There are many things that can kill you in Australia. In one remote part of the outback, there is a wild boar on the loose. This isn’t your average wild boar and it is out for blood. One family unwittingly wandered into the beast’s territory. They are in for the fight of their lives.

I remember first hearing about Boar a few years ago, but then it drifted off my radar. Now, it is being released as a Shudder exclusive. The film is written and directed by Chris Sun of Charlie’s Farm fame, which makes the reference to Charlie’s Farm in this film even more hilarious. I’m generally a fan of the killer animal subgenre of horror. Fans of other killer animal flicks such as Razorback and Lake Placid will definitely enjoy Boar. The plot is appropriately simple and doesn’t bog itself down by creating an elaborate backstory for why the boar is so huge. Instead, the focus is on the ensuing carnage caused by the boar and the people it terrorizes.

While the focus of Boar is clearly the savage kills, it does a surprisingly good job of including character development. There are two families who get the most screen time. They are introduced in fairly organic ways and the audience is given time to get to know them. This is an important aspect of horror films because if the audience doesn’t care if the characters live or die, then the tension and suspense will be lost. Yet the filmmakers wisely placate the boar’s (and the audience’s) thirst for blood by throwing in a few kills of random characters along the way.

Almost all of the main characters are likable, with one exception, but the performances are just okay. Audiences don’t necessarily expect Oscar-worthy performances from killer animal horror films, so there isn’t anything wrong with that. My personal favorite performance is Melissa Tkautz (Game Room, Houses) as Sasha. She is the independent and strong-willed bar owner in the small town. Tkautz makes Sasha an enjoyable character by making her both sassy and charming. Probably the most well-known actor in Boar is Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2) as Bruce. Bruce is the lone American of the group and he’s basically a kindhearted dork. This is a nice departure for Moseley as most horror fans know him as a villain. Nathan Jones (Charlie’s Farm, Mad Max: Fury Road) plays Bruce’s brother-in-law, Bernie. Jones is a beast of a man, which makes it hilarious to see how the men fear him yet he is so sweet to all the ladies. The dynamics between each of the main characters draws the audience in so we want them to outlive the boar.

The effects team behind Boar uses a combination of practical and CGI effects. For most of the shots of the massive beast the effects are entirely practical. These effects are honestly a bit on the hokey side, but even that seems to be par for the course when it comes to killer animal movies. The practical effects for the boar are still impressive just because of the sheer size it had to be built in. For the scenes where there is more wide shot action, such as when the boar runs around, the team went with CGI. The CGI isn’t quite as good as the practical effects, but it doesn’t detract from the overall appeal of the creature design.

Boar delivers on laughs, excitement, and one killer animal. The plot is simple, but gives the audience enough to keep them engaged. This is helped by having a group of likable characters. Much of the acting and the effects are average, but the film makes up for it by being fun to watch. If the allure of watching a killer boar on the loose isn’t enough to get people to watch this film, then the star-power behind Bill Moseley’s name definitely will.

OVERALL RATING: 6/10