I remember my mom renting this movie shortly after it came out, but she didn't watch it all the way through. I think I saw it a few years later on cable and remembered enjoying it, and so I thought I'd look it up when it came time to decide what movies to watch for 1981 Week. Was it as good as I remembered it being? Well, we'll find out!
The movie's about a creature in the sand at the beach that sucks people under and eats them. The only telltale sign of its presence is of a bit of sand falling into a cone shape nearby, sort of like an ant lion's nest would be. The police, initially thinking they have a normal missing person's case on their hands with the first disappearance, soon discover something weird's going on when a girl buried in the sand complains about something biting her and her friends bring her up to find her legs all bloody and cut up. The police, along with the harbor patrol, start searching the beach for the creature, as the crowds stay away in droves.
Sorry for the disjointedness of the summary up there, I just don't like to give away too much plot, so I just wanted to touch up on the important stuff. So, now my thoughts. The movie was fun, though the DVD was somewhat marred by low volume on voices, plus a lot of muffling. There were a couple technical issues in it, too, but nothing that really detracted from the film itself. (Hey, I sometimes like seeing a boom mike hovering into frame!) The film did well for its budget, and the reveal of the creature near the end was interesting.
David Huffman played Harry Caulder, the head of the local Harbor Patrol. He was in Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby and St. Helens, a dramatization of the eruption of the titular volcano. He was tragically murdered when he tried to stop a thief in Balboa Park. Marianna Hill played Catherine Hutton, daughter of the first victim and Harry's ex-girlfriend. She was also in Schizoid, Messiah of Evil and The Godfather: Part II. Burt Young played the (rather abrasive) Sergeant Royko, a Chicago transplant to the LAPD. A character actor, he's been working pretty steady since 1970 in such films as Carnival of Blood, the Rocky series, Amityville II: The Possession, Circle of Fear, and even a part on an episode of Tales from the Crypt. Last, but certainly not least, is John Saxon as Captain Pearson. The IMDb lists him as being in over 200 films, including A Nightmare on Elm Street 1 and 3 (we'll be looking at 1 in a few days), From Dusk Till Dawn, My Mom's a Werewolf and Nightmare Beach.
A fun film, with only a few problems to it. I give this one a 4 out of 5. Tune in tomorrow for a true classic, where a deformed killer stalks teenagers and counselors through the woods of a summer camp. It's... The Burning! (Did you expect me to say something else?) Until then, take care of yourselves, and this is Red Hawk signing out!
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