Story: Carlos (Erik Estrada) is a grizzled DEA agent who normally wouldn’t mind when cartel members turn up dead, but a recent rash of corpses has him spooked. While cartels can be violent and brutal, these killings seem to be even more sadistic than usual. The victims have been torn apart and even seem to have been partially eaten, which prompts Carlos to suspect some serious problems await. He and his new partner Tracy (Julia Benson) begin an investigation, but they can barely make any progress before fresh bodies are discovered one after another. Can even a badass like Carlos fend off whatever lurks in the darkness, or will this be another infamous last stand at The Alamo?
Entertainment Value: If you’ve ever wanted to see Erik Estrada “riding” a motorcycle in front of some of the most laughable green screen effects ever, Chupacabra vs. The Alamo delivers on that front. A SyFy original, this movie is cheap and over the top, but that is expected and for most, part of the charm of the channel’s pictures. I was pleased to see Estrada involved and his presence is what drew me in, but the movie also hits the usual SyFy notes as well. The narrative is thin and exists just to allow for the monster elements and one liners for Estrada, which is right in line with the genre, so not much to complain about. The chupacabras look abysmal, but hilarious at times and the odd special effects choices enhance the movie to me, since it is so strange to watch. I was also glad to see a little bloodshed here, as SyFy sometimes skimps on that end of things, but we have some dick trauma, a severed hand, and of course, chupacabra attacks. This is not going to win over SyFy skeptics of course, as it sticks to the formula and plays to its established audience. I wish it was wilder and more over the top, but for a cheesy b movie with Erik Estrada in the lead, this is more than watchable.
As I said before, Erik Estrada is what made me watch this one and he is quite fun here. Estrada is able to play more of an asshole in this than usual, which adds some good times. I think he is hilarious regardless of his role, but here he really dials up the cheese and his dialogue exchanges can be a lot of fun. SyFy almost always casts a known name in their movies, but not all of them put in any kind of effort and as such, the “star” sometimes phones in the performance. But Estrada doesn’t do that at all and while his turn here is ridiculous, it matches the material well. I mean, who doesn’t want to see Erik Estrada fight a chupacabra? The cast also includes Julia Benson, Jorge Vargas, and Nicole Munoz.
Marc Fusion 