Shrooms

Shrooms is an Irish independent horror film about a group of friends who take hallucinogenic mushrooms in the woods and one by one begin to be violently murdered. Though it was first saw European release in 2007, it was released in America in early 2008. It was badly received in both cases not only for its visibly-limited production values, but for an unbelievable portrayal of the mushroom trip.

Fast Facts

1. Release date: February 1, 2008
2. Directed by Paddy Breathnach
3. Distributed by: Vertigo Films
4. Starring: Lindsey Haun, Jack Huston, Max Kasch
5. Running time: 86 min.
6. Tagline: "Get ready to get wasted"
7. Shot over seven weeks in Monaghan, Ireland

Familiar Features

The film shares similarities with past, iconic horror films. The forest setting and predominance of a local ghost story recalls the Blair Witch Project, the cast of teen victims being hunted recalls Friday the 13th, and the strange and threatening locals recalls Deliverance. It has been suggested that similarities to such prominent horror movies was due to the movie's use of the unreliable narrator literary trope.

Quotes

"A shake-'n'-bake slasher movie that shows just how difficult it is to do effective, modestly budgeted horror." -Variety Magazine

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