gavin6942
Teens camping in a northern California retreat are terrorized by mutant insects created by evil, polluting pot farmers, what will throw them into a terrifying fight for their lives.I feel like this movie should have been so much better than it was. First of all, the cast is pretty decent: Carlton Banks, Seth Green and Clint Howard? Not a bad mix to start with. Then you have Brian Yuzna (Re-Animator) as the executive producer. And add on KNB for the effects? That is a solid combination.And to be fair, the acting was decent, the direction was pretty good and the effects were definitely excellent (the pods looked cool and the big transformation sequence was well-executed). I see the flaws coming in to the film from two directions: One, it does not balance the humor and horror properly. It has a few moments that are almost funny, but not outright so. You either need to be straight horror, or the right balance of horror and humor -- and the balance was way off here. They took themselves too seriously for what they were working with.Second, it seems that two stories were conflated in to one, and that made the plot convoluted. Mutant ticks are bad and homicidal farmers are bad... but did they both belong here? I think not. I understand the hormone on the plants made the ticks big... but we never needed to actually see the farmers. It turned what could have been a fun, simple film into a messy triangle.From what I understand, this film is pretty hard to find on DVD outside of bootlegs. And I am okay with that. I have little interest in ever seeing it again.
kclipper
Here's a delightfully fast-paced film from the director who brought us such pleasantries as 'Hellbound: Hellraiser II'. Originally and appropriately titled, 'Infested' is an icky, gooey good time as an experimental bi-product of a marijuana growing process accidentally infects tick eggs and caused the deadly little buggers to grow into abnormal sizes (approximately that of sea-crabs). Meanwhile, The L.A. city Wilderness retreat, a program designed to help troubled teenagers adapt to new environments, is plummeted directly into the infestation.This is a rip-roaring homage to the classic "nature runs amok" genre, and a talented, young cast and good direction make it all work. These nasty, killer critters are fast and furious and burrow under the skin just as this flick will for it's audience as a cast of likable (and unsavory) characters must use their wits to survive in a really horrifying situation. This has above-average creature effects combined with some nice touches. (the ticks' venom causes hallucinations in their victims to add to the mayhem!). The band of youths and their adult supervision must barricade themselves into a cabin along with a couple of despicable cash-croppers, and it all lunges towards an unforgettable climax where Alfonso Ribeiro (of 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fame') projects one humongous insect from his writhing corpse in a spectacular showdown. Other good genre performances include Seth Green as a resourceful juvenile and Clint Howard as a wacky pot-farmer. It's a perfect example of how imaginative plot devices and suspenseful set-ups used in the right brew can make for a fun, comedic horror film.
Chase_Witherspoon
The woods are teeming with a mutant strain of ferocious ticks, bred on the cannabis residue from a massive hydroponics operation. Motley crew of kids and their counsellors become the menu when the ticks begin to hatch and hunt the local townsfolk. Geeky agoraphobic (Seth Green, pre "Austin Powers" fame) proves his inner mettle as the group battle to escape from the clutches of the over-sized parasites, and two local crooks intent on protecting their 'agricultural' interests.Competently handled and taut little time-filler with above average visual effects starts off a little slowly, but soon accelerates into over-drive with action and gore galore. Local weed weasel (Clint Howard) utters the immortal line (which is also this film's alternative title) as the rampaging critters course throughout this body, exiting via his face as he contends with a bear trap on his leg, and multiple self inflicted shot gun wounds. His painful-looking, prolonged writhing lasts well over half the length of the film, so his eventual demise must have been welcome relief.There's some sentimentality and character development interspersed, but it by no means inhibits the full-throttle approach by director Randel, demonstrating the value in containing arbitrary plot diversions and focusing on the core action. Picturesque scenery and pulsating music underscore the horror, while the stop-motion visual effects look impressive (if sometimes a little too paced). As you'd expect, each of the characters define themselves with various acts of heroics, in the process, restoring the confidence and self-image issues with which they arrived to take part in the retreat. Overall, it's an entertaining (if somewhat gruesome at times) way in which to spend an hour and twenty minutes, and save for a pedestrian first thirty minutes or so, should have you on the edge of your seat thereafter.
lost-in-limbo
'Ticks' which is aka 'Infested' is an above-par straight to video effort that surprisingly slipped passed a wider release. Even with my optimistic thoughts to open with, I still couldn't help but feel I was brought up a little short.A group of troubled teens led by councilors head to remote woodlands to bond and hopefully escape their problems, but there they find they must survive against blood-sucking ticks that have largely mutated from herbal steroids being used by the local marijuana growers.The well-worn concept (large creepy crawlies run amok, dangerous drug dealers and teens caught in the middle of it all) is strong enough, but the script is predictably lazy (plus there's a lot of dialogues) and I wished it was a little less forgiving. I just wanted it to up the ante and get the skin crawling with some unpleasantly icky encounters (well more than what we got), but for most part it's kept in check (or better put minimal) and the body-count remains low. Hey I'm not blood-thirsty, but there being numerous characters and some had a minor affect on proceedings so their presences could have been made for good use instead of taking an easy way out. Anyhow the FX work and tick creations are outstanding, and there are some effectively gross inclusions. Tony Randel's verve-like direction creates arresting suspense when the ticks enter the frame, like the scenes involving an unlucky Clint Howard and when their victims begin to hallucinate. The jolts work, but the stabs of humour was ridiculously stupid and the final third of the film goes totally berserk. That's when the make-up FX kicks into gear and the music score consolidates a creepy charge. The performances are mainly lackluster (due largely to their characters) with some recognizable faces appearing; Seth Green, Rosalind Allen, Ami Dolenz and an out-of-place Alfonso Riberio playing out of character with laughable results. Another eye-catching name for horror fans would be that of Brian Yunza, who's tagged as executive producer.
AD
