Creature Unknown (2004) User Reviews

Four years after the fact, a group of friends returns to the spot where one of them disappeared on prom night. Their endeavors uncover so much more than they expected.

[mrcarmine · 3/10 · 17 December 2005]

Really a terrible movie. It's to be expected, though. Clearly a low budget: nothing all that innovative, an actress (if you can call what she does "acting") who always has roles with nudity in a shower scene, a man in a reptile suit almost modeled after predator, a cabin in the woods, etc. But there are some redeeming points. Although the story is not new, for the most part, there's a few parts that aren't so regurgitated. For one, the black guy doesn't die when he's attacked (the first time) and he isn't even one of the first couple to die. But that's minor. More importantly, there's a very interesting twist regarding Kat's experiments and Wes & Steve that I didn't see coming. When Steve told Kat he knew what she did, I believed what he said and what Kat replied with. But when the creature revealed who he really was, I was pleasantly surprised at the novelty of the revelation. It could be because of my lack of experience with the genre, or that it's a genuinely clever twist.

Either way, the movie's pretty bad and don't watch it if there's anything better on... Unless you're in the mood for a cheap scifi flick.

Standard crap

[Horrorible_Horror_Films · 4/10 · 26 August 2006]

I guess I've seen worse films, but that may be becuz I'm so jaded by how standard these bad horror movies are. The killer monster thing is really really bad, basically its a guy in some kind of green body suit. There is much worse acting as far as B movie go, but don't think for a second this was anything stellar, hell no. It actually did have a plot with substance, but was still pretty stupid. Basically its just a bad low budget horror movie. But at least its not as bad as titanic, that movie sucks balls, this one just sucks. The blood looks really fake in this movie. Thats one complaint I have about all the horror of the new millinium, low grade gore, looks stupid. A good gruesome death scene with really fake blood is so stupid. At least there was a nice shower scene

Feature Uninspired

[ghoulieguru · 2/10 · 4 November 2004]

The monster from Enemy Mine somehow made his way into a small mountain community, where he has taken up residence. He's being hunted by a female doctor-turned-vigilante who is out to exterminate him. This female assassin, who looks like a refugee from a Motley Crue video, rides around on a motorcycle and tries to save a bunch of kids who have chosen to have a Big Chill weekend right smack dab in the middle of the monster's turf. Decapitations and lots of blood are primarily in place to draw attention away from the story which limps along like a bad version of the Island of Dr. Moreau (and yes, it's worse than the one with Val Kilmer).

Not even for direct to video Horror flick lovers!... UGH!

[insomniac_rod · 1/10 · 21 March 2005]

Well, what can it be said about this disaster? I watched it because it aired on cable. I regret for wasting my time but at least I didn't waste money.

The creature is the cheesiest you can get! Please, you need to be very generous not to get angered by the CHEAP Halloween costume. Oh well, there are also displays of horrible acting, f/x, and dialogues. The confrontation with the creature is unbelievable, you can't get a more pathetic scene.

This is the worst you can get from direct to video flicks. "Creature Unknown" makes FULL MOON PICTURES movies look like "Halloween".

Avoid this one at all costs, please. The only "positive" thing about this trash are the sexy women.

Another Lizard-man film

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 25 March 2018]

The movie opens with lizard man killing two girls. We know lizard man is watching because the film gives us a blurry fish eye. During the credits we see a "subplot" of a woman experimenting with lizards.

After the credits, Steve is e-mailing/texting his close circle of friends who are not close anymore and haven't been since high school when his brother Wes was killed. They are getting together, 4 years later, to pay homage to Wes. The personalities don't mesh as they all ride up in a single van...to the land of no cell phone reception where monsters roam and people die.

While they are there, Chase Masterson shows up on a motorcycle.

While this is not the worst horror film, this isn't one for the ages either. Too many daylight killings to be an effective horror movie. The creature was better than the rubber masked kind. The special flame effects was bad. The music was hit or miss as was the acting.

F-bomb, brief nudity (Kristin Herold shower scene)

As scary as Scooby Doo...with the lights on!

[mountfields05 · 1/10 · 4 August 2010]

I repeat 'As scary as Scooby Doo...with the lights on!'

I only watched this film as when i was on holiday, the villa we stayed in had this film. So i thought i might as well watch it as i am a horror fanatic. The first two minutes played and I realised this film is of poor quality, acting and script. I do not need to hear a bang then for the character to say 'oh what was that, it was a bang' So i turned it off.

Days later I realised Maggie Grace who plays shannon in Lost was in it. I love Lost and have seen many films and TV shows with the actors of Lost in them:

Vantage Point-Matthew Fox / The Fog-Maggie Grace / Lord of the rings and Flashforward-Dominic Monohghan / Flashforward-Desmonds wife in Lost (Olivia in Flashforward)

So i bravely watched the entire film. Not even Maggie Grace could save this one way ticket to disaster ville. The monster looks like the swamp monster from scooby doo and is not scary, just laughable. The actors are all terrible and clearly have not watched the film themselves...sorry Maggie. The only good thing about this film is the twist at the end.

Stay away from this film. It is also known as 'The Forest' Not even Sky 3 would show this. This is only number 2 on the worst ever horror films though as 'The Signal' has beaten this film to top spot.

Pure and utter smut

[Mr_Elrod · 1/10 · 27 August 2006]

You know the story..Pretty kids alone in the woods,when BAM!something starts cutting them up.

Well this crap is no different.A bunch of kids return to a cabin where the male leads twin brother disappeared for years before.Suddenly an "UNKOWN CREATURE" stars cutting them up,and their only help is a doctor/biker.

To say this film was bad is an understatement,it's smut! The acting was horrible.

The creature looked very cheesy. And as all films do these days they try to get you with a twist ending,which they do not!

There is one bright spot to this film- LOST star Maggie Grace as the female lead.

"Huge, hungry, and out for revenge."

[Backlash007 · 19 November 2004]

~Spoiler~

What good can I say about this movie? At least it was short. Seriously though, the creature design was cool and very old school and the make-up effects were nice. That's where the praise ends. Creature Unknown feels much like one of those cheesy Sci-fi Channel original pictures that come on every weekend. It's got the clichéd characters, the evil monster, the plot twists that you can see for miles away, and the one "name" star who can't seem to escape a certain role. That role is filled by Chase "I was in Deep Space Nine" Masterson here. She plays a genetic researcher who is trying to capture the titular creature. Enter some annoying twenty-somethings who re-unite in the woods to say goodbye to a friend who died there four years ago and you've got your movie. Guess what, they start getting picked off one at a time and some people's true colors shine through. And in the final scenes a big secret is revealed that any real moviegoer would have known from the beginning. Nothing new is offered here so don't waste your time.

Bleech!

[hoodcsa · 2/10 · 17 October 2006]

There's hardly anything at all to recommend this movie. Chase Masterson is always nice to look at and actually can act, though her role in this clunker is a waste. Unfortunately the rest of the cast ranges from bad to mediocre. In a lot of films like this someone will shine through the material and you make a note of them for future reference. No such luck here. Creature Unknown" a clichéd monster-on-the-loose flick with the kids getting knocked off one after the other. The monster is a man in a rubber suit which hearkens back to the days of Paul Blaisdell. So bad it's good! The rest of the show is just so bad it's bad. A little humor might have made this more palatable, but everyone plays the deadly dull material straight up. There is a twist or two at the end, but by then you won't care anymore.

UNKNOWN MOVIE is more like it!!!

[planet9 · 1/10 · 9 September 2004]

Creature Unknown is the right word for this movie. Or maybe it should be called Unknown Movie. This movie is a piece of crap right from the beginning. It has a really stupid "plot," really pathetic "acting," and so-so "special effects."

Some thirty-something year old "post-teens" are trapped in the woods with a mad, reptilian, rubber-suit creature lurking around endlessly. What you get with this movie is a bunch of talk and precious little action. You have girls walking through the woods talking, and then you have guys (with heavy mascara on) walking through the woods talking. The whole thing is so boring!

The creature itself is rarely seen throughout most of the movie. When it is shown the picture is distorted to mask the fact that it is a man in a rubber suit, and the movement shows that it is a suit, hence the reason for the blurring and distortion of the image.

This is NOT a good movie in ANY since of the word and the ones here who have praised it are most likely the people that were picked up off the street to "act" in this truly stupefying movie! Skip this one for certain!

Talent Unseen

[rstef1 · 2/10 · 15 October 2005]

Imagine The Big Chill with a cast of twenty-somethings whose characters are all unlikable, and an iguana-like man-lizard chasing them around and you have an idea of the foolishness herein. On the positive side, the movie does not skimp on showing the monster. There's no peek-a-boo shots, or nighttime scenes where you have to imagine what he looks like; he's right out there folks. Unfortunately, the design and construction aren't that inspired. A little bit of mystery might have helped. Mind you, I've seen far worse, but if you're going to have him out on full display for a lot of the flick, your monster better look damn good.

Spoiler Ahead!!!

Oh, and there's a twist ending involving the supposedly dead brother that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. This came as no surprise given the shoddy writing of the script. As for the acting; well let's just say it wasn't painfully bad, but I don't expect we'll be seeing many of these kids in future cinematic outings.

Gore quotient: 2 out of 5; Nudity quotient: 1 out of 5; Intelligence quotient: Negligible

The script left something to be desired but cool Make-up Effects!

[fx_gal · 9/10 · 5 July 2006]

As a fan of low budget horror films I was glad to pick this one up in the bargain bin from my local video store. The script is so-so but the effects and behind the scenes footage were great, especially for a low budget film.

The Quality of the audio and video were better than I would expect for a low budget project. I thought the music was OK but the sound effects could have been more realistic. Overall I thought it was a good effort for first time Director Michael Burnett.

Overall I found it much better than the typical Full Moon direct to video stuff. I'll watch this one again!

Actually, it wasn't bad at all.......

[willywants · 6/10 · 5 July 2004]

A weekend reunion becomes a confrontation with an humanoid lizard creature created by a mad scientist as a group of young adults are forced to face the terrible sins of their past. Rented this one because I've never heard of it and it looked like it would offer great cheesy b-movie goodness. To my surprise, it came threw as a surprisingly impressive horror film, despite being littered with flaws. their's a fair amount of originality in this film--for example, the creature's origin, once explained, is quite interesting, the characters, spare a few, were likable, and, since the film was directed by Michael Burnett, who comes from an F/X background, as you would imagine, the special effects in this film are quite good. The gore effects (Decapitations, throat slicings, eye gougings) look excellent and the monster effects look pretty darn impressive for what must have been a low-budget. That said, their are some flaws--the script is rearly interesting and is loaded with stupid lines ("this Sh*t looks like my dead grandpa"), and, most irritating, the main character's girlfriend seems to have quite a bit of knowledge about reptiles, considering she's a freakin' MEDICAL STUDENT!!!!!! All in all, not a bad pic. Has enough gore, action, and unexpected twists to keep me interested. I'm in a good mood, i'll give it a 6.5/10.

Creature Ridiculous

[ajacura9 · 1/10 · 13 April 2007]

Well this movie is amazingly awful. I felt sorry for the actors involved in this project because I'm sure they did not write their lines. Which were sometimes delivered with slight sarcasm, which lead me to believe they were not taking this movie seriously, nor could anybody who watches this obnoxious off beat monster slasher. While watching this " Creature Unknown" I could not help but think that there was not much of a budget or a competent writer on the crew. But, if you go into watching this for a laugh you'll be happy, the movie is shameless to mocking itself because i cant see how anybody could look at this and be proud of pumping this straight to DVD clichéd wanna be action thriller/horror movie fightfest to light.

Unknown creature found in woods

[Dr. Gore · 15 September 2004]

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

The key to a successful monster movie is to have a monster. Sounds obvious doesn't it? You'd be surprised how many B-movie filmmakers put a monster on their video box cover and then neglect to have an actual monster in the movie. "Creature Unknown" delivers the goods. Monster attacks dolts and there is much rejoicing.

A bunch of friends have a reunion at a cabin in the woods. How these people could possibly be friends is beyond me. I can't see many Goth girls hanging out with jock types. But what the heck right? Let's get all the stereotypes together so they can be slaughtered in harmony. They are there to remember one of their slain comrades. The dead guy's twin brother wants to have a cathartic group experience. A hyper, jumping monster shows up to spoil the fun. Could this unknown creature be the reason for their friend's death? Hmmmmm...

I enjoyed "Creature Unknown". There was a monster on the video box cover and a monster appeared in the movie. Eureka. He ripped apart people with much joy. My kind of beast. It doesn't take much to make me happy. I was satisfied.

Dreadful film! Beware

[Fraze7999 · 1/10 · 10 March 2006]

I purchased this film for $5 in a bargain bin at my local video store for one reason only, Chase Masterson, but I should have crumbled up the five, thrown it in a toilet and flushed. The film is about a bunch of twenty somethings that peaked in high school and reunite on the anniversary of their idiot friends death, who got drunk and wandered into the woods and died. There problem is a reptilian monster is hunting them down one by one. The acting is abysmal, these worthless people were apparently cast offs on shows like 90210 and Dawsons Creek. The directing was on par with a twelve year old and the script was probably done by a thirteen year old. The entire set looks like someone's backyard in Malibu. The people on here that have praised this film are obviously friends of the director and/or actors. Avoid this pile of garbage at ALL costs.

Creature Unknown

[Scarecrow-88 · 3/10 · 17 April 2007]

"Steve"(Chris Hoffman)gathers a group from high school for a reunion at the cabin location where his twin brother Wes went missing. While they are there, a reptilian creature in the shape of a man(reminded me a lot of the Gillman from CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON)awaits in the wilderness choosing the right time to pick them apart one by one. A biker, Ellen Ripley-type time female bad-ass, Kat(Chase Masterson)has an underground military bunker she practices experiments in, while it also serves as a place of safety from the thing on the bloody rampage. Kat knows more than she's telling(she also suffered the loss of a child), but there's another novelty twist most of the group have no idea of. This creature might just be more human than they realize..and it's former identity might shed some light on a deception only one other person has been hiding since Wes' death. Kat holds the key to many of the mysteries that unlock as the group remains near the cabin.

Thankfully, a large portion of the film stays away from the creature which leaps in the air while we also see a hazy screen when we look through it's eyes. The film has Dawson's Creek-type melodramatics which often hinder any real tension that needs to build in a little monster movie. The direction is very bland leading to a relatively dull experience instead of eliciting scares. The cast is rather life-less and uninteresting. Pretty Maggie Grace(THE FOG remake) might be the only draw for this film.

Very Entertaining & Great Creature FX

[spursnlatigo · 10/10 · 26 August 2004]

First of all, if you're expecting a "horror" film you might be disappointed.

Why? Because this is SO much more than horror film. Creature Unknown is a true "creature feature"; it's an exciting sci-fi thriller. The story is pretty good, with a lot of surprising twists.

Of course, with Emmy nominated special make-up effects guru, Michael Burnett

in the director's chair, you know you're in for a visual treat.

Chase Masterson (Star Trek Deep Space Nine) leads a cast of young actors that you should really keep an eye on. Especially Maggie Grace (Amanda). Ms. Grace has already been seen on such

shows as "Oliver Beane", "CSI: Miami" and movie of the week, "12 Mile Road", starring opposite Tom Selleck. And look for her this fall on the new show "Lost". This girl is going places. The film is shot on High Def video, so visually it's far better than your average low budget "B" movie.

Anyway, the movie is entertaining and the creature is amazing (kudos to actor Lou Klein). Let's hope we see more from Michael Burnett in the future.

I highly recommend that you rent or buy this DVD, turn down the lights, pop

some popcorn and enjoy.

My rating for "Creature Unknown" is 9.5/10.

Passable creature feature

[slayrrr666 · 7/10 · 16 October 2006]

"Creature Unknown" is a rather routine creature feature.

**SPOILERS**

Attempting to reunite after several years, Steve, (Chris Hoffman) asks old friends Amanda, (Maggie Grace) Coral, (Betty Okino) Lance, (Cory Hardrict) Rachel, (Ella Bowman) Sean, (John Keyser) and his girlfriend Ally, (Kristin Herold) together for a search of his missing brother up in a cabin in the mountains. When they start getting killed off one-by-one, they find a vicious creature stalking them. Trying to make it through the night with the help of a weapons-expert scientist, Kat, (Chase Masterson) who helps them to escape, they eventually discover a secret about the creature that none of them could've imagined.

The Good News: In the realm of creature features, there's a lot worse than this one, and it turns out halfway decent. The gore in here is one of the best features, which is pretty over-the-top and is still a giant blood-fest. There's a very brutal head caved in, a couple had chunks bitten out of their throats, a lead pipe is impaled in the stomach, and the biggest one is a series of scratches on the chest followed by a brutal decapitation by ripping the head clean off. With none of this being done by CGI and instead made with real effects, it makes it much more believable and that much more effective. The nice fact was that the creature was instead made by an actual costume rather than a fully CGI creation, which renders it that much more believable and gives it a much more credible screen appearance. Making it more credible looking also makes it that much more effective in getting the scares it needs to give a threat on-screen. This one works. The fact that the film is also pretty rapid with it's plot is another good sign, giving it some rather decent action sequences in a rather confined time, giving it a much more rapid pace than it should be. This wasn't all that bad.

The Bad News: As decent as it is, there is still some things wrong with the film. Even though the creature is for once a person in a costume, it still looks really bad. There's really no fear anywhere in the creature design, and that is mostly due to it's eyes. There really odd, and make the creature appear to be more curious and sad than angry, which is a huge detriment to the film. It takes a lot out of the film if the main threat isn't that scary. It's all so cliché driven as well that there's really nothing new to be seen here. All it's so-called twists are not really new at all, which can make it a bit of a struggle to get through it. The action scenes are edited so fast together that it's virtually impossible to figure out what's going on during the sequences. There's not a whole lot else to this.

The Final Verdict: Far from terrible, but this still has some big problems with it. This is really scraping close to the bottom of the creature feature pool, so only those that high a real high tolerance for these kinds of movies or find it interesting. For those with more discerning creature feature tastes, then take caution with this one.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Brief Nudity, off-screen sex sounds and dead animal aftermath

Confusing at points but...

[lordzedd-3 · 7/10 · 26 August 2006]

Kill or be killed is the name of the game. Okay, let's start with the creature effects. I must admit they were impressive. The design was cool and the delivery of the creature all work nicely. It's nice to see them using real twins in a movie instead of split screen. What I understand you have to pay the actor for each role anyway, so not using twins doesn't make sense. Anyway there are character issues like the bit**y Rachel. What's her problem? It gets kind of confusing about the twins, but I won't give anything away. Chase Masterson of DEEP SPACE NINE FAME is pretty hot as the mad scientist. She's the kind of twisted genius I can watch. Over all a pretty good movie if fragmented in places. I give it 7 STARS.