Grabbers

"For the locals on Erin Island, it's last orders."

Director: Jon Wright Year: 2012 Runtime: 94 min IMDb: ⭐ 6.1
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Synopsis

Something sinister has come to the shores of Erin Island, unbeknownst to the quaint population of this sleepy fishing village resting somewhere off Ireland’s coast. First, some fishermen go missing. Then there is the rash of whale carcasses suddenly washing up on the beach. When the murders start, it’s up to two mismatched cops – an irresponsible alcoholic and his new partner, a by-the-book woman from the mainland – to protect the townsfolk from the giant, bloodsucking, tentacled aliens that prey upon them. Their only weapon, they discover, is booze. If they want to survive the creatures’ onslaught, everyone will have to get very, very drunk!

Ciarán O'Shea (Richard Coyle), an alcoholic Garda is assigned to a new partner, Lisa Nolan (Ruth Bradley), a workaholic. His resentment only grows when Nolan, seeking to impress her superiors, volunteers for temporary duty at a remote Irish island. After discovering mutilated whale corpses, the quiet community slowly comes to realise that they're under attack by bloodsucking tentacled aliens creatures which they dub "Grabbers". Paddy (Lalor Roddy), the town drunk, inexplicably survives an attack. Local marine ecologist, Dr. Smith (Russell Tovey), theorizes that his high blood alcohol content proved toxic to the Grabbers, which survive on blood and water. O'Shea contacts the mainland, but an oncoming storm prevents any escape or help. The group also realizes rising water levels will allow the remaining large male Grabber to invade the island. To prevent panic and chaos, Nolan and O'Shea organize a party at the local pub, intending to keep the island's residents safe but unaware of the danger. Brian Maher (David Pearse), the pub owner, offers free drinks, attracting locals to the party. While people get drunk, O'Shea volunteers to stay sober to coordinate the town's defenses. In a squad car outside, a drunken Nolan reveals to O'Shea that she has come to the island to escape the shadow of her more-favoured sister. She also admits having feelings for O'Shea despite turning down his advances earlier. When the large grabber arrives, a drunken Smith leaves the pub to get a picture, believing his inebriated state will protect him. However, the monster throws him into the air and kills him. Nolan and O'Shea escape to the pub, where they try to protect the townspeople. While trying to reassure people, Nolan drunkenly reveals the danger they are in. The panicked islanders retreat to the second level of the pub, and baby grabbers take over the first floor. Nolan accidentally sets the pub on fire while trying to sneak out, but she and O'Shea manage to draw the attention of the adult grabber. O'Shea and Nolan drive to a construction site, pursued by the creature. They plan to strand the monster on dry land, depriving it of water. Before they can successfully set a trap, the monster attacks O'Shea, injuring him. Nolan uses the heavy construction equipment pinning the creature at the base of a pit. It grabs O'Shea, but he dumps a bottle of Paddy's poitín into its mouth, sickening it and causing it to release him. Nolan ignites nearby explosives with a flare gun, killing the Grabber. As the storm clears up, O'Shea throws away his flask, and the two return to town. Unknown to anyone, more Grabber eggs buried on the beach are about to hatch.

Summary adapted from TMDb and Wikipedia sources.

🎄 Holiday Cheer Breakdown

Content Warnings

⭐ IMDb Parents Guide 🛡️ Common Sense Media

animals are abused
spoiler Not by humans, but the alien does throw sheep (off-screen/not shown) to try to break down a door/wall.
an animal dies
spoiler Many dead whales are shown in the beginning of the film; sheep/farm animals implied to be killed off-screen (mentioned only).
there's a dead animal
spoiler Whales are dead on the beach. It's not exactly tragic nor graphic
there are bugs
spoiler The aliens are bug-like/leech-adjacent
there are snakes
spoiler Tentacles galore, no snakes specifically
someone gets gaslighted
Yes
someone is stalked
Yes
alcohol abuse
spoiler Many people get VERY drunk
there's addiction
Yes
someone is restrained
Yes
there's excessive gore
spoiler The monsters are toothy and slimy, and heads do roll, but actual blood & gore is light. No lingering close-ups or show-offy gross effects.
heads get squashed
spoiler No but there are multiple instances of decapitation.
someone is burned alive
spoiler The alien is
someone is crushed to death
Yes
there's amputation
Yes
someone falls to their death
Yes
Someone becomes unconscious
Yes
someone falls down stairs
spoiler Garda Nolan falls down the stairs a moment after she says "I'll be alright." She is, in fact, alright.
someone breaks a bone
spoiler Both on-screen and off-screen, not graphic
there are jump scares
Yes
someone vomits
spoiler Smith vomits not long after it's revealed that the kegs need to be changed.
There's audio gore
Yes
there is copaganda
Yes
needles/syringes are used
spoiler Brief scene that only occurs once
there is obscene language/gestures
Yes
shaky cam is used
spoiler There are a few shakey cam scenes. Chases and fights.
there are "Man in a dress" jokes
spoiler Not precisely, but there's a comment made along those lines. One person says "Is there some fella in there doing his makeup or something?" in reference to a long line for the bathroom.
an LGBT person dies
spoiler There are no characters explicitly shown to be LGBT but the character played by Russell Tovey (who is gay in real life) does die.
there is sexual content
Yes
someone is sexually objectified
spoiler A local wolf-whistles at Garda Nolan. She starts to write him up, but when she asks for his name it's one she has no idea how to write. She tells him to carry on, and he and his friend laugh as she walks away. Later on, Garda O'Shea unsubtly ogles her ear end as she climbs up a ladder.
a car honks or tires screech
Yes
a person is hit by a car
spoiler The alien is
a car crashes
spoiler As Garda O'Shea shouts "Lisa! Lisa, stop now! stop!" Garda Nolan crashes into a pile of dirt. Both of them are fine, and there's no one else involved in the crash.
there's blood/gore
Yes

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