Synopsis: An archeology professor unearths a dangerous artifact, unwittingly releasing a creature that is able to kill with the power of its bone-splitting scream. Another production from the fine folks at SyFy and also After Dark Films, this one is a bit better than most of the (lovable) schlock that SyFy produces I thought. Sure, the story is pretty much exactly the same... take a monster (in this case a banshee) and have it knock off people while they try to solve the mystery of what's going on and how to kill it. Insert big showdown at the end and presto... a SyFy network movie.
So that all being said, it's usually acting, special effects and script that set these movies apart. The script in this one is good but there are some head-scratchers in the storyline for sure. The cast I thought was pretty good with the best being Lauren Holly and Lance Henriksen. The directing is very competent. The creature and special effects? Well they're sort of hit and miss. Some of it, like a banshee head-in-a-box, look sort of cool. But then again, some of the more gory effects are pretty crapola and funny.
Overall the concept and mythology of the banshee is sort of fun as it kills you only if you scream. The story moves along at nice pace and kept me wanting to see what happened next. But it's still a little too formulaic and full of cliches with a pretty predictable conclusion. Still though, it provides an adequate amount of fun, thrills, chills and suspense to be watchable.
5/10
