"Don't feed the Animal." I love that tagline.
It's a classic tale of going out into the woods and discovering something that you're completely unprepared to deal with. At the same time it's a little different than the trend with most movies of this type made in the last few years. It doesn't start with an annoying pop song and college kids speeding down the road spewing exposition but rather with a haunting score over black title credits, reminding me of the monster flicks I grew up watching. You're then shown just how bad things can get before being introduced to the main characters. Buckle up from here on out because safety is not guaranteed.
Without spoiling it for you,
Animal takes one or two horror tropes and turns them upside-down in some interesting ways and employs at least one very effective shock moment. The creature effects are also a good blend of practical work with digital touches added here and there to add additional life to the performance. I like a good monster and this is a good bad monster movie.