Blood Beach (1980)

Something or someone is attacking people one by one on the beach. Some of them are mutilated, but most of them are sucked into the sand, disappearing without a trace. What is the creature ... See full summary »

Director:

Jeffrey Bloom

Writers:

Jeffrey Bloom (screenplay), Jeffrey Bloom (story)

Stars:

David Huffman, Marianna Hill, Burt Young

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Huffman	...	Harry Caulder
Marianna Hill	...	Catherine Hutton
Burt Young	...	Sgt. Royko
Otis Young	...	Lt. Piantadosi
Lena Pousette	...	Marie
John Saxon	...	Capt. Pearson
Darrell Fetty	...	Hoagy
Stefan Gierasch	...	Dr. Dimitrios
Eleanor Zee	...	Mrs. Selden
Pamela McMyler	...	Mrs. Hench
Harriet Medin	...	Ruth Hutton
Mickey Fox	...	Moose
Laura Burkett	...	Girl in Sand
Marleta Giles	...	Girlfriend
Jacqueline Randall	...	2nd Girl

Storyline

Something or someone is attacking people one by one on the beach. Some of them are mutilated, but most of them are sucked into the sand, disappearing without a trace. What is the creature responsible? Where does it live, and where did it come from? And is there any chance of it reproducing? Meanwhile, David Huffman and Mariana Hill are once-almost-married old friends, reunited over the death of her mother on the beach, and searching for clues in the abandoned buildings where they used to play when they were young.

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Plot Keywords:

beach | sand | monster | death | spoof | 

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Taglines:

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water - you can't get to it.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 January 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

La playa del terror

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compass International Pictures, Empress Film Production Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although basically a low-budget "B" picture, since its release it has gained somewhat of a cult following.

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Goofs

Clearly shown above Harry and Catherine's heads 34 minutes in.

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Quotes

[after finding a single eyeball on the beach]
Sergeant Royko: Hey, Harry! What color eyes your stewardess have... had?

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Crazy Credits

What is the name of the woman on the movie cover/poster?

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Connections

Referenced in Blow Out (1981)

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Soundtracks

Flesh and Blood
Words and Music by Darrell Fetty

User Reviews

Before Tremors, there was Blood Beach.

After several people mysteriously vanish from a South Californian beach, authorities begin the search for whoever or whatever is responsible. Believing some kind of ravenous subterranean creature to be the cause of the disappearances, harbour patrolman Harry (David Huffman) and ex-girlfriend Catherine (Marianna Hill) begin looking for the beast's lair.

The cleverest thing about this predictable early 80s monster movie is surely it's amusing, Jaws-inspired tag-line 'Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water - you can't get to it.'; but even though Blood Beach displays very little else in the way of originality, rarely rising above routine B-movie fodder, there's just about enough fun to be had with it to still make it worth your while.

Huffman and Hill are forgettably bland, but the presence of seasoned character actors John Saxon and Burt Young more than compensate for the lacklustre leads, both guys giving enjoyable performances, Young as an uncouth copper from Chicago with zero tact, and Saxon as his tough but fair superior. Also worthy of mention is the lovely Lena Pousette, who shines as Marie, Harry's sexy blond air-hostess 'friend with benefits'.

The film also features several well executed deaths scenes, victims swallowed up by the sand in convincing fashion, and there's some fun to be had with the gore, including a would-be rapist having his junk chewed off by the monster and a cascade of dismembered body parts tumbling onto the unfortunate Catherine. Blood Beach's jump scares are about as clichéd as they can get (eg. a screeching cat leaping into frame) but they are still effective. Sadly, the monster is only revealed in the film's closing moments, and isn't all that impressive, looking like a giant papier-mâché plant (quite how that thing burrows underground, I'll never know!).

In an ending typical of 70s/80s monster movies, the creature is blown to pieces, but as the closing credits roll, new activity under the sand suggests that the horror isn't over yet (although a sequel has yet to surface).

5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.