Richard Grieco is Dirk, leader of the Dirk Gang, and they’ve just robbed the bank in Cedar Creek of $5,000.
They pulled the job by having pretty blonde gang member Betsy (Angela Cole) land a job as bank teller and then provide inside information.
Then, when they made their getaway, they conveniently chose Betsy to take as a hostage, helping ensure they got out of town safely.
Their next target: A bank in Deer Creek, Nevada, one just brimming with Wells Fargo gold dug out of a nearby mine, according to Dirk and Betsy.
But they arrive in Deer Creek to find nary a soul on the street and all the buildings locked up.
Have they stumbled upon a ghost town?
Nope. The streets are empty and the building locked up because sunset in approaching. And that means the Tommyknockers will be on the attack.
The Tommyknockers are large flesh-eating, horse-eating beasts who’ve been angered by humans stealing their gold.
And after nights of fighting off the Tommyknockers, most residents of Deer Creek have gathered in the saloon for one last stand.
Richard Grieco as Dirk, leader of an outlaw gang that winds up battling monsters in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
Angela Cole as Betsy, part-time actress, full-time member of the Dirk Gang in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
Review:
The good news: Angela Cole turns in an excellent performance as Betsy, part-time actress, full-time outlaw. And Robert Lasardo is a campy hoot as an outlaw who’s been shot 20 times, but whose invincibility will be tested by the Tommyknockers.
The film also starts strong with a gritty, violent bank robbery that will have viewers thinking they’ve settled in for a tongue-in-cheek delight of a horror-Western.
Unfortunately, the rest of the film disappoints. Call it a case of too many tangents, too little that’s clever and too much sitting around a saloon talking about it all.
There are also lots and lots of characters. Perhaps they were needed as food for the Tommyknockers. That does not mean they should have been trusted with dialogue. Yikes.
There’s plenty of gore too. But none of it falls into the ‘I must close my eyes category.’ At least not for me.
The biggest indictment: The script doesn’t give us a reason to care who succumbs or who survives the Night of the Tommyknockers.
Jessica Moore as Julia Ann Smith, a lady whose photography skills might come in handy in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
B.J. Mezek as Fred Rudolph, a townsman who takes refuge in the saloon during the Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
Directed by:
Michael Su
Cast:
Richard Grieco … Dirk
Angela Cole … Betsy
Jessica Moore … Julia Ann Swift
B.J. Mezek … Fred Rudolph
Robert LaSardo … Lucky
Wesley Cannon … Clay
Bill Victor Arucan … Maoma
Dane Bingenheimer… Sam
Tom Sizemore … Marshal Steed
Lance Carter — Cedar Creek Marshal Derry
Michael Beran …. Tobin Horn
Denny Nolan … Henry Middleton
Dave Schecter … Earle
Charles Solomon Jr. … Deputy Hall
Kyosuke Mukai … Mr. Wong
Julie Grace … Yat Ming
Runtime: 86 min.
aka: Tommyknockers
Robert LaSardo as Lucky, a Dirk Gang member whose survived 20 bullets wounds in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
Wesley Cannon as Clay, a member of the Dirk Gang with a fondness for whores in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
Memorable lines:
Maoma, arriving in Deer Creek: “I don’t like this town. There’s bad mojo in the air.”
Betsy, walking in the bank in Deer Creek: “No tellers, and the place is unlocked.”
Dirk: “This place is just askin’ to get robbed.”
Dirk, spotting fresh blood at the teller’s window: “Something doesn’t look right.”
Betsy: “I don’t like this. Don’t like it at all.”
Sam, a member of the Dirk Gang: “What’s a Tommyknocker?”
Fred, the town’s blacksmith: “They’re a bunch of blood-thirsty sons of bitches that eat everything that moves.”
Earle, saloon owner: “It started with the miners.
Julie Ann Swift: “Then they ate the livestock, the bank workers, just about everybody in town.”
Henry Middleton, the town drunk: “Welcome to our nightmare.”
Bill Victor Arucan as Maoma and Dane Bingenheimer as Sam, members of the Dirk Gang in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
Michael Beran as Tobin Horn, a bounty hunter on the trail of the Dirk Gang in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
Denny Nolan as town drunk Henry Middleton with saloon owner Earle (Dave Schecter) looking on in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
Tom Sizemore as Deer Creek Marshal Steed, fighting for his town’s survival in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
Lance Carter as Cedar Creek Marshal Derry, trying to stop the Dirk Gang’s getaway in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
B.J. Mezek as Fred Rudolph and Jessica Moore as Julia Ann Smith fight to survive in Night of the Tommyknockers (2022)
){kind=link}