The opening monologue describing past folk-lore events clues the viewers that this is going to be a witch-Omen style movie involving a cherry tree and centipedes, the familiar of the devil, and not my cat. The film switches to modern times where Faith (Naomi Battrick) is a 15 year old teased virgin. Her dad (Sam Hazeldine) has leukemia, Brian (Patrick Gibson) is crushing on her and Sissy Young (Anna Walton) is the new field hockey coach who moonlights as a witch in league with the "Lord of the Underworld" as they shy away from the "S" word (Satan). Sissy can cure Faith's dad, but at a price. You got to pay to play.

I liked some of the special effects, particularly the ending scenes of Sissy's head. Perhaps it is time for 24 year old Naomi Battrick to stop playing 15 year old girls. In fact all the teens looked older. This was a witch's coven with burlap masks being a fashion option. I never did figure out who had to wear them and why. If you don't like bugs, the centipedes provide a creep factor. A bit formula, but then what horror isn't nowadays.

A decent "B" horror rental.

Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Anna Walton, Valerie O'Connor + shower girl)

What if you moved The Wicker Man to Ireland?

Cherry Tree

The film is a blatant rip off of both The Wicker Man and another recent British film called Wake Wood, its a tale of selling souls to a larger more sinister force. A bit of witchcraft a bit of devil worship and it's all tied together in a neat little bow.

The story is simplistic and a nice view of Irish life, it's a little predictable and a little uncaring but on the whole it's good stuff.

Cherry Tree seems to get a lot of flack, but it's really not that bad, it's a quirky way to end a day, a different way. It's nothing you've not Sen before, but it's also very much something we've not seen in a while.

Good effort Ireland.

This thing opened at "Fright Fest," huh? Wonder who they thought they would scare?

"Cherry Tree" is about a coven of witches who gain their powers through the blood of living sacrifices. This blood is poured into the roots of the tree and the powers of this coven grows collectively. Sissy, the Grand-Poobah of this coven, desires a sacrifice, albeit the sacrifice of an infant fathered by that cloven-hoofed bad boy, Satan. Sissy must find someone to bear the child, and she meets a girl whose father is dying of cancer. In a quid pro quo moment, the young girl volunteers with the understanding her father will be cured from his cancer. You would think that plot would make for some entertainment, but you would be wrong.

The "Cherry Tree" was just a big old mess from the opening scene until the end. I again was left scratching my old bald head asking way too many questions about such a simple movie. The dialogue was unbelievable, as was the young girl's introduction to the coven. Save the girl who played the innocent, the acting was "adequate."

Rated "R" for nudity, simulated sex, language, and violence. Not recommended.