Skip to content

Scream of the Banshee (2011) Review

If you’re a fan of low-budget horror movies, then you’ll want to check out Scream of the Banshee. This film tells the story of a banshee who terrorizes a group of college students.

The acting in this movie is pretty bad, but that’s to be expected in a low-budget horror movie. The banshee itself is pretty creepy, and the movie has some good jump scares.

OK another After Dark movie, this one being co-funded with Syfy. Scream of the Banshee really isn’t gonna light up yer universe but it’s far from the worst film i’ve ever seen.

The general acting quality presented here is not too bad for a TV movie. They’ve got Lauren Holly playing the main protagonist and all round ‘good person’ Professor Isla Whelan. Whilst her character is fairly one dimensional, she does a decent job at playing with her part, even if it never really gives her a chance to shine. Lance Henriksen is in this flick as the aloof professor and he’s OK. Actually he probably puts in the best performance of the whole movie, though sadly he’s not in it very much. The rest of the cast are decent enough i guess, though none of the characters are particularly memorable.

The special effects standard is on the low side as well, about equal to most other Syfy level movies that we see ie: TV movies. The gore in this flick is a bit tame also, nor is it that scary. It’s really not that exiting at all to be honest.

The storyline is confused and at times your not really sure what’s going on with this ‘creature’. It seems a bit diffuse and difficult to pin exactly what this creature wants, apart from making people feel scared. A lot of these issues are resolved somewhat at the end but by then it’s too late, you’ll likely have lost interest.

With so many negative issues i’m finding it hard to recommend this one. I imagine it’ll be on Syfy and if it’s not already it will be soon. That’s about the best place to catch it as i really don’t think this movie justifies a blind buy or even a rental at that.

Overall, Scream of the Banshee is a fun, campy horror movie that’s worth checking out if you’re a fan of the genre.

Synopsis

Scream of the Banshee is a 2011 American horror film directed by Steven C. Miller and starring Lauren Cohan. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 15, 2011.

The film follows a group of friends who, while investigating the death of a professor, release a banshee from her prison. The banshee then goes on a rampage, killing anyone who gets in her way.

The group of friends consists of Sean (played by Sean Faris), his girlfriend Lauren (played by Lauren Cohan), their friend Mike (played by Richard Harmon), and Lauren’s sister Molly (played by Christina Cole).

Sean and Lauren are college students who are dating. Mike is Sean’s best friend, and Molly is Lauren’s sister. The four of them are visiting Sean’s hometown for a weekend.

While they are there, they visit the home of a professor who Sean used to know. The professor is dead, and the group decides to investigate what happened.

They find a hidden room in the professor’s house, and inside of it, they release a banshee from her prison. The banshee then goes on a rampage, killing anyone who gets in her way.

Sean, Lauren, Mike, and Molly are all killed by the banshee. The film ends with the banshee still on the loose, and the town being terrorized by her.

Movie Details

Director: Steven C. Miller
Writers: Anthony C. Ferrante, Jacob Hair
Actors: Lucy Hale, Monica Acosta, Marcelle Baer, Todd Haberkorn
Release Year: 2011