‘Child Eater’ Has a Big Heart… and Desire for Eyeballs (Review)

Directed by: Erlingur Thoroddsen

Cast: Cait Bliss, Colin Critchley, Jason Martin

Child Eater hasn’t earned a wealth of recognition, but it is a fair little indie flick that makes a valiant effort in introducing a new iconic killer. And The Child Eater (who favors eyes) could conceivably be a new hit. But if that’s to happen, the story has to grow exponentially while maintaining a relatability to the characters. That’s tricky territory.

I won’t spill too many of the details, but it’s a straight forward film with few twists and turns, don’t be shocked if you accurately predict how the picture plays out. See, there’s something in the woods. It’s said to be monstrous in a sense, evil through and through, and always craving the human eye ball. Oh, and yeah, kids can get it to. In fact, as the picture’s title would suggest, children are this beast’s first choice, though he shows no true discrimination.

In the end man must find a way to walk into the woods that the Child Eater calls home, and find a way to end his reign of predatory terror. But can that even be done?

The titular villain looks good. The fact that the design team left him mask-free, which really worked, but the goggles took the villains look to entirely new animalistic Riddick heights. He looks mean as shit, to be frank, and he’s probably the very last face a child would want to see. But see it they do, as this nasty bastard isn’t going away without a gruesome, bloody war.

The acting was quite solid for a crew of essential neophytes, and that instantly adds a confidence in the film that allows us to relax and dispel the idea that we’re in store for more micro-junk. No, this movie looks good with clean cinematography. The lighting is a little low, and I might normally call that a mistake, but somehow it works pretty well here.

The only problem with the film is that the story is too large in scope, and that – from time to time – leads to moments that feel like lazy filmmaking. I understand budget limitations, and I understand anything can and does go wrong on set, and sometimes you’ve got to fly by the seat of your pants and hope for the best. I think writer/director, Erlingur Thoroddsen and the cast and crew did a lot of that flying. At least they did it in relatively graceful fashion.

Here’s hoping we one day see a sequel. There’s a huge mythology left to be explored and a good half dozen pertinent questions looming over our heads. Don’t leave us hanging too long!

Rating: 3.5/5