Search - Shrooms on DVD

Something of an acquired taste

Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 03/12/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have seen nothing but derogatory comments about this film, but I found Shrooms to be a pretty fun little horror movie. Sure, you don't have to have eaten a Deaths Head mushroom to see prophetic visions of how the film will end, and the story doesn't exactly break new ground in terms of character development, but Shrooms does have a suspenseful moment or two and I happen to believe that the look and feel of the film (which some have decried as hopelessly bland) creates the appropriate atmosphere for the setting and the events that take place there. It's Ireland, people, not the bright and sunny beaches of Rio de Janeiro.

Forget about the whole potato business. Apparently, Ireland is all about psychedelic mushrooms. In the film, five dumb Americans have just spent tons of money to fly across the Atlantic in order to camp out deep in the woods and indulge in the hallucinogenic visions wrought by the local "magic mushrooms." Well, one of them, Tara (Lindsey Haun, who happens to bear a strong resemblance to Kirsten Dunst) came in hopes of hooking up with host Jake (Jack Huston); her four annoying friends (two stuck-up girls and their annoying boyfriends, one of whom looks like the skinny guy from Jay and Silent Bob while the other one is dumb frat boy material) tagged along for the psychedelic adventure.

Already bummed over the fact that Jake isn't paying her much attention, Tara decides to eat one of the mushrooms she finds - unfortunately, it's a Deaths Head mushroom. Supposedly, anyone who eats one of these particular shrooms - assuming he/she actually survives - gains several dark attributes, such as the ability to predict the future. Being the main character in the film, Tara naturally survives, waking up in time to hear Jake tell the others about the dark monk who terrorized and murdered a number of the kids under his charge, including a shrouded boy who poisoned him, and is said to still roam those very woods looking to kill those who would enter his domain. As you can probably guess, Tara soon begins having terrifying premonitions of her friends' violent deaths - just before those deaths actually happen. Soon all of the characters are scrambling around the woods in search of help and answers as they are picked off one by one. Tara begins seeing the dark monk seemingly stalking her, the boy in the shroud pops up a time or two, and a family of inbred hillbillies stops by to make things even more interesting.

There are some obvious parallels between Shrooms and another recent film which shall remain nameless; I only mention this because I raked that other movie over the coals for the absurdity of its ending and, in retrospect, overall approach to the entire story. A case can certainly be made that Shrooms borrows heavily from this other film - yet here, the story actually works reasonably well (aside from its predictability and lack of originality). With the characters all befuddling their minds with psychedelic mushroom delights, one can never be sure if what you are seeing is real or a hallucination. With so much wriggle room to work with, Shrooms actually turns out to be a pretty effective little horror movie, in my opinion. Did I mention there's a talking cow?"

Badger, badger, badger, badger, MUSHROOM! MUSHROOM!

Jason | Backwater, Alabama | 10/17/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Six attractive twenty-somethings decide to visit Ireland for a weekend of drug-induced fun. During the first day of foraging, Tara accidentally ingests a bad mushroom and does not get bigger or get an extra life; she's a heroine on heroin. She makes the same mistake as the guy from Into the Wild: she ate something bad. Hey, Vanilla Ice tried to warn her; it's a poisonous mushroom. She bit into a "Death's Head Fungi", a heart-exploding portal to another dimension that is purported to cause uncontrollable ferocity, and the ability of premonition and communication with the dead. How was she supposed to know? What's the difference between the bad one and the good one? A black dot. Good luck finding the speck after you've already taken hits that have you thinking you're a badger who can see singing snakes.

After the hallucinations begin, Jake tells the story of a sadistic monk who terrorized and beat children. A few feral kids didn't like his brutal ways, and decided to get back at him by putting a bunch of Death's Head mushrooms into his soup. The result, of course, was a homicidal maniac who executed everyone in sight. Undeterred by the story, the rest get higher than a kite. Soon thereafter, people go missing and the viewer doesn't know where to separate reality from insanity. Keeping with horror movie tradition, while being chased by silhouettes in the forest the kids continue tripping. Two characters get hit in the head with rocks - stoned. Ba-dum-cha!

As for the characters, I'd say one "actor" udders the best line of the entire film: "You know you're fu*#ed. Dead fu*&ed." It's hilariously unnecessary, and foreshadowing for a movie that's easier to predict than a sunrise.

Overall, this movie is a bit half-baked. The actors are somewhat convincing in their terror, but the visions seemed too similar to "The Ring" for my tastes. Although, there were definite hallucinations and paranoia happening. At one point I could swear I saw some massive cleavage and good acting. Oh, wait, I saw both. It's worthwhile for some interesting visuals and a fresh angle, but it's not ground-breaking by any means."

Shrooms of Gloom

Jelly Jar | Collinsville, IL USA | 09/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Man, I don't know what all these bad reviews are all about. If you want to talk about garbage, watch "Haunted Boat." This movie blows doors over that rubbish. There are constant jump-out-of-your seat moments, the filming was done with tact, and it was easy to see a lot of thought was put behind it in order to create a claustrophobic atmosphere out of doors. That isn't the easiest thing to do. I found myself wondering what was to the left or the right of the camera many times and being frustrated that I couldn't. The suspense was entrancing and the story addicting. For an obvious low-budget flick, this one gives every penny's worth. Lindsey Haun was just as good here as she was in a much more subtle role in "Broken Bridges." Don't miss it. If you have a pension for horror, this one will not let down.
One more thing: The twist-ending was a bit predictable but still done very well."

A Solid Spooky Horror Film !

creatureart | Massachusetts | 04/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm just a dumb horror film fan so you might not want to take my word for it but I think "Shrooms" is a very solid horror movie. It's original, but not so original (if you know what I mean), a little predictable and absurd but it's loaded with atmosphere, plenty of frightening visuals and jumpy scares. I say absurd because throughout the movie there will be times when you'll find yourself wondering whether or not the filmmakers ever actually had any real prior experience with Hallucinogens, let's just say that it has it's unrealistc moments. Do not let that last comment stare you away from adding this one to your collection though. I was a little unsure myself about picking this one up after reading all these mixed reviews both here at amazon and eleswhere. I'm very glad I did though 'cause "Shrooms" is a fun and creepy goodtime."