Monster Shark
Monster Shark | |
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![]() Italian theatrical release poster by Enzo Sciotti | |
Directed by | Lamberto Bava[1] |
Screenplay by | |
Story by | |
Produced by | Mino Loy Max Pécas |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Giancarlo Ferrando[1] |
Edited by | Roberto Sterbini[2] |
Music by | Fabio Frizzi[2] |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | DLF Distribution Lanciamento Film[2] |
Running time | 95 minutes |
Countries |
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Monster Shark (Italian: Shark - Rosso nell'oceano[1]) is a science fiction-horror film directed by Lamberto Bava. It was also released in various countries as Devil Fish, Monster from the Red Ocean, Devouring Waves and Shark: Red in the Ocean.
Plot
[edit]The film takes place along a stretch of coastline somewhere in Florida, where a local tourist spot has become plagued by a mysterious marine creature. Unbeknownst to them, the monster is the product of a secret military experiment; it is a genetic hybrid mutated from a common octopus and the prehistoric Dunkleosteus. Unfortunately, the creature has broken loose and is now feeding on swimmers and tourists swimming or sailing along the coast. As the monster is only an infant, it will continue to grow if it is left to hunt much longer.
A team of scientists led by a scientist named Peter and his colleague, Dr. Stella Dickens, are trying to find the creature and stop it; meanwhile, a group of military scientists are trying to stop the scientists, as the experiment was classified military business. The creature slowly picks off both groups while they try to track it down. They eventually find it hiding in the Everglades, corner it in shallow waters, and kill it with repeated blasts from flamethrowers.
Cast
[edit]- Michael Sopkiw as Peter
- Valentine Monnier as Dr. Stella Dickens
- Gianni Garko as Sheriff Gordon
- William Berger as Professor Donald West
- Iris Peynado as Sandra Hayes
- Dino Conti as Dr. Bob Hogan
- Cinzia de Ponti as Florinda
- Paul Branco as Dr. Davis Barker
- Dagmar Lassander as Sonja West
Reception
[edit]TV Guide called it "wholly amateurish" and criticized the film's unconvincing monster.[3] Star Michael Sopkiw attributes the film's flaws and negative reviews to the production's limited budget, saying that Lamberto Bava was a great director.[4][unreliable source?]
Mystery Science Theater 3000
[edit]On August 15, 1998, Monster Shark, under its alternative title of Devil Fish, was featured on an episode of the movie-mocking television series Mystery Science Theater 3000, on which it was spoofed for its poor acting and erratic editing.[5][unreliable source?] One scene of this film contains a brief glimpse of a male character's genitals, the show censored by superimposing the MST3K logo, and two key death scenes were removed.[original research?]
See also
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Paul 2005, p. 108.
- ^ a b c d e "Shark - Rosso nell'oceano (1984)" (in Italian). Archivo del Cinemo Italiano. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
- ^ "Monster Shark Review". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ Monstermovietv
- ^ Sampo (April 1, 2010). "Episode guide: 911 – Devil Fish". Satellite News. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
References
[edit]- Paul, Louis (2005). Italian Horror Film Directors. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-8749-3.
External links
[edit]- Monster Shark at IMDb
- Monster Shark at AllMovie
- Monster Shark at the TCM Movie Database
- 1980s horror films
- English-language French films
- English-language Italian films
- 1980s Italian-language films
- Films about cephalopods
- 1980s science fiction horror films
- 1980s multilingual films
- Italian science fiction horror films
- Italian multilingual films
- Films about shark attacks
- Giant monster films
- Natural horror films
- French multilingual films
- French science fiction horror films
- Films directed by Lamberto Bava
- Foreign films set in the United States
- Films scored by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis
- Films scored by Fabio Frizzi
- 1980s Italian films
- 1980s French films