"Blood Hook", Terror of the fresh water fishermen. It's a typical slasher movie of the 80s. A group of kids go somewhere. They meet an assortment of strange characters. One by one the characters get killed off in a bloody way. Bad acting, a poor plot, and ridiculous situations permeate this movie. All the usual stuff for a rip em up movie such as this. This blood and guts spilling movie takes place on a fresh water lake among a group of fishermen during a fishing tournament. That may be unique, I don't recall seeing a fisherman slasher movie before. Someone kills off people with a huge treble hooked lure. That's what makes this movie a little different. Fishermen might get a kick out of this one. This is something to watch with your fishing buddies after a day of fishing. Sometime when your not in the mood for a really serious movie anyway. Another thing different about this movie is that Jim Mallon directed it. This is the same Jim Mallon that directed Mystery Science Theater; a show that pokes fun at badly made movies. "Blood Hook" would be a prime candidate for that show. I saw "Blood Hook" on a DVD I rented called Troma Triple B-Header containing three movies, "Blood Hook", "Blades" and "Zombie Island Massacre". Low budget, low quality, simple stuff. I got what I expected and a few unexpected laughs to go along with it.
40 Reviews
musky Madness!
Bub_the_zombie27 May 2007
Giant Musky Bait = Murder Weapon = Cheesy Fun.
This is the cheesiest of all 80's slasher attempts. It's even cheesier than Slash Dance or Killer Workout.
I put off watching the flick for years. I guess there was a reason for that. When I finally popped the tape into my ancient vcr, I giggled under my breath, but couldn't bring myself to a full laugh.
The synth score is really catchy and adds an uneasiness throughout the film, even tho you know there's absolutely nothing eerie about it.
Only die hard cheese fans will find something enjoyable about someone casting a large musky bait onto someone until they die. Very sappy.
Is it worth a watch? Hell yeah. Grab a beer, kick back, and prepare to see something like you've never before seen.
This is the cheesiest of all 80's slasher attempts. It's even cheesier than Slash Dance or Killer Workout.
I put off watching the flick for years. I guess there was a reason for that. When I finally popped the tape into my ancient vcr, I giggled under my breath, but couldn't bring myself to a full laugh.
The synth score is really catchy and adds an uneasiness throughout the film, even tho you know there's absolutely nothing eerie about it.
Only die hard cheese fans will find something enjoyable about someone casting a large musky bait onto someone until they die. Very sappy.
Is it worth a watch? Hell yeah. Grab a beer, kick back, and prepare to see something like you've never before seen.
Ironically, the producer of MST3000 made a pretty bad movie himself.
Aaron137528 March 2004
It is kind of funny that someone who would later be one of the forces behind a television show that made fun of bad movies would have one on his resume. Not that it is all bad, for a Troma movie it does have its moments. This one is not as goofy as a lot of Troma movies get, in fact it is one of the more straight horror movies I have seen from them. The only thing odd is that people are being killed with a fish hook and reeled in like fish. And no the people are not being killed by a giant fish (though that would have been rather good). This one instead is a basic slasher with the mode of death being the only real unique touch to it. Unlike newer Troma movies this one is a real movie too. They had a movie advertised on my copy of this called "Tales from the Crapper" and it basically looked like a tape of Girls Gone Wild. So this one looks great by comparison. Like a lot of slashers you don't know who the killer is and they try to fool you, but in this case once you know the killer the movie goes on a bit too long after. It runs about 10 minutes more than it should. Though this is not a cinematic classic it is not all bad especially considering it is a Troma picture.
They should do this on MST3K
BandSAboutMovies6 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Originally known as Muskie Madness, Troma insisted the title change to Blood Hook before they'd distribute it.
Probably the most interesting thing about the movie is that its director Jim Mallon and lyricist/key group Kevin Murphy worked on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Murphy is, of course, Tom Servo.
Years ago, Peter's grandfather went missing under mysterious circumstances. Now, he's brought his friends back to the lake house for the Muskie Madness competition. Soon, people are getting killed and Peter is facing off with a killer that has a gigantic fishing hook.
You can get this from - who else - Vinegar Syndrome, who have really cornered the market on upscale releases of movies that I was once laughed at for renting in 1987. This version was never released and has all of the uncut gore that you were probably hankering for.
Probably the most interesting thing about the movie is that its director Jim Mallon and lyricist/key group Kevin Murphy worked on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Murphy is, of course, Tom Servo.
Years ago, Peter's grandfather went missing under mysterious circumstances. Now, he's brought his friends back to the lake house for the Muskie Madness competition. Soon, people are getting killed and Peter is facing off with a killer that has a gigantic fishing hook.
You can get this from - who else - Vinegar Syndrome, who have really cornered the market on upscale releases of movies that I was once laughed at for renting in 1987. This version was never released and has all of the uncut gore that you were probably hankering for.
This is a REEL Stinker Thanks to a Bad CAST
ceejayred23 February 2018
BLOOD HOOK starts off ultra-silly, as people disappear thanks to a killer with a nasty fishing lure. It's quite a ridiculous premise, but then you see that it's a Troma release and it all makes sense. Not the plot, mind you...just the company behind it all.
With a ludicrously over-the-top plot with bad acting, dialogue strewn with fish humor, BLOOD HOOK begins in a boring and clumsy manner, manages to become somewhat watchable before quickly fizzling at the end. The killer has a creative, albeit silly, reason for murdering, so some points given there.
This is not an atmospheric horror. It's a comedy with horror trappings. So proceed with caution.
With a ludicrously over-the-top plot with bad acting, dialogue strewn with fish humor, BLOOD HOOK begins in a boring and clumsy manner, manages to become somewhat watchable before quickly fizzling at the end. The killer has a creative, albeit silly, reason for murdering, so some points given there.
This is not an atmospheric horror. It's a comedy with horror trappings. So proceed with caution.
Blood Hook
Scarecrow-8826 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Cheap no-budget slasher with a rather absurd premise..the ever increasing sound of cicadas who react strongly to rock music(!)cause a local fisherman(..whose metal plate in his skull, a surgical procedure made after getting shot in the head during the Korean war, causes such harsh vibrations that he responds violently)to go berserk casting his line towards unfortunate victims in his general area, the massive float and numerous hooks embedded in the flesh jerking them towards him. He chops the victims up and uses their meat for feeding his minnows! It seems that this grisly process helps him lure in more quality fish! A small group of teenager friends enter this fishing village as a tournament is about to begin. As we witness in the opening, Peter van Cleese(Mark Jacobs)returns to the place where he watched his father fall into the river never to be found, the loud cicadas skrieking due to the music playing on a tape player. Peter has remained troubled due to this incident and is unwelcome by his father's grounds-keeper, Wayne Duerst(Paul Drake), a very bitter and rude old man who holds a hostility for how his lost friend mysteriously vanished. Wayne's rather unbalanced son, Evelyn(..the blubbery Bill Lowrie, with some truly awful dialogue he must endure, trying to express a very disturbed, volatile, and ugly creation of the Vietnam war in an over-the-top and outrageous manner)hangs around the place, causing the city kids some unneeded aggravation. We also follow a family of four, who enter the fishing community on vacation with father and mother Roger & Shiela Swain(Don Cosgrove & Bonnie Lee)falling prey to the homicidal fisherman, Leroy Leudke(Don Winters)..Irving and Ruth-Ann(Greg Nienas and Julie Vortanz)are left worried about their parents whereabouts as the local sheriff(Paul Heckman), burdened with little manpower, must begin an investigation in such a prosperous time for his community. Of importance to the advancing plot, Irving uses a metal detector given to him by a more mentally balanced Leudke, to discover certain truths which will indicate the fisherman of his sinister deeds. In a minor sub-plot, Peter's pal, Finner(Christopher Whiting)and a local gal, Bev D(Sandy Meuwissen)have a blossoming romance that is disrupted rather quickly when it's discovered that her husband is Evelyn! As Peter pursues the one responsible for attacks on his friends, he'll need some help from Wayne in order to do so.
The gore is at a minimum, with most victims, from a large distance, getting hooked by Leudke(..always out of frame)either swimming, on a boat or float, even on ground. It's hard to take these attacks seriously as the victims are strong enough to outlast Leudke who must reel them in like a fish..it's just too ridiculous(..particularly Peter's girlfriend, Ann(Lisa Todd)who is a good distance away when the master fisherman snags her), and illogical to expect any one with such capacity to pull a victim into the water, reel them in despite resistance, bound them, carry them all the way back to his dock, and subdue them. We often see victims struggling with the hooks, attempting to free themselves as Leudke yanks and jerks. Peter's friends are extremely obnoxious, very vulgar and rude, acknowledging that visitors from the city deserve to die and horribly as they enter the uncharted territory of a rural fishing village. This is even painted with the suburban family whose patriarch is a big city hot shot, deeming himself the expert fisherman because he could afford the very best materials needed for the sport, with the perfectly annoying, nagging wife. The locals are a collection of colorful oddballs, as expected when depicted in the backwoods regions of rural America. One effects sequence is terribly executed and laughable, when Leudke nabs a victim, he jabs a rod into his neck, through his lower jaw so that he can pull a hook out his mouth..the cast of the actor's complete face looks exactly that with little authenticity. The cheap budget shows all the way through. The premise is original, but too nonsensical for it's own good..how could even an expert fisherman as Leudke be able to accurately hook victims from such a distance away? Still, it's rare to see a slasher film set in a fishing community using the tools of the trade so at least it has that going for it. Director Jim Mallon is best known for his duties as executive producer for Mystery Science Theater 3000. This film was released by Team Troma, but doesn't carry it's usual trademarks, except for the low budget, weirdo characters, bad acting, and strange plot.
The gore is at a minimum, with most victims, from a large distance, getting hooked by Leudke(..always out of frame)either swimming, on a boat or float, even on ground. It's hard to take these attacks seriously as the victims are strong enough to outlast Leudke who must reel them in like a fish..it's just too ridiculous(..particularly Peter's girlfriend, Ann(Lisa Todd)who is a good distance away when the master fisherman snags her), and illogical to expect any one with such capacity to pull a victim into the water, reel them in despite resistance, bound them, carry them all the way back to his dock, and subdue them. We often see victims struggling with the hooks, attempting to free themselves as Leudke yanks and jerks. Peter's friends are extremely obnoxious, very vulgar and rude, acknowledging that visitors from the city deserve to die and horribly as they enter the uncharted territory of a rural fishing village. This is even painted with the suburban family whose patriarch is a big city hot shot, deeming himself the expert fisherman because he could afford the very best materials needed for the sport, with the perfectly annoying, nagging wife. The locals are a collection of colorful oddballs, as expected when depicted in the backwoods regions of rural America. One effects sequence is terribly executed and laughable, when Leudke nabs a victim, he jabs a rod into his neck, through his lower jaw so that he can pull a hook out his mouth..the cast of the actor's complete face looks exactly that with little authenticity. The cheap budget shows all the way through. The premise is original, but too nonsensical for it's own good..how could even an expert fisherman as Leudke be able to accurately hook victims from such a distance away? Still, it's rare to see a slasher film set in a fishing community using the tools of the trade so at least it has that going for it. Director Jim Mallon is best known for his duties as executive producer for Mystery Science Theater 3000. This film was released by Team Troma, but doesn't carry it's usual trademarks, except for the low budget, weirdo characters, bad acting, and strange plot.
Low budget regional slasher
Leofwine_draca15 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
BLOOD HOOK is a low budget and low effort slasher film shot in Wisconsin, of all places. The original title was MUSKIE MADNESS, but given that I and few other viewers are likely to know what a muskie is, Troma picked up the film and released it with the more generic slasher title BLOOD HOOK.
And this is definitely a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) type of movie. It's about a mystery killer who butchers people with a giant fish hook, pulling them into the water where they subsequently drown. It has a little Friday the 13th vibe going on, although most of the time it's cheesily inept rather than effective; the acting is very poor and the bog standard direction not much better.
It's also a relatively bloodless movie given the title, with a couple of notable exceptions towards the end. The first is a bit involving a hook through someone's mouth which has some excellent effects; the second is a close-up shot of some bloated corpses coming out of the water which is cheap and yet oddly gross and stomach-turning. BLOOD HOOK can hardly be considered a low budget gem - it's of the same quality as something comparable like MEMORIAL VALLEY MASSACRE - but slasher fans might get a kick or two out of it.
And this is definitely a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) type of movie. It's about a mystery killer who butchers people with a giant fish hook, pulling them into the water where they subsequently drown. It has a little Friday the 13th vibe going on, although most of the time it's cheesily inept rather than effective; the acting is very poor and the bog standard direction not much better.
It's also a relatively bloodless movie given the title, with a couple of notable exceptions towards the end. The first is a bit involving a hook through someone's mouth which has some excellent effects; the second is a close-up shot of some bloated corpses coming out of the water which is cheap and yet oddly gross and stomach-turning. BLOOD HOOK can hardly be considered a low budget gem - it's of the same quality as something comparable like MEMORIAL VALLEY MASSACRE - but slasher fans might get a kick or two out of it.
Slasher
smellthecult-com-130 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is poor. I am usually very forgiving of anything brought to us by the illustrious Troma team, though they do tend to be either great or awful. Sadly, this falls into the latter category.
The premise (such as it is!) - Some 'kids' go off into the middle of nowhere for a wild time, and have the misfortune of turning up in a place where people are beginning to be killed. But not just any old way. No kitchen knives, guns or strangulation here. No. They are being killed by a giant fish hook. Yep, you heard me, a giant fish hook. And that's about it really.
General slasher fare, with the twist being that the weapon is usually only applied to scaly poissons. My problem here is the lack of atmosphere, and the general lack of bloodshed. Everything happens off screen, and there's nothing excessive about it at all. That's why I love Troma at times - the excessive gore, nudity and violence that they are so fond of, so when it's all missing, I tend to feel a little disappointed.
One to avoid gore hounds.
The premise (such as it is!) - Some 'kids' go off into the middle of nowhere for a wild time, and have the misfortune of turning up in a place where people are beginning to be killed. But not just any old way. No kitchen knives, guns or strangulation here. No. They are being killed by a giant fish hook. Yep, you heard me, a giant fish hook. And that's about it really.
General slasher fare, with the twist being that the weapon is usually only applied to scaly poissons. My problem here is the lack of atmosphere, and the general lack of bloodshed. Everything happens off screen, and there's nothing excessive about it at all. That's why I love Troma at times - the excessive gore, nudity and violence that they are so fond of, so when it's all missing, I tend to feel a little disappointed.
One to avoid gore hounds.
Surprisingly Watchable
Steve_Nyland6 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Let's start with a caveat: I have never been a big fan of Troma, something that surprises people who know my interest in cult horror. TOXIC AVENGER is a classic and I will always have a soft spot for STREET TRASH if only because I asked Ralph Bakshi if he had any thoughts on it's making during a visiting lecturer symposium, having thoroughly confused it with STREET FIGHT. But Troma is guilty of having made the same mistake that the Austin Powers movies made, which is that the idea of parodying the horror genre is redundant since horror movies are inherently preposterous in the first place.
Likewise, folks always look at me in a dumbfounded manner when I confess that I have never sat through an entire showing of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000", ever. I've never been a big cable TV watcher and if I do decide to tune in for anything it usually involves nudity or sex. Why else would one bother with it? If I want to watch some really bad movie and hear a couple of yokels make wise cracks about it I could just have the guys over for a few beers. It's a great idea for a show, but life is short.
So right off the top we jettison the two main draws to this video (Troma, MST3K) and by golly if it doesn't still work. I remember when Muskie Madness was all the rage in the mid 1980's but do not remember this film. The box art on the old rental tape I nabbed was what sold it to me. The lurid thrills promised by that image are not to be found on the tape, but what IS there is a remarkable bit of satire crossed with a Summer Camp Horror idea about city types going to an Adirondack resort that is hosting a Muskie contest. A serial killer is at work, thinning down the ranks of the contestants & local denizens by means of a giant fishing lure. He stalks the lake in his rowboat picking people off, reeling them in and stringing their bodies together like a rope of fish, keeping them under his dock until he can grind them down into mush that he feeds to his bait shop minnows.
The most evocative image in the film is the human corpses strung through the mouth like a string of lake trout, but the real reason why the film works is that the writers & actors produced a very convincing if somewhat cartoonish community of characters that works in the same way that an episode of The Simpson's works. If we didn't believe in the characters the show would just be a bunch of one-liners, and the same idea is going on here. There are very human traits at work, and the traditional barrage of Troma schlepp is avoided in favor of a sense of personal identification. The movie isn't laughing at the backwoods upstate dorks, but rather having fun with their whole culture of bait shops, contest legends, personal grudges, local dialect and community power structure. One of the rival fishermen delivers a monologue on fishing for Muskie that is actually on the same par with Joe Pesci from JFK, making us understand how someone could kill to be regarded as the best Muskie fisherman in the whole state.
And if it sounds like I am responding too cerebrally to this movie, relax: I also love this movie because of Sandy Meuwissen's "Bev D.", a spunky, short haired mid 80's exercise nut with a body on her that God crafted with his two hands. She is sexy beyond belief, and even uses one of the downstate knuckleheads for empty sex that is sadly staged offscreen. That this is the only movie she made is extremely mysterious: I'd love to see more of her. A lot more, actually, and it's nice to see that someone at Troma had the good sense to back this movie & include her in it, since she is about as close as I'll be coming to a summer crush this year.
7/10, and yes, it really is that good.
Likewise, folks always look at me in a dumbfounded manner when I confess that I have never sat through an entire showing of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000", ever. I've never been a big cable TV watcher and if I do decide to tune in for anything it usually involves nudity or sex. Why else would one bother with it? If I want to watch some really bad movie and hear a couple of yokels make wise cracks about it I could just have the guys over for a few beers. It's a great idea for a show, but life is short.
So right off the top we jettison the two main draws to this video (Troma, MST3K) and by golly if it doesn't still work. I remember when Muskie Madness was all the rage in the mid 1980's but do not remember this film. The box art on the old rental tape I nabbed was what sold it to me. The lurid thrills promised by that image are not to be found on the tape, but what IS there is a remarkable bit of satire crossed with a Summer Camp Horror idea about city types going to an Adirondack resort that is hosting a Muskie contest. A serial killer is at work, thinning down the ranks of the contestants & local denizens by means of a giant fishing lure. He stalks the lake in his rowboat picking people off, reeling them in and stringing their bodies together like a rope of fish, keeping them under his dock until he can grind them down into mush that he feeds to his bait shop minnows.
The most evocative image in the film is the human corpses strung through the mouth like a string of lake trout, but the real reason why the film works is that the writers & actors produced a very convincing if somewhat cartoonish community of characters that works in the same way that an episode of The Simpson's works. If we didn't believe in the characters the show would just be a bunch of one-liners, and the same idea is going on here. There are very human traits at work, and the traditional barrage of Troma schlepp is avoided in favor of a sense of personal identification. The movie isn't laughing at the backwoods upstate dorks, but rather having fun with their whole culture of bait shops, contest legends, personal grudges, local dialect and community power structure. One of the rival fishermen delivers a monologue on fishing for Muskie that is actually on the same par with Joe Pesci from JFK, making us understand how someone could kill to be regarded as the best Muskie fisherman in the whole state.
And if it sounds like I am responding too cerebrally to this movie, relax: I also love this movie because of Sandy Meuwissen's "Bev D.", a spunky, short haired mid 80's exercise nut with a body on her that God crafted with his two hands. She is sexy beyond belief, and even uses one of the downstate knuckleheads for empty sex that is sadly staged offscreen. That this is the only movie she made is extremely mysterious: I'd love to see more of her. A lot more, actually, and it's nice to see that someone at Troma had the good sense to back this movie & include her in it, since she is about as close as I'll be coming to a summer crush this year.
7/10, and yes, it really is that good.
Total sinker.
vonhelvete30 July 2017
This might actually be the worst movie I've ever seen! Nothing in this flick was good, this is a case of bad acting, crappy plot, lousy script and pathetic effects. It must clearly be the worst movie ever under the Troma-brand! Is this really a Troma-film? It got no Troma-feeling at all! I relate Troma-films to crazy movies with raw humor, nudity and good old trashy gore, this movie got zero humor, no nudity (apart from a glimpse of side-boob) and really lousy gore scenes.
I ended up pulverizing the DVD-disc after seeing this piece of garbage, just to be sure to never ever see it again!
I ended up pulverizing the DVD-disc after seeing this piece of garbage, just to be sure to never ever see it again!
muskie madness baby!
Nightman8515 July 2005
The 80's were filled with tons of cheap, underground slashers following the craze of Friday the 13th and it's many "clones". But this fairly unknown low-budget movie may be the better of the "lost" slashers of the decade.
In sleepy Hayward, Wisconsin, folks are holding the annual Muskie Madness fishing tournament where it seems that someone is reeling in more than just fish off the lake. Someone with a big fishing hook is catching people!
Written and directed by Jim Mallon, best known for his work on the classic TV comedy Mystery Science Theater 3000, Blood Hook is a truly amusing little venture into the slasher conventions. You have all the elements - silly teens, rock music, bloody murders, backwoods weirdos - all used to put a tongue-in-cheek spin on the slasher genre.
The joy of this film is its nicely campy feel and it proves to be amusing because it doesn't take itself seriously. After all have you ever seen a killer thriller where the murderer literally fishes for his victims? This true low-budgeter gets by on it's dark humor, and it's a real effective style! Too bad it's an underground flick. At any rate, this quirky memorable little gem is well worth finding.
*** out of ****
In sleepy Hayward, Wisconsin, folks are holding the annual Muskie Madness fishing tournament where it seems that someone is reeling in more than just fish off the lake. Someone with a big fishing hook is catching people!
Written and directed by Jim Mallon, best known for his work on the classic TV comedy Mystery Science Theater 3000, Blood Hook is a truly amusing little venture into the slasher conventions. You have all the elements - silly teens, rock music, bloody murders, backwoods weirdos - all used to put a tongue-in-cheek spin on the slasher genre.
The joy of this film is its nicely campy feel and it proves to be amusing because it doesn't take itself seriously. After all have you ever seen a killer thriller where the murderer literally fishes for his victims? This true low-budgeter gets by on it's dark humor, and it's a real effective style! Too bad it's an underground flick. At any rate, this quirky memorable little gem is well worth finding.
*** out of ****
Probably one of the only Horror-Comedy combos, I have seen that works..
LuisitoJoaquinGonzalez15 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers
So we've had most possibilities by now, haven't we? We've had killer priests, clowns and soldiers. There have been maniac cops, medicine men and miners. Every single date on the holiday calendar has been well and truly terrorised and most possible massacre locations have been stalked. We've had a couple of baseball themed killers, a wrestlemaniac and even a psycho Greenskeeper. Are you really ready for a maniacal fisherman?
Released in 1986, Blood Hook manages to make the most of its low budget and pull itself away from the rabble to achieve something that was becoming almost impossible during the late eighties. It's a hard to come by genre entry that offers a slightly different pace and an alternative to the humdrum mediocrity that littered the category at this point in the cycle.
Wisconsin is preparing for its most important event in recent history. The annual fishing competition sees the town filled with tonnes of ambitious anglers from all over the country trying to get their hands on the $5000 prize for the biggest muskie. Unbeknownst to the revellers, they are about to participate in something far more interesting. Hunters will become hunted as an unseen maniac with an inconceivably strong spool of line is casting in to the lake for human trophies. In such a close knit community, who could be behind the fishy goings-on?
Blood hook is a movie that has sat on my shelf gathering dust since I picked it up in a bargain bucket in the mid-nineties. I was put off by the fact that it was a Troma release and that it had been billed as a horror comedy. Now we all know what a horrific combination that usually turns out to be. Luckily, Hook is nowhere near as bad as I'd expected and offers the right blend of the two opposing styles and doesn't only focus on cheap laughs. Director Mallon would find success later with his Mystery Science project and this is a healthy debut that proves that he has a dark sense of humour.
At first, Jim Mallon probably looked like the wrong choice for this splatter fest as he was always a much bigger fan of comedy than he was of horror. Even his first high-school feature - a parody of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, which aired on Public Access – was more in-line with the director's ambitions than Blood Hook would ever be. He turned out to be the right choice for this cheesball though as it's clear that he had researched the genre and enjoyed poking fun at its platitudes. His opus doesn't only mock the psycho slashers of the time but also has a pop at the eighties in general and some of the dialogue about rock music, crazy fashions and popular habits proves that by '86 the decade was already showing enough self-recognition for parody.
Thanks to some alluring characters and good feature pacing, the film never gets boring and there are enough red herrings to keep you guessing until the killer is revealed quite early in the runtime. Even though a set up involving a maniac catching unsuspecting victims with a treble hook sounds like it should be quite rightly awful, the director resists the temptation to fall in to the realms of stupidity and if you ignore the physical impossibilities, it's even quite creepy at times.
There are a few themes running through the movie, which if further developed could have added exciting depths. The most prominent of these involved the numerous war veterans scattered amongst the story who all seem to have been affected (some more seriously than others) by their tours of duty in different wartime periods. There's a point towards the revelation of the killer's identity where things head towards a Jacob's Ladder-like conspiracy, but they are never completely developed and they fall by the wayside in favour of cheesy thrills. It's almost like there was enough here to build a decent and intriguing slasher film (much like Delirium, which had a similar structure but failed with development), but the director's natural instinct led him more to towards the comedic slant. This is most evident in the final battle with the maniac (two anglers aiming rods at each other no less) and I love the classic line, "You wanna take him like he took the rest? You wanna take him with a treble hook at night, don't ya?" Paul Drake's campiness was brilliant throughout.
I wouldn't really say that Blood Hook was a gore film, but there are some interesting effects on display towards the conclusion. The corpses floating in the water were quite effective and a mix of efficient acting and good directing made the victims actually look like they were suffering during the murder sequences.
The performances are OK for this level, I quite liked the campiness of the actors and they all had moments to shine. Some of the cinematography from Marsha Kahm was lush and the movie's competently directed. There must've been a fairly decent budget for the filmmakers to work with and so I wonder why they accepted distribution by Troma? The film was initially titled Muskie Madness during production, which is perhaps a better suit than Blood Hook, but part of the agreement was the name change and I guess that they thought more of the Troma branding and global network.
Obviously a sense of humour is needed for this one. A killer with a rod and reel strong enough to catch screaming teens is nothing but tongue in cheek, but it's actually a quirky little slasher with something different to offer. You won't hate yourself after watching like I did with its cousin Blood Lake.
Just make sure that you have the right frame of mind!
Released in 1986, Blood Hook manages to make the most of its low budget and pull itself away from the rabble to achieve something that was becoming almost impossible during the late eighties. It's a hard to come by genre entry that offers a slightly different pace and an alternative to the humdrum mediocrity that littered the category at this point in the cycle.
Wisconsin is preparing for its most important event in recent history. The annual fishing competition sees the town filled with tonnes of ambitious anglers from all over the country trying to get their hands on the $5000 prize for the biggest muskie. Unbeknownst to the revellers, they are about to participate in something far more interesting. Hunters will become hunted as an unseen maniac with an inconceivably strong spool of line is casting in to the lake for human trophies. In such a close knit community, who could be behind the fishy goings-on?
Blood hook is a movie that has sat on my shelf gathering dust since I picked it up in a bargain bucket in the mid-nineties. I was put off by the fact that it was a Troma release and that it had been billed as a horror comedy. Now we all know what a horrific combination that usually turns out to be. Luckily, Hook is nowhere near as bad as I'd expected and offers the right blend of the two opposing styles and doesn't only focus on cheap laughs. Director Mallon would find success later with his Mystery Science project and this is a healthy debut that proves that he has a dark sense of humour.
At first, Jim Mallon probably looked like the wrong choice for this splatter fest as he was always a much bigger fan of comedy than he was of horror. Even his first high-school feature - a parody of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, which aired on Public Access – was more in-line with the director's ambitions than Blood Hook would ever be. He turned out to be the right choice for this cheesball though as it's clear that he had researched the genre and enjoyed poking fun at its platitudes. His opus doesn't only mock the psycho slashers of the time but also has a pop at the eighties in general and some of the dialogue about rock music, crazy fashions and popular habits proves that by '86 the decade was already showing enough self-recognition for parody.
Thanks to some alluring characters and good feature pacing, the film never gets boring and there are enough red herrings to keep you guessing until the killer is revealed quite early in the runtime. Even though a set up involving a maniac catching unsuspecting victims with a treble hook sounds like it should be quite rightly awful, the director resists the temptation to fall in to the realms of stupidity and if you ignore the physical impossibilities, it's even quite creepy at times.
There are a few themes running through the movie, which if further developed could have added exciting depths. The most prominent of these involved the numerous war veterans scattered amongst the story who all seem to have been affected (some more seriously than others) by their tours of duty in different wartime periods. There's a point towards the revelation of the killer's identity where things head towards a Jacob's Ladder-like conspiracy, but they are never completely developed and they fall by the wayside in favour of cheesy thrills. It's almost like there was enough here to build a decent and intriguing slasher film (much like Delirium, which had a similar structure but failed with development), but the director's natural instinct led him more to towards the comedic slant. This is most evident in the final battle with the maniac (two anglers aiming rods at each other no less) and I love the classic line, "You wanna take him like he took the rest? You wanna take him with a treble hook at night, don't ya?" Paul Drake's campiness was brilliant throughout.
I wouldn't really say that Blood Hook was a gore film, but there are some interesting effects on display towards the conclusion. The corpses floating in the water were quite effective and a mix of efficient acting and good directing made the victims actually look like they were suffering during the murder sequences.
The performances are OK for this level, I quite liked the campiness of the actors and they all had moments to shine. Some of the cinematography from Marsha Kahm was lush and the movie's competently directed. There must've been a fairly decent budget for the filmmakers to work with and so I wonder why they accepted distribution by Troma? The film was initially titled Muskie Madness during production, which is perhaps a better suit than Blood Hook, but part of the agreement was the name change and I guess that they thought more of the Troma branding and global network.
Obviously a sense of humour is needed for this one. A killer with a rod and reel strong enough to catch screaming teens is nothing but tongue in cheek, but it's actually a quirky little slasher with something different to offer. You won't hate yourself after watching like I did with its cousin Blood Lake.
Just make sure that you have the right frame of mind!
This was not that good
wingedcobra8 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The movie starts with the typical group of guys and gals going somewhere for a vacation. In this case it is a big fishing tournament up North. The plot builds, and eventually, the party starts losing members to murder by a really big fish hook! The actor who plays the murderer is actually quite creepy. The story goes that the murderer had a mental plate in his head which makes him go crazy when he hears the bugs in the woods chirping loudly. The murderer eventually gets caught but not before pretty much everyone is dead.
That is the movie folks. Now you do not have to waste your time watching it since I have wasted mine watching it for you.
That is the movie folks. Now you do not have to waste your time watching it since I have wasted mine watching it for you.
Silly, Horror Fun
BHorrorWriter13 September 2001
Okay if someone were to say this movie was "brilliant" or "exception", i would have to say they should get a CAT scan. This movie, however, if extremely silly, goofy and full of laughs. The dialog alone is enough to get people laughing.
Jim Mallon and Kevin Murphy of MST3K fame, worked on this movie.
The idea of a giant fishing-lure killer, using his victims as food for minnows is hilarious and off the wall.
Watch and love this b-movie gem
7 out of 10
Jim Mallon and Kevin Murphy of MST3K fame, worked on this movie.
The idea of a giant fishing-lure killer, using his victims as food for minnows is hilarious and off the wall.
Watch and love this b-movie gem
7 out of 10
This is so terribly bad that I kept watching
LaoagMikey16 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I rarely watch a 2 movie. But this one was so very bad that I stayed with it. My copy is an old VHS tape and that, alone, makes it horrible. Then the acting, script, insane situations, insane character interactions and so much more. It is just a total train wreck on every track.
It is worth a watch if you are about half drunk and plan on making it all the way or high and want to watch a really so-bad-it's-funny movie.
There actually is a plot. There is plot progression. Lots of people get killed and they work toward finding out who is behind all of it.
Standard fare but in a very stupid way. Enjoy... or not.
It is worth a watch if you are about half drunk and plan on making it all the way or high and want to watch a really so-bad-it's-funny movie.
There actually is a plot. There is plot progression. Lots of people get killed and they work toward finding out who is behind all of it.
Standard fare but in a very stupid way. Enjoy... or not.
Hook, line and stinker!
BA_Harrison29 April 2014
A bunch of obnoxious out-of-towners at a Wisconsin fishing competition become catch of the day when a local war-veteran with a metal plate in his cranium is sent kill crazy by the combined frequencies of bad rock music and cicadas (!?!!?!). By casting a triple-hooked doohickey (I think that's the correct fishing term) with superhuman accuracy, the maniac skilfully 'lands' each victim before stringing their corpses together, ready for grinding up to feed to his minnows.
With such a nasty method of dispatching victims, Blood Hook should be a wonderfully gory film, featuring plenty of gruesome make-up effects as the hooks tear at the victims' skin; however, the death scenes actually prove frustratingly tame, the hooks never shown puncturing the flesh, the actors simply smearing blood on their skin as they pretend (unconvincingly) to be pulled to their death. The only time we witness anything slightly graphic—the addition of a fresh corpse to the catch line—the effects are woefully unconvincing.
With such pathetic gore, plus horrible characters, terrible dialogue, only the briefest smattering of nudity, a terribly uneven tone that makes one wonder whether this is supposed to be a comedy or a horror, and an inconclusive ending in which the killer appears to escape (unless I have matters confused, which is quite possible since I was really struggling to stay awake by the end), Blood Hook is a total waste of time—much like the inexplicably popular pastime of fishing!
With such a nasty method of dispatching victims, Blood Hook should be a wonderfully gory film, featuring plenty of gruesome make-up effects as the hooks tear at the victims' skin; however, the death scenes actually prove frustratingly tame, the hooks never shown puncturing the flesh, the actors simply smearing blood on their skin as they pretend (unconvincingly) to be pulled to their death. The only time we witness anything slightly graphic—the addition of a fresh corpse to the catch line—the effects are woefully unconvincing.
With such pathetic gore, plus horrible characters, terrible dialogue, only the briefest smattering of nudity, a terribly uneven tone that makes one wonder whether this is supposed to be a comedy or a horror, and an inconclusive ending in which the killer appears to escape (unless I have matters confused, which is quite possible since I was really struggling to stay awake by the end), Blood Hook is a total waste of time—much like the inexplicably popular pastime of fishing!
Way too long, and boring.
beyond204919 January 2022
I set myself ready for a funny/cheesy acting, however the dialog is so bad, its like a 7 year old wrote the script. The females are trashbags. The acting is dumpy (expected) but the premise is just goofy (method of killing) Its unfunny and annoying. The song that they repeat is something you never want to hear again in your life, because they abuse the LIVING **** out of it. I honestly dont know how I made it through this movie.
I'm all for cheese slashers too, but this one is pure trash.
I'm all for cheese slashers too, but this one is pure trash.
Sounds Fishy to Me
thesar-218 August 2018
I still don't know why I was hooked after even five minutes...
This is one of those movies where the trivia and recommendation far outweighs the entertainment of the feature. For starters, I only just learned of this movie's existence yesterday when I was catching up on the podcast: Shockwaves, specifically episode 98. During that podcast's first half, the hosts discuss what they've seen in horror that past week. Here, they hilariously described this weird-ass 80s "comedy" horror.
In an actual complex and incoherent script, during a small town fishing contest period of time, someone is killing off people for really a dumb reason with an incredibly odd choice of weapon that wouldn't work. I guess that's the part of comedy this was meant to be.
Despite the hilarious recommendation from the Shockwaves guys and the aforementioned (hilarious and actually interesting) trivia on this, I can't extend a recommendation. Some scenes are, honestly, funny and I did laugh out loud a couple of times, but for the most part, this low-budget wannabe doesn't garner a single repeat watch from me.
Going real fishing is absolutely more exciting.
***
Final thoughts: THAT all said, I highly recommend the Shockwaves podcast. Normally they don't all chime in at once and make me (and themselves) laugh out loud at the craziness of a movie, but this episode 98 was certainly a fun one.
This is one of those movies where the trivia and recommendation far outweighs the entertainment of the feature. For starters, I only just learned of this movie's existence yesterday when I was catching up on the podcast: Shockwaves, specifically episode 98. During that podcast's first half, the hosts discuss what they've seen in horror that past week. Here, they hilariously described this weird-ass 80s "comedy" horror.
In an actual complex and incoherent script, during a small town fishing contest period of time, someone is killing off people for really a dumb reason with an incredibly odd choice of weapon that wouldn't work. I guess that's the part of comedy this was meant to be.
Despite the hilarious recommendation from the Shockwaves guys and the aforementioned (hilarious and actually interesting) trivia on this, I can't extend a recommendation. Some scenes are, honestly, funny and I did laugh out loud a couple of times, but for the most part, this low-budget wannabe doesn't garner a single repeat watch from me.
Going real fishing is absolutely more exciting.
***
Final thoughts: THAT all said, I highly recommend the Shockwaves podcast. Normally they don't all chime in at once and make me (and themselves) laugh out loud at the craziness of a movie, but this episode 98 was certainly a fun one.
The only fishing based slasher film.
poolandrews5 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Blood Hook starts as a young boy named Peter van Clease (Ryan Franke) watches on as his Grandfather (Donald Franke) does a spot of fishing on the lake near his house, unexpectedly Peter's grandfather is dragged into the lake by unknown means & never resurfaces... Jump forward 'Seventeen Years Later' & the now grown up Peter van Clease (Mark Jacobs) arrive back in the area in time for the local 'Muskie Madness' tournament in which whoever catches the largest fish wins a five thousand dollars, along with some of his city friends Peter returns to his grandfather's cabin in the woods which bring back painful memories for him. Shortly after they arrive people start to go missing, empty boats are found floating on the lake with blood stains inside & Peter is convinced whatever killed his grandfather is back for more...
Written & filmed under the title Muskie Madness it was changed to the admittedly better sounding Blood Hook after the untalented folk at Troma picked it up for release, directed by Jim Mallon this is maybe the only fishing based slasher film out there & after watching it I can see why the sub-genre didn't take off in it's wake. Unlike a lot of crap released by Troma (made by them or not) this is actually played pretty straight with no sense of irony at all, a slasher film based around fishing is just an idea I have a hard time getting to grips with. I mean who actually sits down & decides to make a horror film based around fishing? The first two thirds of Blood Hook are played as a murder mystery with the identity of the killer remaining unclear but at around the one hour the film reveals it's one & only surprise to then leave the rest of the running time to play out as expected with the teenage hero out on a mission to stop the killer & save his girlfriend. It really isn't as interesting as it sounds. At just over an hour & a half Blook Hook is very dull, the pace is alright with a steady stream of victims but nothing ever really excites or entertains in any significant way. I assume the character's were all meant to be quite quirky with a deranged Vietnam Vet, a crazy old timer, a guy with a metal plate in his head & an entire town obsessed with fishing as well as some annoying big city teens. Take away the central fishing gimmick & Blood Hook is forgettable horror thriller fare that worryingly is still better than the average piece of crap released by Troma please don't take that as any sort of recommendation since it isn't. The ending is quite funny in a silly way as Peter & the killer have a fishing duel & start casting hooks off at each other & why didn't the killer murder Ann like everyone else? Why just lock her up?
While filmed in a rather flat way with little visual style at least there's no shaky hand-held camcorder crap going on. With a low budget the makers obviously couldn't afford proper special effects, there's a row of three dead decomposing bodies, a severed hand & some blood splatter but not much else. It's amazing anyone gets hooked by the killer, I mean can't these people actually see the giant treble hook coming towards them or the deranged psycho in a boat about thirty feet from them? That's how close the killer would have to be, I mean he only uses a plain old fishing rod for Christ's sake. Another highly annoying aspect of Blood Hook that I have to mention is the sound, the high pitched hissing sound of those Cicadas drove me up the wall! Add to that the use of awful pop music (no wonder the killer wanted to murder someone every time he heard it) & the actual music on the soundtrack & certain parts of Blood Hook left me with a headache. The giant fibreglass Muskie featured in Blood Hook is apparently a local landmark in Hayward in Wisconsin where the film was shot.
Probably shot independently on a low budget the production values aren't too bad, at least it looks like a proper film. The acting isn't great, you can see why most of the cast have never appeared in another film.
Blood Hook is an odd film about a a serial killer fisherman who goes crazy when the wrong type of music is played, I can't say I liked it that much thanks to boring kills, dull character's & a predictable plot that doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you start asking questions about it. Better than a lot of crap from Troma but they hardly set particularly high standards, do they?
Written & filmed under the title Muskie Madness it was changed to the admittedly better sounding Blood Hook after the untalented folk at Troma picked it up for release, directed by Jim Mallon this is maybe the only fishing based slasher film out there & after watching it I can see why the sub-genre didn't take off in it's wake. Unlike a lot of crap released by Troma (made by them or not) this is actually played pretty straight with no sense of irony at all, a slasher film based around fishing is just an idea I have a hard time getting to grips with. I mean who actually sits down & decides to make a horror film based around fishing? The first two thirds of Blood Hook are played as a murder mystery with the identity of the killer remaining unclear but at around the one hour the film reveals it's one & only surprise to then leave the rest of the running time to play out as expected with the teenage hero out on a mission to stop the killer & save his girlfriend. It really isn't as interesting as it sounds. At just over an hour & a half Blook Hook is very dull, the pace is alright with a steady stream of victims but nothing ever really excites or entertains in any significant way. I assume the character's were all meant to be quite quirky with a deranged Vietnam Vet, a crazy old timer, a guy with a metal plate in his head & an entire town obsessed with fishing as well as some annoying big city teens. Take away the central fishing gimmick & Blood Hook is forgettable horror thriller fare that worryingly is still better than the average piece of crap released by Troma please don't take that as any sort of recommendation since it isn't. The ending is quite funny in a silly way as Peter & the killer have a fishing duel & start casting hooks off at each other & why didn't the killer murder Ann like everyone else? Why just lock her up?
While filmed in a rather flat way with little visual style at least there's no shaky hand-held camcorder crap going on. With a low budget the makers obviously couldn't afford proper special effects, there's a row of three dead decomposing bodies, a severed hand & some blood splatter but not much else. It's amazing anyone gets hooked by the killer, I mean can't these people actually see the giant treble hook coming towards them or the deranged psycho in a boat about thirty feet from them? That's how close the killer would have to be, I mean he only uses a plain old fishing rod for Christ's sake. Another highly annoying aspect of Blood Hook that I have to mention is the sound, the high pitched hissing sound of those Cicadas drove me up the wall! Add to that the use of awful pop music (no wonder the killer wanted to murder someone every time he heard it) & the actual music on the soundtrack & certain parts of Blood Hook left me with a headache. The giant fibreglass Muskie featured in Blood Hook is apparently a local landmark in Hayward in Wisconsin where the film was shot.
Probably shot independently on a low budget the production values aren't too bad, at least it looks like a proper film. The acting isn't great, you can see why most of the cast have never appeared in another film.
Blood Hook is an odd film about a a serial killer fisherman who goes crazy when the wrong type of music is played, I can't say I liked it that much thanks to boring kills, dull character's & a predictable plot that doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you start asking questions about it. Better than a lot of crap from Troma but they hardly set particularly high standards, do they?
Horrid. Not worth the time (especially at 2 fn hrs).
RealisticCritic17 March 2022
"We found this ring"! Don't even mention the body parts in the fridge. "Sheriff won't do anything without a body"! Except those are actual body parts.
Whoever wrote the script should be embarrassed.
The actors should be ashamed.
The people who claim to "like" this movie and rate it anything over a 2 should be slapped repeatedly until they either repent or are in a body cast.
Whoever wrote the script should be embarrassed.
The actors should be ashamed.
The people who claim to "like" this movie and rate it anything over a 2 should be slapped repeatedly until they either repent or are in a body cast.
Musky Fishing at its best
reeyees28 March 2006
What better then a Movie involving a Musky fisherman going around killing people...lol..... This movie is a must see for any who fishes for Musky. Even some of the names in the movie will make some laugh. Finner, Fenner. The annoying family from Oak Park, Illinois is my favorite.... As old man Luedtke says, the lake isn't a playground. They even got the Giant Musky from the Freshwater hall of Fame in the movie... Definitely a must see for every Musky Fisherman out there. Besides the two guys from MST3000 did anyone else go on to anything else? Makes one want to go for a trip to Hayward and go fishing. I think they even cover most stereo types from the 80's.
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Fishing! Fishing! Fishing... Fishing!
Coventry15 December 2009
Even after so many times, it always remains somewhat worrying to witness a movie opening with the logo of Troma Studios, you know the orange-type of city background with the announcement in yellow letters "Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz Present
" Even if they were only responsible for the distribution of this film, the two aforementioned gentlemen and their company are not exactly known for their fine and sophisticated contributions to the world of horror cinema; what with outrageous and ineptly made low-budget trash landmarks such as "The Toxic Avenger" and "Mother's Day".
But maybe it's just because of the fact they weren't involved in the actual production that you don't really have to worry too much. "Blood Hook" actually is a light-headed, easily digestible but overall pretty dumb late 80's slasher effort from the same director that would, ironically enough, later gain fame as the creative genius behind "Mystery Science Theater 3000"; a TV-phenomenon mocking the allegedly worst films ever made. The story of "Blood Hook" revolves on a twenty- something dork and four of his even less interesting friends spending a little holiday in the fisherman's town where he witnessed his grandfather suffering from a severe heart attack and drowning in the lake all these years ago. Synchronously with their arrival in town, there's the bizarre occurrence of a series of blood fish-hook inflicted murders. "Blood Hook" is one of those movies that desperately attempt to make one or even multiple characters look exaggeratedly suspicious, although – if you've seen a lot of slasher movies already – you just know it's a weak and ineffective red herring. I mean, they can't seriously expect us to believe that the stereotypical crazed Vietnam veteran is the culprit. Actually, "Blood Hook" is a film that takes itself surprisingly serious in spite just being an 80's slasher in which people are getting impaled by an over-sized and ludicrous looking fishing hook! You don't really expect to find ambitious character trauma analysis or slowly developing love stories in a flick like this, right? At least I don't.
There are a handful of delightful gory highlights, like when the maniac literally fillets one of his victims after already having shoved a pole through his throat and chin! There's also ear-amputation, grueling disembowelment and strangulation for us, sick puppies, to enjoy. The identity of the killer, as well as his main motivation, is of minor importance, but I'm already happy to announce that we're dealing with a totally demented lunatic who goes around using inventive methods and stores the bodies underneath a pier. The acting performances are decent enough (far better than you would expect at least), the make-up art is okay as well and there even are a few attempts to build up suspense. It's really too bad about some boring overlong sequences and the inexplicable lack of nudity, otherwise this would even be one of the better late 80's slasher efforts. There's space left widely open for a sequel that never came. With all the other and far more inferior trash that I've watched already, I wouldn't have minded a sequel actually.
But maybe it's just because of the fact they weren't involved in the actual production that you don't really have to worry too much. "Blood Hook" actually is a light-headed, easily digestible but overall pretty dumb late 80's slasher effort from the same director that would, ironically enough, later gain fame as the creative genius behind "Mystery Science Theater 3000"; a TV-phenomenon mocking the allegedly worst films ever made. The story of "Blood Hook" revolves on a twenty- something dork and four of his even less interesting friends spending a little holiday in the fisherman's town where he witnessed his grandfather suffering from a severe heart attack and drowning in the lake all these years ago. Synchronously with their arrival in town, there's the bizarre occurrence of a series of blood fish-hook inflicted murders. "Blood Hook" is one of those movies that desperately attempt to make one or even multiple characters look exaggeratedly suspicious, although – if you've seen a lot of slasher movies already – you just know it's a weak and ineffective red herring. I mean, they can't seriously expect us to believe that the stereotypical crazed Vietnam veteran is the culprit. Actually, "Blood Hook" is a film that takes itself surprisingly serious in spite just being an 80's slasher in which people are getting impaled by an over-sized and ludicrous looking fishing hook! You don't really expect to find ambitious character trauma analysis or slowly developing love stories in a flick like this, right? At least I don't.
There are a handful of delightful gory highlights, like when the maniac literally fillets one of his victims after already having shoved a pole through his throat and chin! There's also ear-amputation, grueling disembowelment and strangulation for us, sick puppies, to enjoy. The identity of the killer, as well as his main motivation, is of minor importance, but I'm already happy to announce that we're dealing with a totally demented lunatic who goes around using inventive methods and stores the bodies underneath a pier. The acting performances are decent enough (far better than you would expect at least), the make-up art is okay as well and there even are a few attempts to build up suspense. It's really too bad about some boring overlong sequences and the inexplicable lack of nudity, otherwise this would even be one of the better late 80's slasher efforts. There's space left widely open for a sequel that never came. With all the other and far more inferior trash that I've watched already, I wouldn't have minded a sequel actually.
Blood Hook is a below-average addition to the horror genre that only for diehard fans of the '80s-era contributions to the genre
kevin_robbins26 January 2024
I recently watched Blood Hook (1986) on Tubi. The storyline unfolds during a fishing derby with numerous participants, but unfortunately, a serial killer with a giant fishing lure and pole is on the hunt for fishermen.
The film, directed by Jim Mallon (known for 78 episodes of Mystery Science Theater), features Mark Jacobs (Goodfellas), Lisa Jane Todd (Playback), Bill Lowrie (Prisoner), and Paul Heckman.
Embracing a classic '80s atmosphere in settings, circumstances, conversations, and acting, the movie stands out for its unique premise. The kills are unconventional, with a giant fishing lure soaring across the screen and landing on unsuspecting victims. While the film could have been better with additional gore and more impactful kills, they may have been the best they could do with low budget of $200k.
In conclusion, Blood Hook is a below-average addition to the horror genre that only for diehard fans of the '80s-era contributions to the genre. I would give it a score of 3.5-4/10 but recommend watching it once.
The film, directed by Jim Mallon (known for 78 episodes of Mystery Science Theater), features Mark Jacobs (Goodfellas), Lisa Jane Todd (Playback), Bill Lowrie (Prisoner), and Paul Heckman.
Embracing a classic '80s atmosphere in settings, circumstances, conversations, and acting, the movie stands out for its unique premise. The kills are unconventional, with a giant fishing lure soaring across the screen and landing on unsuspecting victims. While the film could have been better with additional gore and more impactful kills, they may have been the best they could do with low budget of $200k.
In conclusion, Blood Hook is a below-average addition to the horror genre that only for diehard fans of the '80s-era contributions to the genre. I would give it a score of 3.5-4/10 but recommend watching it once.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
