It's always interesting to hear a production team talk about the artistic merits of their film. Especially when it's a low budget DV horror title. In a genre not particularly known for solid story telling, hearing that emphasis is being placed on character and plot is always refreshing - and not a little suspicious. "Creature Unknown" is being trumpeted as a variation on "The Big Chill" only this time the characters are a bit younger, a bit sexier and, oh yeah, they're being hunted down by a humanoid reptilian creature. Aside from those minor changes you should expect, not unlike the Lawrence Kasdan classic, top notch writing, expert direction and a cast of up and coming thespians who elevate the golden material even higher. The PR-heavy extras on the DVD and a Fangoria feature on the making of the film promise nothing less.

Effects specialist Michael Burnett (making his directorial debut) has an impressive genre resume including work in "Evil Dead 2," "Lost Highway" and countless TV productions. Through various sound bites and print interviews, he exhibits a boundless enthusiasm for this project. Writers Eric Mittleman and Scott Zakarin are also extremely excited and pleased to bring this character-driven thriller to a television screen near you. As is the above-the-title "star" Chase Masterson, who can't say enough good things about this exciting new entertainment. The quality assurance on "Creature" is so high that it was produced by eight people (claiming nine production credits among them), and four of those people are the previously mentioned Burnett, Mittleman, Zakarin and Masterson. With all of these artists so incestuously linked throughout the production, and everyone on the same page with the character development and integrity mantra, one might fear that "Creature" would be far too literate and complex for its own good. Fear not.

The greatness begins with a pre-credit sequence involving a couple of simple female campers. The crackerjack story-telling technique of Mittleman and Zakarin is apparent from the beginning with these broadly drawn broads shaded in crayon. One women is dubbed "princess" and struggles as she attempts to put up a tent. "I thought we were going to Vegas," she says devoid of irony and anything resembling actual conversation. The other camper "nature girl" whittles on a stick while sitting on a tree stump. Neither one appears to like the other. It also seems unlikely that Princess would be remotely interested in a camping expedition "in the middle of nowhere." One of them spies a secluded cabin in her binoculars and they go to investigate. As they walk up the steps to the cabin (which appears more like an expensive lake house), Princess interjects randomly, "Didn't some guy get killed out here on his prom night a few years ago?" Any pretense that this film is anything more than standard is quickly abandoned at this point. Of course Nature Girl quickly dismisses the story as "urban legend." After finding the door locked, Princess naturally decides to break the glass with a rock. Who bothers to knock in the middle of nowhere anyway? Fortunately, before a crime can be committed, someone possessing "Wolfen-vision" growls and chases them away. Some unknown creature... a "creature unknown" hunts them down and kills them off screen. Cut to snappy credits... a montage of Masterson in a lab, fondling and administering hypos to creepy lizards. It almost gives the illusion that something interesting might happen. What are the odds? (For a better movie with a great mondo science credit sequence rent "Re-Animator.")

A disparate group of pretty twenty-somethings are soon introduced. It seems Steve (a bored Chris Hoffman) has contacted some old friends via e-mail for a camping getaway. He's bringing them together to honor a mutual friend who died four years ago. It turns out that Steve's twin brother Wes died while the group was partying out in the woods after - you guessed it - prom night. What these particular people, all categorically different, were doing together after a prom is a mystery. Why would a "bad girl," a "virginal girl," a "horny jock" a bespectacled nerd, an African American couple and two antagonistic male twins(!) be spending any evening together - let alone the important after-prom party? Though this kind of lazy set-up is certainly nothing new to the genre, we were kinda promised something more... So, Steve gets in his van and picks up all these "friends" who haven't spoken in four years. Ironically not, none of them seem to like each other much (a recurring theme in this film), which makes for plenty of arguing. Evidently arguing = drama in a Mittleman and Zakarin opus. More math: 8 clueless potential victims - 1 dead twin + a buxom beauty (from a reality dating show no less) = 8 unpleasant "little chills." (For a better movie revolving around the death of a twin rent "Prom Night." Yes, "Prom Night" is better than this.)

Above-the-title actress Masterson plays Kat, some kind of rogue biologist who lives in an underground bomb shelter/laboratory. She's involved in nefarious experiments involving that old horror standby: genetic engineering. And lizards. It seems she's after the "Creature Unknown" and has been for quite some time. She also may have created this creature... who might be her son... who evidently lived with her in the shelter/laboratory. Just like in "The Big Chill." Her story is rather superfluous, but does eventually tie in to the nonsensical back story. You know, the one so cleverly introduced at the beginning... the one about the kids and the prom and the death... (For a better movie about prom and death rent "Carrie.")

Okay so, kids in a cabin + man-in-suit monster (genetically altered) + b-level actress from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine = "Friday the 13th Part 5" x "The Bog." Now, for those not in the know, "Friday 5" was the first installment in the series that featured characters who were excrutiatingly annoying. Very different from the generally annoying characters found within the series; "Part 5" was a new low. "The Bog" was a cheap little regional film from the late '70's that featured a man-in-suit creature terrorizing a small town. It's terrible. And much more fun than "Creature." A combination of the two is not something you'd normally find pleasurable, let alone dub the horror DV answer to "The Big Chill." (For a great horror film that really is character driven and scary rent the overlooked "Stir of Echoes.")

All PR lip service aside, this title couldn't be any less literate or derivative. It looks like a lower-budgeted Sci-Fi Channel movie with brief T&A, a smattering of "language" and a couple of good gore effects. In fact, with a minimum of editing this would play nicely right alongside "Python 3: The Reckoning." One of the few good aspects of this production is its man-in-suit monster (courtesy of MBP Inc.). Because of budget restrictions, the ubiquitous CG creature was bypassed in favor of an in-the-flesh gill-man. Part "Creature from the Black Lagoon," part "Syngenor," the "Creature Unknown" is a pretty well conceived monster. It's a shame that director Burnett and cinematographer Peter Nay capture it in the most pedestrian ways possible. Some of the effects work is well done; there's a great beheading and some nasty bites. Overall though for a feature directed by an effects artist, most of the appliances are rather sloppy and not showcased effectively. (For a better movie with amazing appliance work rent "Maniac.")

The quality of this Razor Digital release is truly superior. The Dolby Digital sound mix is exceptionally sharp and certainly enhances the production value. The image is also pristine and many of the establishing outdoor shots have a lush cinematic quality. Though the box information says the release is full frame, the image is actually letterboxed and doesn't appear to be missing much information. The extras on this DVD are plentiful for this kind of release but amount to very little. As mentioned previously, the "Behind the Scenes" segment is a slight PR piece with "sound bites" from cast and crew. "Bloopers and Outtakes" is actually interesting, but far too short. It reveals a group of talented young actors giving their all for a production doomed to mediocrity. "Inside the Special Effects" shows just how hard the MBP Inc. team worked to put the creature costume together. Maybe they could fashion a sequel with a talented writer/director (and merely one producer) whose only aspiration is to make a scary movie; one worthy of their scary monster. Also included are 4 comedy trailers featuring the likes of "The Hungry Bachelor's Club" and "Super Guy." Conspicuously absent is a trailer for the film itself.

For a better kids-in-the-woods-being-killed-by-monster/madman movie why not try: "Just Before Dawn," "Pumpkin Head," "Invasion of the Saucer Men," "Friday the 13th Part 2," "Wrong Turn" "The Final Terror" "Shriek of the Mutilated" or "There's Nothing Out There."