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Grabbers! Grabbers! What’s a grabber? It’s some kind of octopus-like tentacled creature.
On this St Patrick’s Day episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, we talk Ireland, JP Donleavy, Brendan Behan, Father Ted, pub culture, drinking, and cultural similarities between Canada and Ireland.
We have quite a few listeners in Ireland, and we thought we’d reach out to them and say “hi.” And what better way to do it, than through a fun, crazy, booze-fueled Roger Corman-esque tale?
Grabbers starts out with trawler fishermen who encounter strange tentacled things out on the high seas, later dubbed “Grabbers” by one of the denizens of a nearby island when they’re attacked by the creatures.
Have no fear, there’s a police presence. Barely. Garda O’Shea (Richard Coyle) is a useless drunk who barely keeps things in check in terms of getting folks to uphold the law. His partner, Nolan, is fresh from fighting real crime in Dublin. She’s visiting the island for a brief stint, to get away from big city problems.
Once the Grabbers take a foothold, it’s up to these two to marshal the forces of the island to combat them.
Turns out Grabbers are allergic to booze. Alcohol is toxic to these creatures, so this is used to wonderful comedic effect to rebuff them. The film turns into Assault on Precinct 13, with a publican and his patrons battening down the hatches to battle these beasts, all the while getting “pissed as a newt”. Sh*tfaced. Drunk as a lark. Drunk as a lord. Pissed.
If you’re a fan of monster movies, you’ll find yourself enjoying Grabbers. There are delightful characters, choice references to similar films (Predator and Alien) and compelling performances all around.
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