It's a SyFy release so that must say enough. Most of those releases are pure crap but this here surprised me about how well it was made. The storyline is okay the only thing that was a bit stupid was of course or main actor, the bird. The bird just makes it unbelievable but it is so typical for SyFy like indeed Sabretooth to use CGI animals. I can't say that the CGI used was okay, the bird looked really prehistoric and sometimes really cheap. But as I said, it's the acting and especially those by Ned Dennehy that makes this flick. I agree with the other reviewer that it is a mix of Jeepers Creepers and Drag Me To Hell. Of course it has an open ending. The blood do flows sometimes and some shots are really CGI gory. Just replace the bird (the Roc) with a supernatural creature (like Jeepers Creepers) and it would have been so much better.
23 Reviews
One of the better SyFy Channel movies...
paul_haakonsen7 April 2012
First of all, I have to say that for an original SyFy movie, then "Roadkill" was actually quite good. SyFy have put a lot of really cheesy and bad monster/horror movies out there, so it was a nice breath of fresh air to actually see something nice from them.
The story takes place in Ireland, where a group Americans plan to travel the country by an RV. However they have an accident with some gypsies and end up getting cursed by a dying woman. The curse is that each and every one of them will be killed by a terrible roc.
That being said, then I found the acting in the movie to actually be quite alright. And most memorable in "Roadkill" was Ned Dennehy (playing Luca, one of the gypsies).
"Roadkill" have adequate effects. Of course, don't expect to be blown away with award-winning CGI effects, this is SyFy after all. But still, compared to many of their other movies, "Roadkill" actually pulled off some nice enough effects and CGI. The roc itself looked interesting, though I was wondering why it had no feathers at all, it looked sort of like a weird, plucked carrion bird. But still, it worked out well enough.
You are easily immersed into the story and I found myself to be thoroughly entertained throughout the entire movie. So for a SyFy movie, this was actually not all that bad. I am rating it 5/10 only because it was a fairly mediocre plot that held nothing particularly new or interesting to be seen. "Roadkill" is good entertainment, however it just lacks that particular something to make it rise above mediocrity.
The story takes place in Ireland, where a group Americans plan to travel the country by an RV. However they have an accident with some gypsies and end up getting cursed by a dying woman. The curse is that each and every one of them will be killed by a terrible roc.
That being said, then I found the acting in the movie to actually be quite alright. And most memorable in "Roadkill" was Ned Dennehy (playing Luca, one of the gypsies).
"Roadkill" have adequate effects. Of course, don't expect to be blown away with award-winning CGI effects, this is SyFy after all. But still, compared to many of their other movies, "Roadkill" actually pulled off some nice enough effects and CGI. The roc itself looked interesting, though I was wondering why it had no feathers at all, it looked sort of like a weird, plucked carrion bird. But still, it worked out well enough.
You are easily immersed into the story and I found myself to be thoroughly entertained throughout the entire movie. So for a SyFy movie, this was actually not all that bad. I am rating it 5/10 only because it was a fairly mediocre plot that held nothing particularly new or interesting to be seen. "Roadkill" is good entertainment, however it just lacks that particular something to make it rise above mediocrity.
Amazing
alliegrooms3615 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I can understand why many may not give this movie a chance or like it because it is a syfy or may seem cheesy. But I'm not into syfy that much either but I personally loved it. It had a great mixture of thriller, curses, action, romance, and it had a unique ending. If you think about it many people are looking for a movie that isn't as predictable and this movie does it. It doesn't have a happy ending and it gives a sense of there is no way out. So it puts you on the edge of your seat wondering who will be the survivor at the end. I think the actors and actresses did a great job also making you really believe in the emotions.
Sky high
ctomvelu125 September 2011
Score one for SyFy Channel and the generically titled "Roadkill." A bunch of good-looking your people are on a road trip in Ireland when they accidentally hit an old gypsy woman, who places a curse on them. They also run afoul of her peculiar hillbilly-like family. The curse comes in the form of a most unpleasant flying beast, a roc from ancient Greek mythology, which picks the youths off one by one. The roc is of course a CGI creation, but is several steps up from most other CGI creatures that populate SyFy-made flicks. The kids themselves are nothing special, but the film has the advantage of having been shot on location. Very reminiscent of "Jeepers Creepers II," and any film involving killer hillbillies ("Wrong Turn," for instance) and gypsy curses ("Thinner" comes to mind). Worth a look.
Awful Collection of Clichés
claudio_carvalho11 February 2013
Six teenagers travel to Ireland in a RV road trip expecting to have fun in their vacation. They stop in a bar and Anita (Roisin Murphy) offers 100 Euros to buy the medal of the gypsy Luca (Ned Dennehy). He accepts the money, but delivers another brooch. The troublemaker Chuck (Diarmuid Noyes) takes the medal from Luca and they flee to the RV. However, they accidentally run down a clairvoyant gypsy that curses them before she dies. Soon they learn that they are chased by the legendary bird Simuroc and by the gypsies that want to retrieve Luca's medal.
"Roadkill" is a dreadful movie with a predictable story that entwines the plots of other teen horror movies in an awful collection of clichés and stereotypical characters. There are dozens of movies showing teenagers in a road trip that goes wrong and a gypsy curse can be seen in "Drag me to Hell" or "Thinner". The giant bird is probably the only "original" part of this movie. What is Stephen Rea doing in this flick? My vote is two.
Title (Brazil): "A Fúria de Simuroc" ("The Anger of Simuroc")
"Roadkill" is a dreadful movie with a predictable story that entwines the plots of other teen horror movies in an awful collection of clichés and stereotypical characters. There are dozens of movies showing teenagers in a road trip that goes wrong and a gypsy curse can be seen in "Drag me to Hell" or "Thinner". The giant bird is probably the only "original" part of this movie. What is Stephen Rea doing in this flick? My vote is two.
Title (Brazil): "A Fúria de Simuroc" ("The Anger of Simuroc")
Really bad
kosmasp13 September 2012
If you can't handle bad CGI (and I mean the worst kind), than do yourself a favor and do not watch this movie. It actually has many things that would make me want to rate this 2/3 out of 10. But this is the Ned Dennehy show. You might have seen this man before in other movies and he always has some interesting characters. But he really shines in this crazy role right here.
So while most of the other actors (mostly the young ones) are not up to the task (e.g. might want to stick to their day job), Ned really goes all out. I really enjoyed him, he made the rest of the movie look better than it actually is ...
So while most of the other actors (mostly the young ones) are not up to the task (e.g. might want to stick to their day job), Ned really goes all out. I really enjoyed him, he made the rest of the movie look better than it actually is ...
Road movie with added giant monster action
Leofwine_draca29 October 2014
ROADKILL, a SyFy Channel-style giant monster flick complete with CGI beastie and some horrid acting, offers something a little different for B-movie fans. This one's set in Ireland for a change, and sees a group of American vacationers going on a road trip in their RV (or camper van for Brit viewers) and finding themselves at the mercy of an ancient curse.
It's all preposterous nonsense of course, and the film's cause is little helped by the cheesy, sloppy execution. The writing is equally poor: there's a fairly large cast and yet none of the main characters is in any way memorable or indeed stands out from the pack. When the token black guy shows up you know that the calibre of the writing is sub-par and totally clichéd to say the least.
And yet, and yet...ROADKILL has a certain atmosphere that I found highly charged and plenty of fun. The effects are cheesy, yes, but the giant bird creature is good fun, although more than a little out of place (I'd expect it in an Arabian Nights adventure, not a rural Irish horror). There's plenty of action, and Irish actor Ned Dennehy chews up the scenery with relish as the primary antagonist. Watch out for Stephen Rea's shame-faced cameo as a copper. ROADKILL may not be high art but it does offer plentiful amusement and, for me, that's what counts in a B-movie.
It's all preposterous nonsense of course, and the film's cause is little helped by the cheesy, sloppy execution. The writing is equally poor: there's a fairly large cast and yet none of the main characters is in any way memorable or indeed stands out from the pack. When the token black guy shows up you know that the calibre of the writing is sub-par and totally clichéd to say the least.
And yet, and yet...ROADKILL has a certain atmosphere that I found highly charged and plenty of fun. The effects are cheesy, yes, but the giant bird creature is good fun, although more than a little out of place (I'd expect it in an Arabian Nights adventure, not a rural Irish horror). There's plenty of action, and Irish actor Ned Dennehy chews up the scenery with relish as the primary antagonist. Watch out for Stephen Rea's shame-faced cameo as a copper. ROADKILL may not be high art but it does offer plentiful amusement and, for me, that's what counts in a B-movie.
Streetkill
BakuryuuTyranno16 June 2012
Half generic, half interesting.
Okay, some friends on vacation anger local gypsies, which results in a killer bird being summoned and trying to slaughter them. Actually, these people are slightly more interesting than the archetypes normally found in films like this.
The monster, at first it appeared it was going to be offscreen for much longer than many similar films - it technically was, although it briefly stalked the cast offscreen but then appeared fully.
I can't really offer much detail on the interesting parts beyond saying it becomes clear the story won't play out like you're expecting, which, given how uninspired films commissioned by the Syfy channel usually are, is definitely something.
Okay, some friends on vacation anger local gypsies, which results in a killer bird being summoned and trying to slaughter them. Actually, these people are slightly more interesting than the archetypes normally found in films like this.
The monster, at first it appeared it was going to be offscreen for much longer than many similar films - it technically was, although it briefly stalked the cast offscreen but then appeared fully.
I can't really offer much detail on the interesting parts beyond saying it becomes clear the story won't play out like you're expecting, which, given how uninspired films commissioned by the Syfy channel usually are, is definitely something.
Sinbad and the Eye of The Roc.
hitchcockthelegend2 July 2014
Roadkill is a telefilm directed by Johannes Roberts and written by Rick Suvalle. It stars Oliver James, Eliza Bennett, Kacey Barnfield, Ned Dennehy, Diarmuid Noyes, Roisin Murphy and Eve Macklin. Music is by Ray Harman and cinematography by Peter Robertson.
A bunch of young friends are travelling around Ireland in an RV when they stop off at a bric-a-brac store. Getting into a dispute with one of the crotchety shop inhabitants, the youths are forced to flee and knock down an old Romany lady with their RV. Whilst trying to aid the old woman, she gasps her last breaths whilst issuing a curse on all involved in her killing
Once in a while you stumble upon a telefilm that really entertains and holds you for its duration, sadly Roadkill is not one of them. Low expectations always help with these sort of productions, they are after all knocked up by aspiring directors who are just happy to have a film shown on the SyFy channel, but thee's not a lot to write home about here.
In its favour is the appearance of Ned Dennehy, who is always good value for a bit of scuzzy characterisation, and Stephen Rea even pops in for a cameo, but both actors are clearly slumming it and working for food. The group of handsome youngsters are the usual roll call of nice legs, nice cleavage, nice pecs, supplemented by the dim one, the annoying one who says dude a lot and etc, each to be picked off by a rather crummy CGI mythical beast from Sinbad lore.
Will any of them survive? Just what is the secret of the medallion that Dennehy's dirty army are so keen to get back? The answers to these questions will of course provide the backbone of the story, leading to an unintentionally funny moment when "lead girl" turns into Chuck Norris. The acting isn't awful and it's nice to have some genuine Irish countryside as the backdrop to a story set in Ireland, but it all comes off as pointless TV schedule filler. And unadventurous filler at that. 3/10
A bunch of young friends are travelling around Ireland in an RV when they stop off at a bric-a-brac store. Getting into a dispute with one of the crotchety shop inhabitants, the youths are forced to flee and knock down an old Romany lady with their RV. Whilst trying to aid the old woman, she gasps her last breaths whilst issuing a curse on all involved in her killing
Once in a while you stumble upon a telefilm that really entertains and holds you for its duration, sadly Roadkill is not one of them. Low expectations always help with these sort of productions, they are after all knocked up by aspiring directors who are just happy to have a film shown on the SyFy channel, but thee's not a lot to write home about here.
In its favour is the appearance of Ned Dennehy, who is always good value for a bit of scuzzy characterisation, and Stephen Rea even pops in for a cameo, but both actors are clearly slumming it and working for food. The group of handsome youngsters are the usual roll call of nice legs, nice cleavage, nice pecs, supplemented by the dim one, the annoying one who says dude a lot and etc, each to be picked off by a rather crummy CGI mythical beast from Sinbad lore.
Will any of them survive? Just what is the secret of the medallion that Dennehy's dirty army are so keen to get back? The answers to these questions will of course provide the backbone of the story, leading to an unintentionally funny moment when "lead girl" turns into Chuck Norris. The acting isn't awful and it's nice to have some genuine Irish countryside as the backdrop to a story set in Ireland, but it all comes off as pointless TV schedule filler. And unadventurous filler at that. 3/10
Anatomy of a racial indoctrination
arcturus928 June 2012
I find this film to be remarkable in its ability to arouse a racist response in viewing it, to the degree that it is to some extent worth studying to see what techniques make this possible. From my perspective, as someone in the U.S., the anti-Gypsy sentiment in Europe is something alien; here, Gypsies may be presented as something of a fairy-tale concept, but I've never encountered any real sense of animosity toward them. But this presentation makes it feel very real - my feeling is, if you're not feeling by the end that those poor victims should shout out at their persecutors that the next time the Nazies are going to finish the job, you're not getting into the film. And of course, that's disturbing.
Some of the techniques are obvious - the freaky appearance of some of the characters, the lovely white woman tied up as a sacrifice, the constant cheating. The way the Gypsies always and automatically side with each other, and above all, the sense that the innocent non-Gypsy bystander, and by extension, yourself, merely riding in the RV, becomes the victim of their murderous and unnatural wrath, and has no choice but to take up arms against them in a war of extermination which, one feels, should and must proceed until the last spawn of their clan has been strangled in its cradle. But I think for every technique I understand, there must be two I haven't apprehended.
As a movie, it is not much, but as a sort of "Birth of a Nation" style propaganda, it is dangerously outstanding.
Some of the techniques are obvious - the freaky appearance of some of the characters, the lovely white woman tied up as a sacrifice, the constant cheating. The way the Gypsies always and automatically side with each other, and above all, the sense that the innocent non-Gypsy bystander, and by extension, yourself, merely riding in the RV, becomes the victim of their murderous and unnatural wrath, and has no choice but to take up arms against them in a war of extermination which, one feels, should and must proceed until the last spawn of their clan has been strangled in its cradle. But I think for every technique I understand, there must be two I haven't apprehended.
As a movie, it is not much, but as a sort of "Birth of a Nation" style propaganda, it is dangerously outstanding.
"Dude" this movie is really awful ........
merklekranz11 May 2017
Any movie that overuses the word "dude" like "Roadkill" really must suck, and this one certainly does. I mean "dude" there is zero character development". The Winnebago vacationing "twenty somethings" are all annoying "dude". The story of Gypsies placing a curse that calls to life a giant turkey necked, scraggly bird is laughable "dude"' This is what happens "dude", when the Sci-Fi Channel , runs out of ideas, they like improvise "dude", with a story that makes no sense. This move has about as much entertainment value as watching a burning orphanage "dude". So like "dude", you have been warned, avoid this like you would a rabid dog, unless of course you like dumb movies "dude". - MERK
Decent and above-average Sci-Fi Channel effort
kannibalcorpsegrinder24 October 2014
A group of friends touring Ireland for a re-acquaintance trip run afoul of a gang of gypsies during an accident and are soon stalked by a gigantic predatory bird as part of their revenge on the friends, forcing them to battle the vicious creature to get away alive.
This one isn't so bad and comes off a lot better than it should. One of the better elements in here is the rather impressive attack scenes which are frequent enough in here to really work quite well. The first attack on the RV and the ambush on the stranded truck in the forest, being the first ones in the film anyway, are quite fun showing off the creature's antics quite well as the surprise attacks give the bird a behavior that's quite chilling. Likewise, the scenes in the woods are just as much fun as they manage to not only feature the stalking by the townspeople through the fog-shrouded landscape but also the incredibly dramatic secondary scene in the creature's nest where it plays up much more tense situations alongside plenty of thrilling action with the location-setting having as much to do for the scene as well. These do manage to help it overcome enough of its flaws to make for a pretty entertaining effort although its flaws are still apparent. The biggest one here is undoubtedly the lack of anything here about the actual bird in any shape or form. All we're given is a line or two about a mythological bird of prey that it supposedly resembles but that's barely touched upon by the gang, then it turns around and has the locals not only ignore that telling but also give a totally different explanation and name for the creature. This makes it hard to follow what's going on while also questioning why the mythological viewpoint was even brought up to begin with. Following that viewpoint, this also manages to greatly differentiate the birds' impact on the community as the creature's initial attacks are suggested to be a curse on the group yet the search to acquire the protective medallion implies it's always been around so their actions are so scatter shot and confusing it really does lower this. Along with the weak CGI that runs rampant here, these do lower this though it does have those good parts to hold this up.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.
This one isn't so bad and comes off a lot better than it should. One of the better elements in here is the rather impressive attack scenes which are frequent enough in here to really work quite well. The first attack on the RV and the ambush on the stranded truck in the forest, being the first ones in the film anyway, are quite fun showing off the creature's antics quite well as the surprise attacks give the bird a behavior that's quite chilling. Likewise, the scenes in the woods are just as much fun as they manage to not only feature the stalking by the townspeople through the fog-shrouded landscape but also the incredibly dramatic secondary scene in the creature's nest where it plays up much more tense situations alongside plenty of thrilling action with the location-setting having as much to do for the scene as well. These do manage to help it overcome enough of its flaws to make for a pretty entertaining effort although its flaws are still apparent. The biggest one here is undoubtedly the lack of anything here about the actual bird in any shape or form. All we're given is a line or two about a mythological bird of prey that it supposedly resembles but that's barely touched upon by the gang, then it turns around and has the locals not only ignore that telling but also give a totally different explanation and name for the creature. This makes it hard to follow what's going on while also questioning why the mythological viewpoint was even brought up to begin with. Following that viewpoint, this also manages to greatly differentiate the birds' impact on the community as the creature's initial attacks are suggested to be a curse on the group yet the search to acquire the protective medallion implies it's always been around so their actions are so scatter shot and confusing it really does lower this. Along with the weak CGI that runs rampant here, these do lower this though it does have those good parts to hold this up.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Language.
Solid Flying Creature flick
Wuchakk28 April 2011
Released in 2011, "Roadkill" is yet another creature-on-the-loose flick from Syfy. This time it's a giant bird-of-prey, the mythical Roc, preying upon a bunch of youths touring rural Ireland in an RV, picking 'em off one by one.
With Syfy you never know what you're going to get. For every "Sasquatch Mountain" and "From Within" there's a "Mega Cleavage Vs. Gatorade." With a title like "Roadkill" the prognosis wasn't very good, but "Roadkill" surprised me.
The movie combines elements of several films: "Jeepers Creepers 2" (flying creature attacking a bus full of youths) and countless other flying creature flicks like "Carny" and "Wyvern," as well as films like "Wrong Turn" and "Dying Breed" (malevolent hicks in remote areas). It also has a subplot about an old gypsy curse, which is reminiscent of "Drag Me to Hell." If you like these types of films "Roadkill" is as good or better.
What makes it "as good or better"? For one, it's filmed on location in mysterious rural areas of Ireland, which sets it apart from most Syfy flicks which are filmed in British Columbia, Romania or Bulgaria. Secondly, it has a likable cast with a good assortment of gorgeous women. Thirdly, the CGI creature is well done, unlike say the cartooney cat in "Saber Tooth." Fourthly, the material is taken seriously and never devolves into camp or goofiness. Fifthly, this is just a solidly made Grade-B creature feature. The filmmakers obviously took the time to make a quality product and this is seen in numerous scenes. For instance, the sparrow scene (you'll know what I mean when you see it), as well as the touching reflective sequences in-between bird attacks and the many atmospheric forest/moors images. I also like how the film touches on the human breaking point and insanity, which would certainly be a possibility (or probability) if this occurred in real life.
The initial review of "Roadkill" on IMDb gives the film the absolute lowest rating possible (1/10), which is absurd, not to mention inexplicably gives away the ending (?!). What a moron.
This reviewer refers to the youths as "stereotypical beautiful college kids" but, as far as the dudes go, I don't see any Brad Pitts, and as far as the ladies go, they're pretty hot, as noted above, but not unbelievably so. Also, despite the token minority they seem like a realistic circle of friends.
This reviewer also rags on the film for the huge RV, but this is a pretty big group of youths so the RV HAS to be big enough to accommodate them. Besides, we see huge RVs all over rural areas of North America, why would it be any different in Ireland?
BOTTOM LINE: "Roadkill" is a solid low-budget flying creature flick with a sideplot of ee-vil gypsies and is well worth your time if you're into these types of films. It's at least as good as "Wyvern" and I like it better than "Jeepers Creepers 2." The film runs 88 minutes.
GRADE: B+
With Syfy you never know what you're going to get. For every "Sasquatch Mountain" and "From Within" there's a "Mega Cleavage Vs. Gatorade." With a title like "Roadkill" the prognosis wasn't very good, but "Roadkill" surprised me.
The movie combines elements of several films: "Jeepers Creepers 2" (flying creature attacking a bus full of youths) and countless other flying creature flicks like "Carny" and "Wyvern," as well as films like "Wrong Turn" and "Dying Breed" (malevolent hicks in remote areas). It also has a subplot about an old gypsy curse, which is reminiscent of "Drag Me to Hell." If you like these types of films "Roadkill" is as good or better.
What makes it "as good or better"? For one, it's filmed on location in mysterious rural areas of Ireland, which sets it apart from most Syfy flicks which are filmed in British Columbia, Romania or Bulgaria. Secondly, it has a likable cast with a good assortment of gorgeous women. Thirdly, the CGI creature is well done, unlike say the cartooney cat in "Saber Tooth." Fourthly, the material is taken seriously and never devolves into camp or goofiness. Fifthly, this is just a solidly made Grade-B creature feature. The filmmakers obviously took the time to make a quality product and this is seen in numerous scenes. For instance, the sparrow scene (you'll know what I mean when you see it), as well as the touching reflective sequences in-between bird attacks and the many atmospheric forest/moors images. I also like how the film touches on the human breaking point and insanity, which would certainly be a possibility (or probability) if this occurred in real life.
The initial review of "Roadkill" on IMDb gives the film the absolute lowest rating possible (1/10), which is absurd, not to mention inexplicably gives away the ending (?!). What a moron.
This reviewer refers to the youths as "stereotypical beautiful college kids" but, as far as the dudes go, I don't see any Brad Pitts, and as far as the ladies go, they're pretty hot, as noted above, but not unbelievably so. Also, despite the token minority they seem like a realistic circle of friends.
This reviewer also rags on the film for the huge RV, but this is a pretty big group of youths so the RV HAS to be big enough to accommodate them. Besides, we see huge RVs all over rural areas of North America, why would it be any different in Ireland?
BOTTOM LINE: "Roadkill" is a solid low-budget flying creature flick with a sideplot of ee-vil gypsies and is well worth your time if you're into these types of films. It's at least as good as "Wyvern" and I like it better than "Jeepers Creepers 2." The film runs 88 minutes.
GRADE: B+
Another bad movie from the Maneater series.
HorrorDisasterGuy-9061729 August 2023
This is a pretty bad movie that is lousy and unwatchable. The story is nothing to special because it's just characters trying to flee from a myth bird. It's interesting they use that type of bird that I never heard of and does give details on what it is. But the movie full of cliches and is easily predictable throughout. The whole curse thing makes no sense because the bird is also after people who have nothing to do with the accident so why include a curse. There's no one to root for in the movie because all of them are pretty bad and aren't that likable at all. The acting itself is pretty bad in this type of movie. This movie is not worth watching.
How Many Monkeys Does it Take to Write These Movies???
chicagorob126 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
OR ---Another SyFy Channel(US) Saturday Night Special---
Roadkill is one of the special breed of "Made for DVD" forgettable movies that have become so numerous over the last decade. This is due to the increased use of CGI technology which allows anyone, talented or not, to make giant monster moves on a shoestring budget.
The group traveling across Ireland in a Winnebego motor-home (really? The narrow roads and villages aren't a problem for that behemoth?) is made up of the stereotypical beautiful college kids, the "Brain", the "Jock", the "Pretty but Dim", the "Wallflower", the "Token Minority", the "Geeky Goofball" and most importantly, the "All American Nice, Strong and Independent Girl."
The movie's 2 dimensional gypsy bad guys, act with sneering impunity, which is strange when faced with a giant demon bird that can attack them just as well as the kids.
In the end the Goofball is the surprising lone survivor, not the All American Girl (who went insane?). He has a long drawn-out chance to display his acting skills in a voice-mail message to his dad. My only thought was who did the actor know so he could be the last teen alive and get so much uninterrupted, solo screen time?
Skip this if you've ever seen any SyFy channel Saturday night movie with giant creatures. It's the exact same story with different, baaaad special effects and acting...
Roadkill is one of the special breed of "Made for DVD" forgettable movies that have become so numerous over the last decade. This is due to the increased use of CGI technology which allows anyone, talented or not, to make giant monster moves on a shoestring budget.
The group traveling across Ireland in a Winnebego motor-home (really? The narrow roads and villages aren't a problem for that behemoth?) is made up of the stereotypical beautiful college kids, the "Brain", the "Jock", the "Pretty but Dim", the "Wallflower", the "Token Minority", the "Geeky Goofball" and most importantly, the "All American Nice, Strong and Independent Girl."
The movie's 2 dimensional gypsy bad guys, act with sneering impunity, which is strange when faced with a giant demon bird that can attack them just as well as the kids.
In the end the Goofball is the surprising lone survivor, not the All American Girl (who went insane?). He has a long drawn-out chance to display his acting skills in a voice-mail message to his dad. My only thought was who did the actor know so he could be the last teen alive and get so much uninterrupted, solo screen time?
Skip this if you've ever seen any SyFy channel Saturday night movie with giant creatures. It's the exact same story with different, baaaad special effects and acting...
Slightly above average for a SyFy original
aronharde4 November 2023
Before Johannes Roberts brought us 47 Meters Down or The Strangers sequel, he directed this SyFy movie named Roadkill. I have genuinely liked his movies before even though none of them were masterpieces but I thought they are mostly entertaining and fun little flicks. With this one being a sci-fi original you probably know what you're going to get. You will have bad acting, awful CGI effects and a dumb plot. However I think this is one of the better SyFy movies, the effects are bad but I have seen way worse, the acting was also not terrible and we even have some decent make-up effects. And as far as the story goes, I think it's quite original. A couple of teens driving around Ireland in an RV accidentally run over an old gypsy woman and are cursed with a giant flying creature chasing them down to kill them.
So basically just expect a typical sci-fi movie that is slightly above average for their content. [3,8/10]
So basically just expect a typical sci-fi movie that is slightly above average for their content. [3,8/10]
Nifty creature feature
Woodyanders17 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A bunch of young folks embarking on a road trip through Ireland in an RV find themselves targeted for death by a lethal flying monster after they run afoul of a group of gypsies who put a curse on them.
Director Johannes Roberts keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a brisk pace, takes time to develop the characters, makes nicely atmospheric use of the misty sylvan Irish countryside locations, generates a good deal of tension, and stages the attack scenes with flair. The competent acting by the capable cast helps a lot: Kacey Clarke as the sweet Kate, Roison Murphy as the sultry Anita, Eliza Bennett as the perky Hailey, Colin Maher as the amiable Joel, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as the easygoing Tommy, Oliver James as the smitten Ryan, and Diarmuid Noyes as rowdy smartaleck Chuck. Moreover, Ned Dennehy deliciously hams it up as antagonistic local creep Luca while Stephen Rea isn't given much to do as jerky cop Seamus. The monster looks gritty gnarly and the CGI effects aren't half bad. Kudos are also in order for Peter Robertson's sharp cinematography and Ray Harman's spirited shivery score. A fun little B-flick.
Director Johannes Roberts keeps the enjoyable story moving along at a brisk pace, takes time to develop the characters, makes nicely atmospheric use of the misty sylvan Irish countryside locations, generates a good deal of tension, and stages the attack scenes with flair. The competent acting by the capable cast helps a lot: Kacey Clarke as the sweet Kate, Roison Murphy as the sultry Anita, Eliza Bennett as the perky Hailey, Colin Maher as the amiable Joel, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as the easygoing Tommy, Oliver James as the smitten Ryan, and Diarmuid Noyes as rowdy smartaleck Chuck. Moreover, Ned Dennehy deliciously hams it up as antagonistic local creep Luca while Stephen Rea isn't given much to do as jerky cop Seamus. The monster looks gritty gnarly and the CGI effects aren't half bad. Kudos are also in order for Peter Robertson's sharp cinematography and Ray Harman's spirited shivery score. A fun little B-flick.
I finally found it again!
dawnferris29 December 2013
Yeah I gave it 7 of 10, what of it?! I enjoyed this movie the first time SyFy ran it a couple years ago and I've been looking for it ever since. I found it for free today on an online free movie site. (legal) I like B movies IF they are done with decent acting (this was) decent plot without too many holes ((check) and most importantly NO horrible CGI. The CGI in this movie was decently done for what it is and for the budget they probably had to work with. I didn't once roll my eyes at the monster bird. Honestly, who really knows what a truck sized bird would look like in real life? I imagine a bit unreal! I love B movies, I love creature features and I loved this movie. I offer no apologies, it was great!
Surprisingly a ride worth taking....
TheLittleSongbird22 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
To be honest from the generic title and SyFy's usual dubious reputation, I was not expecting much from Roadkill at all. However I was pleasantly surprised. Although it is less than perfect, it is one of SyFy's better efforts. After seeing many SyFy movies made on the cheap and in an amateurish way, Roadkill for me actually looked quite good. The locations are atmospheric and look great, and the photography is mostly slick, giving it a Jeepers Creepers vibe. The effects are above average too, some do have a rushed look to them, but the Simuroc reminded me of the effects of Ray Harryhousen, something I loved as I grew up on the movies featuring his effects.
What was surprising also was the story. From the title, you'd think it would be the usual monster-of-the-week movie, which I am starting to find unoriginal and dull in all honesty, but no. While the Simuroc is adequate enough, I found the gypsy clan, a big part of the story, even more menacing. On top of this, while some may take it as a not so good thing, Roadkill is darker than the usual campy feel I see from SyFy, which I found refreshing. Some parts of the movie don't hold that many surprises, but the change in pace was admirable, and I liked the intense scenes particularly in the earlier scenes with the friction between the characters mainly.
Speaking of the characters, they actually manage to be interesting especially the leader of the gypsy clan, the characters in a lot of SyFy movies are stereotypical and underdeveloped, but while there is nothing especially new about some of the characters they do at least engage and are on screen longer than two minutes. The acting is pretty decent, again nobody amazing, but nobody awful either. The best of the cast is Ned Dennehy, who is chillingly effective as the gypsy clan leader. Roadkill does, apart from a couple of bad effects, have some problematic areas. The screenplay is the main one, not groan-inducingly bad but rather generic with some hilariously lame sex jokes and there are still moments where you have to suspend disbelief, particularly one scene where one characters smears the blood of her friend to her face.
Plus the scene towards the end where they confess to cheating on the SATs and being inappropriately touched by a cousin was pretty cringe-worthy and had me reaching for the remote. The ending is somewhat routine, but I appreciated how tense some of it was. Overall, not a great movie by all means, but compared to what it could have, it is reasonably good and watchable. 6/10 Bethany Cox
What was surprising also was the story. From the title, you'd think it would be the usual monster-of-the-week movie, which I am starting to find unoriginal and dull in all honesty, but no. While the Simuroc is adequate enough, I found the gypsy clan, a big part of the story, even more menacing. On top of this, while some may take it as a not so good thing, Roadkill is darker than the usual campy feel I see from SyFy, which I found refreshing. Some parts of the movie don't hold that many surprises, but the change in pace was admirable, and I liked the intense scenes particularly in the earlier scenes with the friction between the characters mainly.
Speaking of the characters, they actually manage to be interesting especially the leader of the gypsy clan, the characters in a lot of SyFy movies are stereotypical and underdeveloped, but while there is nothing especially new about some of the characters they do at least engage and are on screen longer than two minutes. The acting is pretty decent, again nobody amazing, but nobody awful either. The best of the cast is Ned Dennehy, who is chillingly effective as the gypsy clan leader. Roadkill does, apart from a couple of bad effects, have some problematic areas. The screenplay is the main one, not groan-inducingly bad but rather generic with some hilariously lame sex jokes and there are still moments where you have to suspend disbelief, particularly one scene where one characters smears the blood of her friend to her face.
Plus the scene towards the end where they confess to cheating on the SATs and being inappropriately touched by a cousin was pretty cringe-worthy and had me reaching for the remote. The ending is somewhat routine, but I appreciated how tense some of it was. Overall, not a great movie by all means, but compared to what it could have, it is reasonably good and watchable. 6/10 Bethany Cox
Ignore the nay sayers
Mr. OpEd16 July 2015
Clichés? You bet. A few logic holes. Yup. Worth a look? Indeed.
First, anyone who claims this is a typical SyFy channel film should be avoided in public and in private. This is that 1 in 50 SyFy film that was actually well made.
Second, anyone who claims the acting is amateurish must stop writing reviews. Period. The acting is top notch, especially considering that every one of these Americans is NOT American and yet I didn't hear an accent dropped once.
Also, anyone who didn't notice the terrific music score should be made to take a music appreciation class. Twice.
Oh, and you've got three gorgeous women to enjoy. You've got a real nasty ROC. You get to hate some truly nasty hicks (reminds me of the setting and characters in Shuttered Room).
I enjoyed it. I think most people will, if they can find it.
First, anyone who claims this is a typical SyFy channel film should be avoided in public and in private. This is that 1 in 50 SyFy film that was actually well made.
Second, anyone who claims the acting is amateurish must stop writing reviews. Period. The acting is top notch, especially considering that every one of these Americans is NOT American and yet I didn't hear an accent dropped once.
Also, anyone who didn't notice the terrific music score should be made to take a music appreciation class. Twice.
Oh, and you've got three gorgeous women to enjoy. You've got a real nasty ROC. You get to hate some truly nasty hicks (reminds me of the setting and characters in Shuttered Room).
I enjoyed it. I think most people will, if they can find it.
Better then I thought.
at-1594418 May 2019
great road horror
JUICEZ-49ers2 May 2020
Yes it is a giant bird, but you knew that when you started watching the film.
Love road horror's. And this film is watchable, enjoyable and I would definitely be watching again. I watched this back in 2012 and I have only just found it again. Hard film to find, but worth it for horror fans
Better Than Average from SyFy
GilesEnsor12 September 2019
I know this is about 8 years late but I thought I'd write a review anyway.
Not such a bad film all things considered but it unfortunately lost its way about two thirds of the way through and just got sillier and sillier. The story line was okay, as was the acting (although Steven Rea, which is one of the reasons I watched it, was in it for all of about 5 mins), but overall it was, as I said, just a bit too silly to be a good movie.
Still, 6 out of 10 for effort.
Not such a bad film all things considered but it unfortunately lost its way about two thirds of the way through and just got sillier and sillier. The story line was okay, as was the acting (although Steven Rea, which is one of the reasons I watched it, was in it for all of about 5 mins), but overall it was, as I said, just a bit too silly to be a good movie.
Still, 6 out of 10 for effort.
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