She Creature

She Creatures was an interesting take on mermaid lore. Hope the director & producers come out with a second part. Perhaps they'll even merit a budget appropriate to the task. This is ripe for a sequel, unlike so many other modern horror flicks. The cinematography was very good. The directing was likewise very good. I thought the make-up on the mermaid creature as she first appeared just decent, but the shots later in the film were very good. The close-ups would be ripe for some good computer graphics. Still, they did well with the technology they could afford. My guess is the writer was influenced by Lovecraft, but that is not played up in this film, and in fact is played down to the point of being unrecognizable to viewers unfamiliar with the Lovecraftian genre. I gave it 7 stars, but as I think back on it, I'd be inclined to give it 8 - 8.5 and I'm a harsh critic of modern horror films. With a decent budget this guy could kick some serious butt.

I saw this movie on TV a few months ago, and I liked it. With a small budget, Sebastian Gutierrez managed to deliver a more than satisfying film.

The acting is pretty good! Certainly Rya Kihlstedt is really haunting as the mermaid! But also Carla Gugino, Rufus Sewell and Reno Wilson do well!

The special effects are (for a low budget production) good. The movie is also (to my surprise) quite intelligent and sometimes it's even psychological.

The last scene makes me want to see The Mermaid Chronicles, Part 2!

I liked this movie. That's saying alot since I hate most of the modern horror films. I thought this one was very well done. The Mermaid was believable and the period costumes and settings were very good. It's definitely one of the better new horror films. I'd recommend it.

Scorsese's mantra 'less money, more power' gets the full workout here as top drawer acting, a compelling story and great visuals all get thrown in a blender to create this clever mini masterpiece. Allegedly shot in 18 days, this made for cabler leaves most so-called theatrical horror movies in the dust by tipping its hat to both Hammer and Lewton in creating a genre all its own: the mermaid pshychological horror movie. Carla Gugino (of Spy Kids and Center Of The World) pulls the whole thing together with an Award-worthy performance, playing one of the sexiest, smartest scream queens ever (with a British accent, no less) and Rufus Sewell's rascally take on her accomplice/betrayer is of equal note. Add to that the stunning Rya Kihlstedt as the creature and you're in creepy movie heaven. It's not usual for movies in this genre to be carried by acting and story, but that's exactly what She Creature does. Stan Winston's monster, Alien's oceanic cousin, is equally impressive.

This movie is one of 5 "Creature Features" made by HBO in 2001. The idea was to take a cheesy 1950s movie and remake it with better special effects. Stan Winston, the famous effects master, was one of the producers of this show. Not having seen the original, I don't know how this does as a remake, but it's a lot of fun on its own. A husband-wife team running a fake mermaid show at a carnival in Ireland are approached by a customer who seems crazy. He's very disappointed that the mermaid isn't real. They take him home to discover that he has in a tank in his house a real mermaid. The husband hatches a plot to steal the mermaid and take her to America to earn a fortune. The mermaid is convincing and beautiful, not to mention topless. The camera-work aboard ship is masterful. It evokes the claustrophobic closeness of a sailing ship below decks with close shots, tight framing and proximity of actors. There is also a subtle camera movement throughout these scenes evoking the sense of sea swells. I know this is an old trick, but I've rarely seen it done so well. There were long passages when I forgot it was happening, yet it contributed to the underlying reality of the movie space throughout. There are only a couple of surprises in the movie and both of them are homages to earlier great horror movies. I don't want to ruin it by giving them away, but you'll recognize them when you see them. There's not a lot of gore, by today's standards, but what there is is quite convincing. I don't think you'd want to let a sensitive 12-year-old see this movie. Also the mermaids are not portrayed as kindly creatures as they are in most movies.