Mikes Film Talk

The 2022 Western/Horror film Night of the Tommyknockers is pure genre blending nonsense. The urge to say rubbish is almost overwhelming. There are, however, some redemptive moments in the film. Sadly, too few to mention.

I adore these types of films. There are other offerings that blow this low budget slapped together project off the map. Bone Tomahawk for example. The wickedly weird and wonderful 2008 film The Burrowers is another. Here, the only “draws” are the presence of Sizemore, Grieco and LaSardo.

LaSardo has been a personal favorite for years. So too Sizemore, but not so much Grieco. They all do a perfunctory job here, with the exception of LaSardo, who literally steals every scene he is in.

The Cast

Richard Grieco is Dirk.

Tom Sizemore is Marshal Steed.

Robert LaSardo is Lucky.

Jessica Morris is Julie Ann Swift.

Angela Cole is Betsy.

Michael Beran is Tobin Horn.

The Story

Greedy miners wake the Tommyknockers. Evil creatures somewhat akin to Leprechauns aren’t happy to have lost their gold. These monsters, looking like hairy mummies with four eyes and fangs, attack the miners and townsfolk. Meanwhile, the Dirk gang rob a bank and head for the town filled with angry Tommyknockers.

Let’s Talk Night of the Tommyknockers

Director Michael Su gives us an entertaining enough romp. Although, there is much missing from this cross genre film. Some of the scenes work well. The campfire sequence with the Dirk gang goes very smoothly. Others? Not so well.

However.

There are jarring moments that take you right out of the film. Subpar acting, or no acting at all, and mistakes with setting up scenes. One wildly irritating occurrence is the lighting outside the saloon windows.

Most of Night of the Tommyknockers is set at night, around the Civil War time period. Yet, as the folks inside the saloon look out at the creatures, the Tommyknockers are lit up by powerful spotlights. Sure this bright light helps us to see the monsters, but, there were no lights that bright at the time.

The CG blood spurts were okay, but look CG. I personally miss the good old days of squibs. The monsters going into a “pose” each time they appear also got old quickly.

The shoot out at the start actually looks pretty good, except for those CGI squibs. Most of the actors did a pretty fair job of making it look like they were shooting real guns. Although no one needed to reload.

Not Quite a “B” Movie

Night of the Tommyknockers lacked the necessaries to be a “B” film. The ones that were the second feature at any drive in. This was more like a “C” film. Similar to “Women in Chains.” WiC was an excruciating film I had to set through on a first date. It was the third feature.

The film is not quite total rubbish. There are, as I’ve said, moments that work wonderfully. Sadly, despite the fact that I kind of liked it, the film is sloppy and rushed. This uneven and rough attempt at a western/horror mix just falls short of the mark.

The Verdict

Night of the Tommyknockers barely earns a 2.5 stars. Despite having a couple of firm favorites in the mix, it clearly misses the mark. If I’d paid to watch this one, I would have asked for my money back. It is streaming on Prime at the moment. Check it out if you have nothing else to do.

The Trailer