Sometimes, a film’s title can mislead you. Director Mike Hermosa’s film gives the impression that it’s going to be cheesy, Asylum-like nonsense. Instead, we get a movie that’s clever, gory, and a lot of fun.
Dr Grant Walker (Mike Capes} is stuck working at a low-rent amusement park attempting to teach kids about dinosaurs. With a hapless security officer, Denny (David Shackelford), in a rubbish costume as a raptor, things couldn’t get worse for him. However, he gets to put his knowledge to good use when he discovers an invisible raptor has escaped from a secret lab where it was being developed as a weapon. With the help of the guard and his ex, Gloria (Grace Demarco), Grant tracks the unseen beast as it leaves a bloody trail of destruction in its wake.
The Invisible Raptor punches well above its weight with likeable characters and some genuinely entertaining gore. It isn’t afraid to delve into some bad taste areas (no one is safe from the raptor’s fury, even kids!). Far from being a cop-out, the invisible aspect is well-handled and allows for some great gags. Sean Astin (Stranger Things) appears briefly as one of the scientists working on the project but is quickly dispatched (although make sure you stick around through the end credits). Loser but well-meaning security guard Denny’s sad backstory is emotionally tragic and is rounded up in a horribly humiliating moment, but despite everything, he’s an amiable character who essentially just wants a friend. There’s also a scene-stealing turn from Sandy Martin as the straight-talking owner of the local chicken farm.
The Invisible Raptor is a pleasant surprise that will become a cult favourite in the coming years.
THE INVISIBLE RAPTOR was screened at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest.
