Shrooms Review
Paddy Breathnach’s Shrooms has been on the radar for some time. At first, I assumed it would be about Mushroom people, and there is still a large part of me that is disappointed that it was not. What the film is, it turns out, is a nice take on the slasher genre.
A mish-mash of young adults journey to Ireland to get a taste of the local magic mushrooms. Tara, our lead, is typically reserved, naive to a charming fault, and pining after a summer love named David, an Irish lad leading the expedition. Surrounding her are a few stereotypes: the nerdy guy, the jock-ish guy, hippie chick and vain hot chick. When David realizes that not only are the usual mind-bendingly fun mushrooms in season, but also a look-alike variation that causes death, sometimes, or a slew of mystic properties, including second sight and glimpses into another dimension.
Tara, on her own, of course, ends up munching one of these naughty shrooms and goes on a trip that leaves her wondering if she really is seeing the future, even as members of the not-so-Merry Pranksters begin to get offed one-by-one. Are these victims of the ghouls of the yarn David spins over the campfire, or something more real?
Breathnach is no first-time director, and it shows. He manages to juggle several disparate visual styles to capture reality, dream and the in-betweens. The music is solid, the effects are spare but competent. The real problems come from a script that fails to surprise, but rather takes the viewer down a well-worn road. Some of the acting, as well, manages to remind the viewer that the folks on screen are acting, damnit! Kudos to Lindsey Haun in the role of Tara who manages to make the whole thing far more believable than it should have been.
What is surprising about Shrooms is how often it manages to evoke a creepy atmosphere, and provide some nice chills throughout the film. The creepy-crawlies David alludes to in his story are sufficiently spooky, and manage to provide some scares.
The ending, also, felt like it was culled from the Horror Filmmaker’s Guide to Cheating, which I am currently writing. If there had never been a slasher movie before, this would be visionary. Unfortunately, most of this stuff you’ve seen before. It’s presented here in a fun, sometimes surprising way, but ultimately finds its way back to the well-traveled path rather than linger in the dark forest where it plays best. A wonderfully fun distraction, but, like all empty treats, tasted much better going down than when I digested it.
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