The Invisible Raptor Trailer Promises Dino Mayhem and Over-Delivers
Photos via Well Go USA
You would be forgiven for seeing the film title The Invisible Raptor and concluding immediately, with well-earned cynicism, that this is a zero-budget horror flick in the guise of a B-movie throwback, taking advantage of the “invisibility” angle in order to simply save on the FX budget by reducing the need to depict an actual dinosaur in the majority of its scenes. And was that a factor in getting this newly unveiled film made? Yeah, probably, if we’re being honest. But looking at the newly debuted trailer for this flick, what comes to mind is not necessarily the endless trough of detestable Amityville horror movies produced by hucksters looking to make a quick buck, or even the obvious comparison point of something like The VelociPastor. Against all odds, this looks more or less like an actual horror comedy–you know, one with actors, effects, jokes, punchlines, etc. Consider us pleasantly surprised.
The Invisible Raptor is directed by Mike Hermosa, from a script by Mike Capes and Johnny Wickham, and stars Capes, David Shackelford, Caitlin McHugh Stamos, Sandy Martin and Bobby Gilchrist. Then, for a little “I recognize that guy” action, you’ve got beloved character actor Richard Riehle, and Samwise the Brave himself, Sean Astin. All will be menaced by invisible dinosaurs. As the official synopsis puts it:
After a top-secret experiment goes wrong, a hyper-intelligent invisible raptor escapes the lab and begins wreaking havoc in the surrounding neighborhood. When the creature’s identity is uncovered, it soon becomes clear that a disgraced paleontologist—alongside his ex-girlfriend, an unhinged amusement park security guard, and a local celebrity chicken farmer—is the town’s only hope for surviving the raptor’s ravenous rampage.
If there’s one character descriptor that sells a movie, I think we can all agree it’s “disgraced paleontologist.” Of course, most of us are curious enough to click play on the below trailer for the invisible dinosaur itself, and what we see is actually kind of impressive and charming? There’s clearly no shortage of blood effects here, which is appreciated, and it looks like they’ve actually had quite a fun time working with the practical FX involved in having the nonexistent dinosaur interact with the physical world. The jokes aren’t bad, either, possessing the necessary level of self awareness for a concept that refuses to be ashamed of itself and instead seemingly commits to making the most entertaining version possible of the silly premise. We’ll be able to see the creature in motion when The Invisible Raptor hits limited theatrical distribution and VOD on Dec. 6, 2024. Meanwhile, check out the trailer below.