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Blood Tide
To Kyma Tou Aimatos / Demon Island / Demon's Island
UK / Greece 1982
produced by Donald Langdon, Nico Mastorakis, John D. Schofield (executive), Brian Trenchard-Smith (co) for Connaught International, Athon
directed by Richard Jefferies
starring James Earl Jones, José Ferrer, Lila Kedrova, Mary Louise Weller, Martin Kove, Lydia Cornell, Deborah Shelton, Sofia Seirli, Despina Tomazani, Rania Photiou, Spyros Papafrantzis, Irini Tripkou, Annabel Schofield
written by Richard Jefferies, Nico Mastorakis, music by Jerry Mosely, monster created by Vince Jeffords
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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On the search for his sister Madeline (Deborah Shelton), Neil (Martin
Kove) and his wife Sherry (Mary Louise Weller) arrive on a small Greek
island, where they're met with open hostility by the mayor (José Ferrer),
who insists he has never seen Madeline and urges them to leave early the
very next day ... but then somehow they cross paths with her anyhow and
find out that she, an archeologist restoring the separate layers of a
painting at the local monastery, has joined forces with treasure hunter
Frye (James Earl Jones), who spends his nights (so the locals can't see
him) searching the underwater caves for a secret treasure - and it seems
these days he has struck gold (literally), as he has found a walled up
cave he's sure must hold something. However, when he blasts open the cave
entrance, he fails to see something escape. Soon, a girl has gone
missing, and the distrusting locals suspect Neil and Sherry, on the sole
ground that they are foreigners. Then several locals see Frye's girlfriend
(Lydia Cornell) being torn underwater by what might be a shark, and later
her mutilated body is found. Frye, Neil and Sherry soon come to the
conclusion there must be something the locals aren't telling them, while
at the monastery, Madeline detects another layer under the painting she
restores, one that speaks of a sea monster kept at bay by a virgin
sacrifice. Soon enough, it becomes clear that the "shark" was
actually a sea monster, and that it needs a virgin who sacrifices herself
to be appeased. Thing is, apparently that virgin is to be Madeline ... Quite
obviously taking cues from H.P. Lovecraft, Bloodtide is a enjoyably
creepy slowburn monster movie that sure doesn't shy away from gruesomeness
but takes more care in creating its mystery - which is of course greatly
helped by the wonderful locations of the movie which are made perfect use
of, great camerawork, as well as a colourful supporting cast that further
attributes to the film's eeriness. And while the monster looks quite cool,
it's cleverly hidden in the shadows most of the time, not to distract too
much from the atmosphere. In all, a pretty cool spooker for sure!
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