Director Paddy Breathnach brings us on a horrific "Trip" into the Irish wood, to experiment with magic mushrooms and terror. Well acted and executed "Shrooms" is an adventurous film with some profound humor and plenty of creepy backwoods moments throughout. However, being that the film revolves around hallucinations, one must constantly ask themselves if what is taking place is actually happening or just in the character's mind? That being said, I think the writing is strong enough to explore these complexities to great effect, although the story tends to appear a bit rushed towards the end. The characters are written to serve their individual purposes, which certainly helps to sell the drama and gives us a reason to care. The woodsmen are frighteningly realistic, and add to the terror factor of the unfolding story. The cinematography is top-notch and the special effects are admirable as we wander into places not normally visited with our sober psyche... About as much fun as you can imagine with low budget horror, "Shrooms" lives up to it's hype.
