I was able to see this film from, a friend, it was a 4-movie set called Animal Apocalypse which included Night Wing [1979], Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America [2007], and Bats: Human Harvest [2007], sequel to Bats [1999], yes, of course I’ll be reviewing the rest of films on this disc. Kaw is a flick that would truly be at home on the Syfy channel, it is not too violent nor is there an ounce of forbidden skin showing, and the reason for the title is to symbolize the screeching sound of ravens. Director Sheldon Wilson (Neverknock [2017]) keeps everything on a straight line without much spoiling otherwards extremely tight budgeting and limited resources, for some filmmakers that’s a challenge to excel or finish the project without much fanfare. Benjamin Sztajnkrycer served as screenwriter who incorporates both mad cow disease while twisting both religious beliefs and basic morals of the Mennonite.

Movies of every genre are often held up to the lofty standards of those that came before them, and sadly killer bird movies are cast against Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, frankly it’s a tall order to overcome. Just a mere glance at these animal attacks involving bird movies shows the competition, Beaks: The Movie [1987], Birdemic: Shock and Terror [2010], The Birds II: Land’s End [1994], Flu Bird Horror [2008], and The Crows [2006]. This film primarily focuses on one type of bird the raven, an animal is intelligent, cunning and synonymous with the horror genre especially that dates back to mythical conjurings and of course to Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem “The Raven” first published in January 1845.

A local small town sheriff has formally resigned his position and is on his last day of serving his post, that man is Wayne (Sean Patrick Flanery (Lasso [2017])) and preparing for a big change when he moves with his wife Cynthia (Kristin Booth), it seems like a typical day in no care, USA. However, at a nearby overly zealous religious Mennonite community, things are falling in dire situations, the local ravens are acting very odd, more aggressive, and less fearful of people, especially as their cattle fall ill with possible mad-cow disease. As a farmer runs over a raven causing a massive attack ensues with close-ups of bloodied beaks and intense fapping, more screeches in an attempt to unnerve viewers. It appears as if this is the key catalyst for the birds to attack everyone, and cause school bus driver/local mechanic Clyde (Stephen McHattie (Pay the Ghost [2015])) to crash, while carrying many students. The locals huddle into a diner, for shelter led by Wayne and aided by Doc (Rod Taylor (The Birds [1963])) who has some insight for this accelerated behavior with the ravens; meanwhile Cynthia is trapped in a well on the Mennonite territory after snooping to investigate and their attitude to her is quite loathsome. Oh, by the way, the diner might help to fatten up the locals, but the large glass windows might serve as an invitation for the ravens to dine in fine style.

Those who’ve had the misfortune of sitting through either the wretched Birdemic and the seriously dreadful sequel Birdemic 2: The Resurrection [2013] can rest assure that this outing is significantly better than those messes, it actually generates some meager entertainment values. It’s the inclusion of talented actors such as McHattie and Taylor that make for film to move at a nicely paced flick to a steady conclusion. A major downside comes from the effects namely the ravens it varies sometimes good and bad, it all adds up to a mash-up of inconsistency, when the ravens form in mass it actually looks fairly impressive but remember the scale of production values.

Although the movie was not intended for television, it did eventually premiere on the cable networks, not shocking, as it feels as if that’s proper venue for it and a few clichés layout in the movie, that lacks a lot of tension. In addition, if you seek more of madcow disease feel free to hunt down Mad Cowgirl [2006], Long Pigs [2007], and The Mad [2007].

TAGLINES:

• Don’t Look Up
• Objects in the mirror may be closer and more terrifying than they appear.
• There’s Nowhere to Hide.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491005/

IMDb Rating: 4.3/10

Baron Rating: 4.0/10