Blood Hook (1986)

During a local fishing contest, people are being mysteriously dragged into the lake and killed by a giant fish hook. After a sufficient number of deaths, the killer is finally revealed.

Director:

Jim Mallon (as James Mallon)

Writers:

Larry Edgerton (screenplay), John Galligan (screenplay)

Stars:

Mark Jacobs, Lisa Jane Todd, Patrick Danz

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Jacobs	...	Peter van Clease
Lisa Jane Todd	...	Ann (as Lisa Todd)
Patrick Danz	...	Rodney
Sara Hauser	...	Kiersten
Christopher Whiting	...	Finner
Don Winters	...	Leroy Leudke
Paul Drake	...	Wayne Duerst
Bill Lowrie	...	Evelyn Duerst
Sandy Meuwissen	...	Bev D.
Dale Dunham	...	Denny Dobyns
Paul Heckman	...	The Sheriff
Don Cosgrove	...	Roger Swain
Bonnie Lee	...	Shiela Swain
Greg Nienas	...	Irving Swain
Julie Vortanz	...	Ruth-Ann Swain

Storyline

It's time for the annual "Muskie Madness" fishing contest, and the lake is packed with hopeful fishermen. It soon becomes apparent, however, that a psychotic serial killer has also decided to join the festivities. Although the police have determined that the killer is claiming his victims by landing them with giant fishhooks, no clear suspects can be found since everyone is using the exact same hook! What is the killer's goal? And more importantly, can the murders be stopped?

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Plot Keywords:

fishing contest | fishing | lake | death | murder | 

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Taglines:

Fishing Was Never Like This!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Muskie Madness

Filming Locations:

Hayward, Wisconsin, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Chargers, Spider Lake Films Ltd. Partnership (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 111 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The community of Hayward, Wisconsin, where this film is set, actually does exist. The giant fiberglass muskie featured in this film is a local landmark.

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Goofs

When the sheriff opens his car door during the final scene of the film the reflection of a blonde crew member can be seen in the door's rear view mirror.

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Quotes

Irving Swain: I think something's gone wrong around here. I think something's very fishy.

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Crazy Credits

The D in the title card "Blood Hook" rushes at the screen to fill it with blood red color; the title is the only credit that appears in color, dissolving to red as it looms on screen.

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Connections

Featured in What's in the Tacklebox?: An Interview with Jim Suthers (2018)

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Soundtracks

Fishing For Your Love
Written by Victoria Harper
Performed by Victoria Harper, Thomas A. Naunas, D. Harris

User Reviews

muskie madness baby!

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 ****