Plot: What’s it about?
The legend of the chupacabra is well known, but like many legends, isn’t considered real because of lack of evidence. The stories of encounters are enough to convince some of the creature’s existence, but for others, nothing short of a live beast is enough proof. Dr. Pena (Giancarlo Esposito) has traveled to a remote island to try to prove the existence of the creature, but he wants more than data and observation. He wants to capture the beast, as he knows such a capture would let him carve out his place in the science world. After all, the only man to have captured a legendary creature that most thought was just a myth would gain a lot of publicity and have a solid future. When he does manage to capture one, he smuggles the chupacabra onto a cruise vessel, but of course, the creature soon escapes. Will the chupacabra run amok and slaughter the passengers and if so, can anyone survive the horrific assault?
I’ve seen more than a few chupacabra movies in the last few years and to be honest, most of them have been lackluster at best. The chupacabra legend is prime real estate for horror filmmakers, but to this point, only a couple of the movies have been solid and even then, not that great. Chupacabra Terror seemed to have some potential, with a decent looking creature on the artwork and a couple decent cast members, Giancarlo Esposito and John Rhys-Davies. As it turns out, Chupacabra Terror is better than most of the movies about the legend, but still comes off as so bad, its good. The story is passable, but unoriginal and the cast is solid, given the thin material, so at least a decent foundation exists. But the real charm here is how poorly executed the material is, this is high camp that can be quite hilarious at times. So by normal standards, this movie sucks, but if you like bad movies, then you’ll have fun with Chupacabra Terror.
Video: How does it look?
Chupacabra Terror is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is an almost razor sharp image here, with superb form on all counts, very slick and impressive. I saw minimal grain and source wear issues, which allows for the visuals to shine through and that’s just what happens. The colors seem bold and bright, but never too much so and flesh tones are natural at all times as well. I saw no problems in terms of contrast either, detail is strong and the black levels look well balanced also. This might have been a low budget picture, but it looks glossy and excellent in this release.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release sports a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which opens up the audio presence a lot, even in the more conservative scenes. A few sequences do have some dynamic use of the surrounds, but even the less tense ones sound great, very immersive throughout here. The music comes through well also, with a full texture and ends up being very effective. No issues with vocals either, as screams, whispers, and all the tones in between come across in fine form. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, though no other language options have been provided.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The audio commentary here is one of the lamest I have ever heard, a constant narration broken up only by worthless insights. So when the commentators aren’t telling us what is happening on screen move by move, they let us know how great they think the flick is. Could have been humorous by default, but these two simply don’t have the charisma to make it work. This disc also includes a brief featurette, but again, don’t expect much beyond self promotion.
