Carny: The Jersey Devil
Posted by: Loren Coleman on April 27th, 2009
Did you see it? What did you think? I’m sure it will be repeated.
SCI FI ORIGINAL MOVIE PREMIERE
Lou Diamond Phillips stars in
CARNY
Saturday, April 25
9/8c
Every carnival needs a decent draw. Something fierce to pull in the rubes. Get ready for the new one in town, with a freak show thatll really leave the crowd screaming.
In the small rural town of Reliance, Nebraska, a carnival is laying camp. Owner Edward Caprini (Alan C. Peterson, SHOOTER) is looking forward to showing off the latest addition—a creature so rare he’s willing to murder someone to get it. None of it is sitting too well with local Pastor Owen who’s rallying against the sinful carnival preparing to sow its indecent seeds in his God-fearing community. Sheriff Sam Atlas (Lou Diamond Phillips, CHE) sees things a little differently. What could be more harmless than a traveling carnival? But even he has second thoughts after checking out the grounds. Samara (Simone-Elise Girard, E.R.), the carnivals lovely clairvoyant, has visions of doom. And that unimaginable beast, rumored to be the Jersey Devil, rattling around in his cage doesn’t look half as harmless as Caprini insists he is.
That night, when the Devil is unveiled, the crowd goes wild. So does the beast, tearing through the panic-stricken patrons in a violent, feral rampage. In the pandemonium, it disappears into the woods leaving a trail of eviscerated corpses in its wake. As Sheriff Atlas steps up to organize a solid tracking team to capture the carnivorous fugitive, he joins forces with Samara, who knows more about the Jersey Devil than anyone. She knows what it wants. She knows what it feeds on. She knows how to stop it. But when they cross paths with the pastors bloodthirsty avengers, hellfire will be ignited, in the shadow of the beast.
Step right up and see CARNY, the monster attraction that delivers on every terrifying promise.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
hey, i saw this movie the other night, does anyone know how true the facts are in relation to the real jersey devil, or did they just base this movie off it without much facts?
I saw some of the movie, maybe 30 minutes or so, but I’m not a big fan of the “Sci-Fi Original” movies. I’ve tried to watch several of them, especially the ones involving cryptids, but I just can’t get into them, they are too much like B-horror movies with the second rate acting and poor special fx.
But the fact that the movie was about the Jersey Devil made me give in and try to watch it. So my opinion of the movie is if you are the type of person who goes for the cheesy, B-horror type films, you’ll probably like it. But if you are more into the realistic type films with first-rate acting and special fx, this may not be the film for you.
Loren – On the subject of the Sci-Fi channel, do you happen to know when the new season of DT starts? I’ve tried to find the info online but haven’t seen a season premiere date for this season. I thought it typically started around March/April every year?
I saw it. It was good for what it was. I do think the whole Pastor is against everything fun routine runs a little thin with all these monster movies tho. People need to come up with something more original. But I suppose if they did it wouldn’t be a B movie anymore would it? Oh and it did kind pretty much stick to the Jersey Devil story as I have heard it. Although I have never heard that whole thing about it being drawn to blood. i think that was for the movie.
The special effects were decent, for a change, but all in all it was kind of boring. Oh well!
I posted a short review on The Orange Orb. I liked the monster, good one. And the overall guilty pleasure of a predictable, cheesy monster movie. But I was disappointed and felt they did a poor job as to continuity, etc.
The only way I watch SciFi original movies is with my sons. Then we have our own MSTK3 party with the boys doing the robots and I do Mike! SciFi originals are usually very, very predictable and that’s what tends to make them boring
Coreyh said the following,
“I do think the whole Pastor is against everything fun routine runs a little thin with all these monster movies tho.”
I agree. These movies stereotype Christian pastors in general in the same way that African-Americans and American Indians and Mexicans were once stereotyped in films. They do need a different plot angle, but then how many fresh ideas can you come up with on “Person finds monster. Person ignores warnings and common sense when handling monster. Person tries to cash in on monster. Monster goes on berserk killing spree. Hero finally kills monster.”?
I did watch most of the movie, however, there was way too much blood and gore for me, so I bailed out of it.
I just saw this movie. The scene where the mother and son are in the car and then the Jersey Devil kills them both was probably the funniest thing I have ever seen. It was supposed to be serious and “scary” but it was pure comedy. I couldn’t stop laughing for 10 minutes. As usual it was your typical sci fi B movie, but to me it was 2 hours of pure comedy!