Shrooms (film)
Encyclopedia
Shrooms is a 2007 horror film
about a group of American students and their Irish guide who are stalked by a serial killer while out in the woods looking for psilocybin mushrooms. The film was written by Pearse Elliott directed by Paddy Breathnach
, and stars Lindsey Haun
, Jack Huston
, and Max Kasch
.
s for later consumption, Tara unintentionally ingests a “deathcap mushroom” and suffers a seizure after which she experiences dream-like trances in which she begins having premonitions of future events.
Around the evening camp fire, with Tara resting in her tent, Jake tells a ghost story of the empty children's home nearby, and of a violent sadistic monk who survived an assault by one of his charges, as revenge for killing his twin brother. Overhearing this causes Tara to have premonitions of the murders of her friends one by one, and ultimately herself.
After a nocturnal row with his girlfriend and the others, aggressive jock Bluto drinks some of the hallucinogenic tea (supposedly for all to share in the morning) and experiences a trip
which culminates in his murder, seemingly at the hands of the rogue monk from the children's home.
The following morning, unconcerned by Bluto's disappearance - the others consume the mushroom tea, only to become separated from one another in the woods whilst under its effects. The three women, arguing and squabbling, get lost until they themselves are split, and Holly and Lisa are violently murdered - in accordance with Tara's continuing visions - after an encounter with local woodsmen Ernie and Bernie.
Jake and Troy locate Tara on the opposite bank of a river, and instruct her to meet them in the abandoned children's home to summon help. Upon investigating the property, Troy is apparently killed by the monk, and Jake makes good his escape by leaping from a high window, breaking his leg as he lands. Tara finds him and the two flee the haunted
scene. Then, whilst resting his leg, he is murdered.
Tara awakes as a Garda
helicopter hovers over the camp, and is dispatched into an ambulance as the sole survivor. As her mobile phone rings, she experiences a rapid flashback and realises that the hallucinogenic deathcap mushroom caused her to murder all of her friends.
Variety
described it as "A shake-'n'-bake slasher movie that shows just how difficult it is to do effective, modestly budgeted horror".
, Ireland
.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
about a group of American students and their Irish guide who are stalked by a serial killer while out in the woods looking for psilocybin mushrooms. The film was written by Pearse Elliott directed by Paddy Breathnach
Paddy Breathnach
Paddy Breathnach is an award-winning Irish film director and producer. He directed Man About Dog, Blow Dry and Shrooms. He was also involved in the production of The Mighty Celt and Ape....
, and stars Lindsey Haun
Lindsey Haun
Lindsey Haun is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her role in the 2000 Disney Channel original movie The Color of Friendship as Mahree Bok, and has starred in the film Broken Bridges, for which she also recorded a portion of the soundtrack.- Personal...
, Jack Huston
Jack Huston
Jack Alexander Huston is an English actor. Huston had a starring role in Neighborhood Watch and filmed Outlander with James Caviezel and Sophia Myles...
, and Max Kasch
Max Kasch
Joseph Maxwell "Max" Kasch is an American film and television actor. He is the brother to fellow actors Cody Kasch and Dylan Kasch. Max appeared in the 2003 film, Holes as Zig-zag...
.
Plot
American student Tara and her college friends visit Ireland to meet with local resident and friend Jake, and go camping in woodlands surrounding a long-disused children's home. Whilst collecting psilocybin mushroomPsilocybin mushroom
Psilocybin mushrooms are fungi that contain the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and psilocin. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most common being shrooms or magic mushrooms....
s for later consumption, Tara unintentionally ingests a “deathcap mushroom” and suffers a seizure after which she experiences dream-like trances in which she begins having premonitions of future events.
Around the evening camp fire, with Tara resting in her tent, Jake tells a ghost story of the empty children's home nearby, and of a violent sadistic monk who survived an assault by one of his charges, as revenge for killing his twin brother. Overhearing this causes Tara to have premonitions of the murders of her friends one by one, and ultimately herself.
After a nocturnal row with his girlfriend and the others, aggressive jock Bluto drinks some of the hallucinogenic tea (supposedly for all to share in the morning) and experiences a trip
Psychedelic experience
The term "psychedelic experience" is vague – characterized by polyvalence or ambiguity due to its nature – however in modern psychopharmacological science as well as philosophical, psychological, neurological, spiritual-religious and most other ideological discourses it is understood as an altered...
which culminates in his murder, seemingly at the hands of the rogue monk from the children's home.
The following morning, unconcerned by Bluto's disappearance - the others consume the mushroom tea, only to become separated from one another in the woods whilst under its effects. The three women, arguing and squabbling, get lost until they themselves are split, and Holly and Lisa are violently murdered - in accordance with Tara's continuing visions - after an encounter with local woodsmen Ernie and Bernie.
Jake and Troy locate Tara on the opposite bank of a river, and instruct her to meet them in the abandoned children's home to summon help. Upon investigating the property, Troy is apparently killed by the monk, and Jake makes good his escape by leaping from a high window, breaking his leg as he lands. Tara finds him and the two flee the haunted
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
scene. Then, whilst resting his leg, he is murdered.
Tara awakes as a Garda
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
helicopter hovers over the camp, and is dispatched into an ambulance as the sole survivor. As her mobile phone rings, she experiences a rapid flashback and realises that the hallucinogenic deathcap mushroom caused her to murder all of her friends.
Cast
- Lindsey HaunLindsey HaunLindsey Haun is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her role in the 2000 Disney Channel original movie The Color of Friendship as Mahree Bok, and has starred in the film Broken Bridges, for which she also recorded a portion of the soundtrack.- Personal...
as Tara - Max KaschMax KaschJoseph Maxwell "Max" Kasch is an American film and television actor. He is the brother to fellow actors Cody Kasch and Dylan Kasch. Max appeared in the 2003 film, Holes as Zig-zag...
as Troy - Jack HustonJack HustonJack Alexander Huston is an English actor. Huston had a starring role in Neighborhood Watch and filmed Outlander with James Caviezel and Sophia Myles...
as Jake - Robert HoffmanRobert Hoffman (actor)Robert James Hoffman III is an American actor, dancer and choreographer.- Personal life :Robert James Hoffman III was born in Gainesville, Florida, the son of Charlotte and Robert Hoffman II, and moved with his family to Madison, Alabama when he was seven. He has one younger brother, Chris, and...
as Bluto - Maya Hazen as Lisa
- Alice GreczynAlice Greczyn-Personal life:Greczyn was born in Walnut Creek, California and lives in Hollywood, California. She was home-schooled and started taking classes at Front Range Community College when she was 15. Informed that she had to be 18 to study nursing, she decided to try modeling and relocated to California...
as Holly - Don WycherleyDon WycherleyDon Wycherley is an Irish actor who is well known for the portrayal of Father Cyril McDuff in the comedy Father Ted. Don is the brother of Gordon Wycherley. Other roles include Raymond in Bachelors Walk and Fr...
as Ernie - Sean McGinleySeán McGinleySeán McGinley is an Irish film and television actor.-Early life:McGinley was born in Pettigo, County Donegal, Ireland where his father was a customs officer, and raised in nearby Ballyshannon...
as Bernie - David McGinley as Dale
Reception
When Shrooms was released, it opened to generally negative reviews. As of 2010 it holds a 24% approval rating on the film rating website Rotten Tomatoes.Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
described it as "A shake-'n'-bake slasher movie that shows just how difficult it is to do effective, modestly budgeted horror".
Production
An Irish and Danish co-production, Shrooms was shot over a period of seven weeks – largely in Rossmore Park in MonaghanMonaghan
Monaghan is the county town of County Monaghan in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 7,811 . The town is located on the main road, the N2 road, from Dublin north to both Derry and Letterkenny.-Toponym:...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.