Blood Tide

For a low-budget, occult thriller, 80's-era B-movie, I really enjoyed it, though I love occult thrillers as guilty pleasures. The direction is unexceptional but decent, the cinematography (easy, because of the gorgeous locales and mostly outdoor shooting) was surprisingly very good and the soundtrack was passable. I loved the casting, with Martin Kove (from The Karate Kid trilogy), James Earl Jones and Jose Ferrer (who always makes a great nasty, what with his cosmopolitan look, like Anthony Quinn, and his condescending, 'I'm better than you, and why do you think you can even exist on the same planet as me?' sneer and attitude), and, of course, the gorgeous women. Though the special effects were low-budget and quaint, they worked on this scale, and how they were executed. There's gratuitous nudity and sex at every conceivable opportunity (and a lot of inconceivable ones!) and even incestuous overtones, so it's terrifically entertaining, if not a cinephilic masterwork.

In short, it's worth a look, especially if you enjoy B-movies and occult thrillers, particularly from the 80's. It's both free online, or I found my copy in my legendary Mill Creek 50-pack, 'Nightmare Worlds'.

**SPOILERS** Drawn to the Greek island of Synanon in the Aegean Sea young and pretty, as well as virgin, Madeline,Deborah Shelton, inadvertently with the help of Frye, James Earl Jones,and his girlfriend Barbara, Lydia Cornell, releases from a hidden underwater cave an ancient monster who goes on a bloody rampage. Killing islanders on the Island as well as those swimming off shore. Were told by the wise old men of the Island, from it's mayor on down, that the only way to stop the monster from it's deadly rounds is to offer up a young girl or woman virgin as a sacrifice to it.

Arriving on Synanon earlier in the movie is Nell,Martin Kove, Madeline's brother and Sherry,Mary Louise Weller, his wife who are going both on their honeymoon and looking for the elusive Madeline who hasn't been seen or heard from for almost four months. Thinking at first that the story of the Sea Monster is a lot of hogwash Nell Shelly and especially Fray become believers when a number of women end up missing,including Barbara, and later are found washed up on shore dead, and in pieces, as a result of the monster's actions.

Fray who was both cool and collective and very sure of himself flipped out when he later saw the monster devourer an Island woman who was trying to save her daughter, who fell into the water, and becomes a hopeless drunk. Seeing her call in life, by uncovering a hidden ancient painting, Madeline prepares to offer herself up to be killed and eaten by the Sea Monster in order to stop the slaughter. The monster went as far as attacking a church killing all the nuns except the Mother Superior Sister Anna, Llia Kedrova, who was badly injured. In the end Frye who released the ancient monster for it's cave destroyed it, as well as himself,by blowing it to shreds with modern explosives.

The acting in "Blood Tide"is far better then the story itself with top-notch actors James Earl Jones as the self-centered adventurer Frye. Jose Ferrer was very good as the Islands mayor Nerevs who knew more about what was going on then you at first would have thought. Besides the very good acting the scenic and breath-taking photography of the Greek Island and the surrounding Aegean Sea kept you awake and observant of what was happening on screen even though the very flimsy and mediocre story didn't.

No, it wasn't 'Jaws'. It was okay, though. You get to see a young, trim James Earl Jones, and he does a decent acting job for the most part. You get to see the bad guy from Karate Kid do a fair to good acting job as well. The rest of the cast includes veteran Jose Ferrer, Lila Kedrova, Lydia Cornell and Mary Weller. Lydia Cornell does a horrible acting job, but is fun to look at. The worst part is, there is no monster. I mean, yea, there IS, but, you never see him, except for about three seconds. What you DO see isn't that bad, just needs a little work. The location for shooting was awesome. Oh yea, there is one full frontal early on in the movie. Don't look for her again, or even another frontal. That's it. That's all you get. All in all, I'd say it's worth watching, if you're into 'B' horror like I am.

Ah, horror garbage at its finest, at least in parts. Young couple goes to Greece on their honeymoon looking for his sister. That's exactly what I wanted to do on my honeymoon. Meet up with JEJ and his hot blond on an island that they are unwelcome on and meet an ancient curse. I should be basking in the cheesiness, but somehow it doesn't deliver. Don't get me wrong there were some truly classic moments including the children sacrificing their friend in a game, the whole 5 SECONDS of the paper mache monster, and the village drunk was good for a laugh. I just found myself dozing in between. Good news though I found out who David Hasselhoff based his acting techniques off of.

I bought this film with another 49 from amazon.com.It came within the famous sci-fi pack so many times here commented among IMDb-USERS.What surprises me more is this paradox,an 3.5(MARK) but 35 comments.

Generally speaking,it is a good adventure in a film with serious problems of photography(the copy that i have!),a monster that we rarely see,peasants of a small Greek island and a stupid blonde.

These characters were mixed-up with a gorgeous couple and a some sort of"archaeologist" who is fan of destroying monuments instead of study them to fulfill this story.Nothing great ,but one can watch it without commitment.