as Jesse) are nicely done.**** Carny (4/25/09) Sheldon Wilson ~ Lou Diamond Phillips, Alan C. Peterson, Simone-Elise Girard, Vlasta Vrana

Though somewhat rushed to conclusion, what precedes it is good. Good flying monster, good story, good character development, and good location photography. Lou Diamond Phillips is totally acceptable as the small town sheriff, and the evil carny owner is well played by Alan C. Peterson. There are some unexpected twists, and some pretty good jump scares. "Carny" is superior to two other "Jersey Devil" movies, "The 13th Child Legend of the Jersey Devil" (2003), which is terrible, and the somewhat interesting "The Last Broadcast" (2006). Thus, this is flat out the best "Jersey Devil" movie out there. ................... - MERK

This is one of the most mean spirited movies I have ever seen. Most of the characters are unsympathetic. The head of the carnival is someone who'll murder anyone who stands between him and making a profit. His helper is stupid and just as willing to kill. The town's pastor rants on and on about the carnival even before he has a good reason to. He apparently thinks that just because some people were born differently, i.e. are circus "freaks", that means they're evil and deserve to die. The townspeople at the end are both stupid and unsympathetic as they promptly turn their efforts to killing people at the carnival rather than making sure the creature is dead. We never really get to know the circus "freaks" as they are apparently just there for shock value. The few sympathetic characters are treated horribly. A young man is completely traumatized and then later killed in front of his mother in a completely unnecessary scene. A deputy is brutally murdered. This movie was a very unpleasant experience that I wish I could wipe entirely from my mind. I don't know what the scriptwriters were thinking. Certainly not about being entertaining or having any value to their film what so ever.