Beach Season Has Arrived . . .
We recently returned from a trip to the beautiful and serene white sand beaches of Cape May, New Jersey. We had expected the worst weather-wise (the forecast was NOT promising), but it turned out to be absolutely lovely. We had a great time lounging, laughing, eating, drinking, swimming, and generally kicking back. The same cannot be said, I’m afraid, for the many ill-fated characters from today’s featured movies; let’s just say their experiences on the sand and surf are a major bummer. In short, don’t expect the twisting, frolicking, musical beach party exploits of Frankie & Annette. Nevertheless, go ahead and slather on that sunscreen, throw on your favorite bathing suit, take that forecast with a big ol’ grain of salt, and enjoy this brief rundown of seven beachy genre films.
Blood Beach (1981) Something monstrous (and hungry) is lurking underneath a southern California beach, terrorizing unsuspecting sunbathers. This somewhat original if rather chintzy B-monster movie is not necessarily held in high regard by most casual film fans but it does have a respectable following among cult-centric cinephiles. Temper your expectations when it comes to the suspense sequences and ultimate monster reveal and you could have a pretty good time with this one. It also stars one of our favorite genre film character actors, John Saxon!
Curiously, one of the producers of Blood Beach was Sir Run Run Shaw who, along with his brothers, helmed Hong Kong’s legendary Shaw Brothers studio. The Shaw Brothers are best known for producing many genre-defining martial arts films released in the mid-1960s through 80s (yes, we’ll be getting to many of these Kung Fu gems down the line). One more word about Blood Beach: it features a notably awkward and clunky tag line that should make any editor cringe (I know Yassmeen would have never let this one slip through):
“Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water—you can't get to it. “ Huh?
Creep Show’s “Something to Tide You Over” (1982) is arguably the best of the five frightening and campy vignettes that make up this horror anthology classic from writer Steven King and director George Romero. Take some comic book sensibilities, a dash of aquatic horror, dark and playful humor and mix it all with salt water to get this creepy and super fun segment that takes place primarily on a very secluded beach.
The vignette stars Leslie Nielsen in a deliciously hammy performance as the diabolical Richard Vickers and pits him against the one and only Ted Danson, whose character may literally be in over his head. We can’t wait to cover Creepshow, which is inspired by those mid-century EC horror comics revered by many monster kids. In the meantime, I guess we’ll just simply have to hold our breaths “for a long, LONG time!” If you know, you know.
On The Beach (1959) is an apocalyptic sci-fi film featuring an all-star cast and extremely grave tone and premise. The Northern Hemisphere has been largely wiped out by a nuclear World War III. On the other side of the world—namely the coast of Australia—a group of civilians and a U.S. submarine crew await their inevitable demise as radiation clouds from the fallout drift south. Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins, and Fred Astaire star in this bleak film that works as a cautionary Cold War story with dramatic punch and no shortage of integrity, if little to cheer us up in the end.
I highly recommend checking out a recent episode of the Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever . . . Almost podcast wherein host Ayesha Khan and her guests take a deep dive into On The Beach. Ayesha and her many thoughtful guests are skilled at shedding light on a huge catalog of sci-fi cinema from a variety of interesting angles. To learn more about the podcast and listen to additional episodes visit www.everyscififilm.com.
The Mutilator (1984) – Yes, you read that correctly; not exactly the title you would expect from a story set at the beach! This (not so) fun in the sun slasher revolves around a group of college kids who are invited to spend fall break at their friend’s beachside condo. The place is owned by their friends’ disturbed father who would rather be carving up his guests than hosting them. This slasher is unique in that it reveals its killer almost from the get go. I discovered this bloody little flick courtesy of the Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs; Briggs, as always, layers in lots of cool trivia around this curious low-budget independent production out of North Carolina.
The Mutilator was released in 1984 when the massive slasher wave of the early 1980s had already crested; granted, movies of this subgenre would continue to pop up through the remainder of the decade albeit at slower rate. You know we love a good cheesy tag line here at Concentric Cinema and this one doesn’t disappoint: “By pick, by axe, by sword, bye bye!” Another point to recommend this one is its catchy if discordant theme song “Fall Break,” which was also the film’s alternate title. It channels sort of a poor man’s Jackson Browne— have a listen.
Jaws (1975) This seminal, trend-setting summer blockbuster gave many a beachgoer and would-be swimmer pause back in the 1970s and I imagine still does to this day. This near perfect genre- straddling film, which blends sci-fi, adventure, horror, and old fashioned monster movie goodness, recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary. If you haven’t already, check out our recent Cinematic Semicentennial Series feature on Jaws to learn more about the making of this killer classic.
Point Break (1991) Before Speed, before The Matrix, and before John Wick there was Point Break, Keanu Reeves’ earlier foray into high action cinema. Reeves plays federal agent Johnny Utah, who goes undercover to infiltrate a cohort of adrenaline-seeking surfers whose side hustle involves high-stakes bank robberies. It is only a matter of time before Utah and ringleader/quasi-spiritual surf guru Bodhi, played with relish by Patrick Swayze, clash (melo) dramatically. The Kathryn Bigelow-directed film features some beautiful surf photography and charged action sequences that are very much of their time. We first talked about Bigelow and her direction of the vampire/western Near Dark (1987) back in March as part of our Women’s History Month Series—four films, four killer directors.
I am not sure what was going on in the early 1990s but many filmmakers of the time simply went BIG. The period was chock full of genre films that were laden with over-the-top action, colorful larger-than-life characters (or caricatures), and a near cartoonish sensibility. While it is safe to say that some of these films are silly and lack cultural sensitivity or authenticity, they are also undeniably fun, at least for this genre film fan. Some examples include the aforementioned Point Break (1991), New Jack City (1991), Predator 2 (1990), The King of New York (1990), Raising Cain (1992), Total Recall (1990), The People Under the Stairs (1991), and Army of Darkness (1992). We will unpack most if not all of these films in all their glorious excesses.
Lastly I would be remiss if I did not mention one more film, the sharp-edged slasher The Prowler (1981), which was released right in the middle of the slasher craze of the early 1980s. While the film, if memory serves, does not focus much on the beach, it was shot primarily in Cape May (subbing for the California coast)—so, we naturally feel compelled to mention it. It features a mysterious and vengeful World War II veteran who wears military fatigues, helmet, and face cover. And be warned, he has a bayonet and he is not afraid to use it . . . with extreme prejudice.
Many of the nasty and gnarly gore effects were the work of special effects make up master Tom Savini, whose imprint is all over slasher/horror films of the era. Savini’s make up and monster creations can be seen in Dawn of the Dead (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), Maniac (1980), The Burning (1981), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), and Day of the Dead (1985). Savini also worked on the aforementioned Creepshow (1982), for which he created the ferocious monster affectionately referred to as “Fluffy” for the excellent segment known as “The Crate.”
If you are a fan of the subgenre and have not watched this somewhat underseen slasher, it is worth checking out.
During our vacation I made sure to check out at least one on-location setting from The Prowler, namely the exterior of the the historic, Victorian-style Inn of Cape May. The first photo below is a still from the film and the latter two were taken by yours truly.
I also recognize that we may be in need of a palate cleanser after all the dire cinematic scenarios and bloody mayhem highlighted in this piece. So I wanted to share a few breezy, tranquil beach shots I took on vacation to ensure that this post ends on a brighter, sunnier note. Can you spot what Yassmeen was reading?
