Splatter flicks of the 1970s and 80s tend to have a real fun factor to them, as opposed to darker gore films like the 'Saw' franchise. Once in a while a group of filmmakers will attempt to homage those films, some succeeding and others not. Peter Jackson blew us away with his 'Dead Alive,' which piles on the blood, guts, and goo to the point of being hysterical. There have been some pretty graphic Horror films since, but who knew that the remake of the 1978 Joe Dante cult classic would rival Jackson's over-the-top gorefest? We're not talking about great art here people, but pure and simple trashy Horror fun like we haven't seen on the big screen in some time.
Pros: The cast does it's best with the minimal material they have. Lots of gorgeous underwater and above water photography. Apart from one section of the film, the pace just zips along. Fantastic special and visual effects. Ample amounts of blood and gore. Also some great gore gags. Made with a real sense of fun. Occasionally pretty funny. The massacre sequence is actually pretty terrifying and stomach churning.
Cons: With a movie like this you don't expect brilliant writing, but it still could have been better. Plot is almost non-existent. There's a section of the film which includes divers going into an underwater cavern and the filming of a "Girls Gone Wild" style video above that really drags. Goes by so fast and is so short that there's no room for any real tension, which would have given the film some extra oomph.
Final thoughts: This film seems to have come at the right time. Not a bad way to end the summer. Sure it's all pretty mindless, maybe too much so, but who doesn't enjoy a good 90 minutes of pure bloody goofy fun now and again?
My rating: 3/5
