Scott LeBrun When a field is plowed in rural Ireland, the title demon is loosed from its imprisonment beneath the earth. Rawhead Rex (played by Heinrich von Schellendorf) proceeds to terrorize and slaughter various unfortunate souls. An American writer named Howard Hallenbeck (David Dukes), who's come to the country to do research, gets caught up in the gory goings-on, and in fact it will be up to him to piece together the story and learn the means of dispatching the fiend.The extreme cheesiness of the monster can't help but diminish whatever horror that director George Pavlou might have otherwise created. As it is, this agreeably goofy creature feature has some great Irish atmosphere going for it, as well as a spooky music score by Colin Towns.Scripted by the legendary author Clive Barker, based on his story, this often plays out like a standard American horror film. One cannot blame Barker for being disappointed, especially as this movie version sidesteps any sort of nuance in favour of clichés. (Such as the classic moment we've seen in countless genre films where the hero describes the monster to the authorities, and wearily intones, "I know how this sounds.")That said, there is some nifty gore to go with the onslaught of cheese, as well as some capable supporting performances by Niall Toibin (as a priest) and Niall O'Brien (as a pig headed inspector). Hugh O'Conor ("Botched") and Cora Venus Lunny play Hallenbecks' likable children. Kelly Piper (the nurse from William Lustigs' "Maniac") plays Hallenbecks' wife. Ronan Wilmot is a scream as the crazed verger Declan O'Brien. And Dukes is a very amiable hero. Some of these people give this schlock better performances than it deserves, especially Dukes after tragedy has befallen him.That's not to say that the movie isn't pretty damn entertaining, because it is. (If only because it's utterly laughable a lot of the time.) Still, there is some potency to the material here and there, and the tale being told has an excellent forward pace, allowing the movie to clock in at a reasonable hour and a half long running time.The highlight? A "golden shower" scene with the monster.Seven out of 10.

Rokurota Makabe When a movie is titled Rawhead Rex, you already get a few indications as of what to expect: low production values, a silly premise and most likely some really bad acting. Having set my expectations accordingly, I have to say that this movie is a fun way of spending a rainy afternoon. The plot of the movie revolves around an ancient demon who is set free from the underground prison where he was trapped, allowing him to go on a killing spree in the Irish countryside. Early in the movie, it is foreshadowed that the only person who might be able to stop him is an American photographer who is in Ireland along with his family, gathering material for a book he is writing. Their story lines are told in parallel until they collide, setting up a violent finale. The monster itself is laughable. It looks cartoonish and is too lumbering to be even remotely scary. This is a direct consequence of the low budget – Predator came only one year later and its title character made for a much more believable monster –, but the silly monster is part of the charm the movie has. One particular scene that stands out is near the beginning of the movie when the monster attacks a middle-aged couple in their home, killing the man and then proceeding to thrash the house. The way it is shot and the awkwardness of the actor in the monster suit almost make this scene MST3K worthy.Turning to the positives now, there are flashes of brilliance in Clive Barker's screenplay, with some one-liners that are particularly witty. The Irish setting is picturesque and the way tension is built in some scenes almost makes up for the obvious flaws the movie has in terms of direction. Acting wise, David Dukes delivers a decent performance as the leading character, but there is also the obligatory overacting from some of his counterparts, Ronan Wilmot as the possessed priest being the first that comes to mind.Rawhead Rex is a well-paced movie that delivers on its silly premise. It provides solid entertainment for B movie fans, but all those expecting anything else might end up being disappointed.

dannyreillyboy This film is just classic. They tried so hard to make it 'professional' that it looks terrible. Its so obvious that this film was more about making the most of some sort of tax break or government incentive to lure Hollywood to Ireland (maybe I'm wrong) but this was never intended to be a masterpiece.Actors where terrible, scenes feel forced, film language is unnatural....storyline is all over the place BUT I loved it. Sit back and laugh at how poor this film is and I guarantee you will enjoy it. The scene where Rawhead Rex jumps out from behind the boxes and eats the farmer are hilarious but what follows is just brilliant. The monster breaks into the house and while the pregnant farmers wive is near paralysed by fear (or bad acting), Rawhead just spends the guts of 5 minutes in the kitchen wrecking and thrashing everything in sight (pointlessly).Perfect wind-down movie after a party or night out. A few of your mates and calm drunkenness highly recommended to get the best from this accidental piece of comedy!

karlharvey1972 I've given this a 10 to bump up the average, because 4.2 doesn't reflect the core 'horror' quality that is a strong undercurrent to this movie. I saw Rawhead when I was quite a bit younger but all those who saw it with me said the same thing; that this movie contains a genuine flavor of something you can't quite put your finger on, but other directors / collectors of horror should take note of.Don't dismiss this movie, its stupid on many levels, but like Evil Dead (One) contains that low budget horror magic that only a few directors can capture.Am I wrong?