In rural Ireland a demonic creature known as Rawhead Rex is accidentally unleashed in a field and embarks on a gory killing spree. The background story to Rex is of pre-Christian paganism, so it does give the movie a folk horror feel. The killing spree, of which there is plenty of gore and many victims, plays out like a slasher movie. What really lets the film down is Rex - he looks like a huge wrestler wearing what is frankly a pretty crap mask. The ending is hardly memorable either. I have read the Barker story but too long ago to remember how it stacks up against the film. One thing is for sure, this is a million miles from the brilliance of Barker's Hellraiser. However, I think that Rex is a fun movie with plenty of gory action, far more enjoyable than the majority of more modern horror movies.
Incidentally the British VHS release was uncut yet the first DVD release was cut by 17 seconds.
Review of Rawhead Rex
