A made-in-New Zealand, but set in Oregon, feature with creatures, The Tank stakes its claim as a homage to Roger Corman’s low-budget oeuvre.

There’s the strange house inherited by Ben (Matthew Whelan) from his deceased mother, set on a beautiful shoreline in Hobbit’s Bay, Oregon.

Ben also discovers his father and sister drowned off that coast rather than in a car accident. Of course, he decides to take his wife Jules (Luciane Buchanan) and daughter Reia (Zara Nasbaum) to the creepy, dilapidated wreck to decide whether to sell or keep the joint.

When Ben discovers the water tank on the property, and delves in for a closer look, we know that no good will come of it. And when the body of a real estate agent is found in the forest torn to pieces, the nightmare scenario begins to hot up, but never really gets above tepid until the monster, laying in wait in the tank, springs to life and start chewing everything in sight.

The creature, from the famed Weta Studios, and brought to life by actress Regina Hegemann, is the best thing about The Tank, but once it’s out of its hellhole the horror tropes sprout into life. We know that the peripheral characters will get it in the neck, while the family (including their dog) will manage a hasty getaway.

The cast do an admirable job under the circumstances. Matthew Whelan, fresh off his role in American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story, and Luciane Buchanan (The New Legends of Monkey) have a believable chemistry, but the star of the show is the creature.

Director Scott Walker (The Frozen Ground, Ordan’s Forest), is a director who can certainly create suspense, but a soggy script gives away too many clues for what is ultimately another jack-out-of-the-box genre piece.

★★

Streaming from June 28
Apple, Amazon, Google/YouTube, Microsoft, Foxtel, Fetch & Telstra