Fangs 2002 Horror Movie Review

I wasn’t expecting much from “Fangs”. I believe this is another Sci-Fi Channel original movie (if it’s not, it sure feels like one). I was hoping for a goofy distraction, something along the lines of “Mega Snake” or “Snakehead Terror”. But, “Fangs” is really lousy. The basic storyline should be familiar to horror fans who’ve seen a fair share of creature features. Mad-scientist breeds deadly new species of animal (bats in this case), something goes wrong and his experiment is set free causing mayhem in small town America, usually just when the small town is getting ready for some seasonal event which will put the general population in jeopardy (apple blossom festival in this case). The hero tries to warn the township of the impending disaster only to be thwarted by those in charge due to monetary reasons (realtor and crooked cop in this case). Hero then resorts to unusual means to stop the menace, call that the “MacGyver” effect.

It’s a pretty standard formula which has been used since “Jaws” first made the premise a gold standard. But “Fangs” fails on almost every level. There is an unusual plot twist in that someone is using the nasty critters to commit planned murders as opposed to random attacks, but any interest in who the mysterious murderer may be is quickly lost. The cast of usually dependable character actors is given almost nothing to do, and all parties seemed to be embarrassed to be taking part in the proceedings. There is no gore, no profanity, no nudity, so this is a kid-friendly horror flick, but it’s just too boring to keep their interest. The one shining part of “Fangs” are the bats themselves. While they are most likely CGI generated effects, they are done well in the 2 or 3 scenes where they are clearly visible. It’s just a shame the effect was used in such a lousy film.