When one hears “Sundance,” it’s not exactly synonymous with monster movies. That wasn’t the case earlier this year, when Jon Wright debuted his Irish horror comedy Grabbers. Premiering in the midnight section of the festival, the film follows a fishing village that comes under attack by some nasty, face-sucking monsters. But it doesn’t play out like your normal entry in the genre, as bystanders (including Richard Coyle, Russell Tovey and Lalor Roddy) have only one antidote for the creatures – alcohol.

With the villainous beings allergic to high BAC levels, it is the only way to battle them. With this little twist and the Irish actually being behind the production, this looks like it could fall somewhere in between Shaun of the Dead and Attack the Block. While none of the praise coming out of the fest reached the level those films did, I do look forward to checking it out likely on VOD, when IFC Midnight releases the film later this year. Check out the first trailer and international poster below.

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!