A traveling carnival arrives in the small town of Reliance. Its main and newest attraction is a winged, gargoyle-like creature purported to be the legendary Jersey Devil. Sheriff Atlas (Lou Diamond Phillips) is assured by the carny owner, "Cap" Caprini (A.C. Peterson), that the monster is controlled and harmless. During the very first show, however, the monster escapes and kills the son of Pastor Owen (Vlasta Vrana), a religious fundamentalist who believes the monster is the devil himself. Atlas must now find and kill the Devil before it kills again, while dealing with the deranged pastor, his angry followers, and a greedy carny owner who wants to recapture the monster to sell to a wealthy investor.
Carny is a made-for-TV movie based on a screenplay written by Douglas G. Davis. It is alternatively titled Jersey Devil.
The Jersey Devil (aka the Leeds Devil) is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Reports of sightings have been known since the 18th century, but more frequent sightings in the early 20th century have made the Jersey Devil a popular figure in cryptozoology, along with other cryptids like the Yeti, the Chupacabra, and the Loch Ness monster.
The Pine Barrens are located in southern New Jersey. Its eastern boundary lies along the Atlantic coastline.
The legend of the Jersey Devil, as the sheriff reads from a book, goes like this:
Legendary creature said to be the 13th child of Mrs Leeds who, in 1735 upon hearing she was again pregnant, swore that, if she had another child, "may he be the devil." Upon birth, the child quickly transformed into a hellish creature, killing the midwife before disappearing into the Pine Barren Forests of New Jersey. Its exceptional sense of smell allows it to track and hunt its prey from miles away. It's drawn to blood...human or otherwise.
Samara then reads from another book:
While some refer to it as the Leeds Devil and others as the Jersey Devil, they all agree that it is motivated by intense rage and the more it kills, the greater its desire for blood.
Legendary creature said to be the 13th child of Mrs Leeds who, in 1735 upon hearing she was again pregnant, swore that, if she had another child, "may he be the devil." Upon birth, the child quickly transformed into a hellish creature, killing the midwife before disappearing into the Pine Barren Forests of New Jersey. Its exceptional sense of smell allows it to track and hunt its prey from miles away. It's drawn to blood...human or otherwise.
Samara then reads from another book:
While some refer to it as the Leeds Devil and others as the Jersey Devil, they all agree that it is motivated by intense rage and the more it kills, the greater its desire for blood.
Samara (Simone-Élise Girard) saw three things...ropes, waves, and a broken heart. Cap makes the vision come true when he stabs Quinn (Dominic Cuzzocrea) and ties him to a tree to serve as bait for the Devil. He points out to Quinn that he used ropes to tie him, they're by the water (waves), and he then plunges the knife into Quinn's heart (broken heart). The vision comes true again at the end when a rope can be seen near Atlas' leg, waves of fire surround them, and Samara cries of a broken heart.
Thinking that he's killed the Devil, Pastor Owen orders the townsfolk to burn down the carnival. As the pastor and Luke (Dan Petronijevic) watch the tents and trailers burn, the Devil slowly brings itself to a standing position. Luke notices the movement and runs, but the pastor stands there yelling at the Devil, who easily kills him. Hearing the screams, the sheriff shoots his way out of the jail cell and runs outside to see the carnival grounds on fire. He races around calling Samara's name until he finds her. Suddenly, the Devil leaps on top a nearby truck. Atlas and Samara make a run for it, but an explosion knocks them to the ground. Atlas picks himself up and finds Samara a few feet away. He orders her to run, while he gets into a truck. The Devil flies down in front of him, and Atlas roars forward, pinning the Devil between the car and the Ferris wheel. He keeps gunning the engine until the Ferris wheel tips over, killing the Devil and severely wounding Atlas. Samara rushes over, but it is too late. "You didn't have to do this," she tells Atlas. He replies, "I did what I had to do," and dies. In the final scene, Samara lays her head on his shoulder and cries.
Yes, there are several films in which the Jersey Devil has a prominent role, including The Last Broadcast (1998) (1998), The True Legend of the Jersey Devil (1999) (1999), 13th Child (2002) (2002), and The Jersey Devil (2005) (2005). Yet another movie featuring the Jersey Devil, The Barrens (2012), is slated for release in 2012.
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