She Creature

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.

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.

With the cheesy title and the horrible DVD cover I was expecting some kind of "Species" clone, but this is an underappreciated mini-classic. A throwback to the Weird-Tales school of horror-stories from the 50s and 60s. This is a moody, atmospheric film with a good cast. Rufus Sewell, in particular, gives a great performance here. The mermaid effects are really good (no knees) and the mermaid girl is beautiful as well as creepy. The film has a polished, classic-cinema look that is extraordinary, considering the whole thing was shot in something like 20 days. My only complaint is that the sound on the DVD is EXTREMELY bad, the mix is such that you have to turn it wayyyy up to even hear the dialogue. Other than that minor caveat, this is a little gem of a movie.

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.

This movie evokes some mixed feelings in me... it is carried by the two female actresses in main roles, and that storyline (pretty much the only one anyway) should have been followed to the end. The mermaid is superbly played by Rya Kihlstedt, in difficult circumstances (topless, mostly in water, with no dialogue). She is beautiful, exotic, sexy, vulnerable and deadly - what more could one ask for?

It is a real shame that the end is a cheap ripoff of the "Alien" movies - totally unnecessary and pretty much ruins the movie.

It is amazing that this movie couldn't get financing outside of ridiculous "Creature feature" serial... With proper budget and improved scenario this had the potential to be a hit, probably instant classic of the genre (you can quote me on that).

I am giving this a 6 overall: Rya Kihlstedt - an easy 10 Rufus Sewell & Carla Gugino - around 7 each, Gugino had more screen time but wasn't really that good the script & directing - overall 6, but the end ruins it down to 3