Cryptid is a relatively new term, first used in 1983 by (self-defined, presumably) cryptozoologist J.E. Wall, to describe animals or beings whose existence is disputed or unsubstantiated by science, but embraced by folklore.

Famous examples of such cryptids would include Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and the Chupacabra.

Tapping into this world of mythical beasts is this new film written by Isaiah Saxon, making his directorial debut.

On a Carpathian island in the Black Sea is Yuri (Helena Zengel). She lives on a farm with her father Maxim (Willem Dafoe) who is obsessed with creatures known as Ochi.

Legend has it that they come down from the woods and attack the villagers, So Maxim has formed a small army of children, with Petro (Finn Wolfhard) the oldest, to protect the village from this threat.

But when he tells Yuri to go check the traps, she discovers a baby Ochi trapped in one, and soon learns that they aren’t the monsters that her father makes them out to be.

Saxon’s debut is less about real life cryptids and more in common with cinematic ones, such as E.T and Mogwais from Gremlins.

The US director is certainly an interesting character, having co-created the animation studio Encyclopaedia Pictura as well as the online educational community for kids DIY.org. And in 2008 he created the Trout Gulch community in Aptos, California, where they built their own homes, farmed and produced animation; with the idea to blend nature and technology, which is something also present in his debut.

It’s a film that visually has nods to Guillermo del Toro, with the quirkiness of characters and story of a Wes Anderson film. But unfortunately for Saxon, it’s a marriage of the two that he doesn’t quite pull off.

The creature design certainly works, with brown ape-like creatures with cute blue faces, that hark back to the likes of Gremlins, but the film sorely lacks emotion. The human characters are striking, as you would expect Defoe in anything, but the interaction is just numb. They come across more as caricatures than relatable characters, making the film visually impressive, but being emotionally void at the same time.

Even when he pays ‘homage’ to E.T, where Yuri touches fingers with the young Ochi, there’s just not the same emotional impact there, with this chill felt throughout the entire film.

And the story itself is very generic, and if you’ve seen any of the films mentioned, or ones like them, then you really have seen it all before, only done better.

It’s obvious that Saxon knows his tech, and has the ability to create attractive worlds, but he’s going to have to work on his people skills if he wants to produce films that aren’t as soulless as this.