11 December 2024
Screamers (1978)
83 min.
Directed by Sergio Martino.
With Barbara Bach, Richard Johnson, Joseph Cotten, Mel Ferrer, Cameron Mitchell, Claudio Casinelli, Beryl Cunningham.
Fun Italian water flick from director Sergio Martino.

(Ok, full disclosure: it's not entirely successful, it's got a helluva convoluted plot, and limp acting. But we tend to favor Martino far too much, and give him quite the leeway.)

The story: strange mutant seamen are being created and controlled by offbeat scientist Ernest Marvin (Cotten) and his beautiful daughter Amanda (Bach).

Evil entrepreneur Edmund Rackham (Johnson) upsets the balance for his own greed and soon all hell breaks loose.

Some interesting direction by Martino - and Bach's bounteous allure - make this an enjoyable B-movie watch.

But the only real scares are in the film's first 15 minutes (some bloody footage was added for its U.S. release, with the sea creatures going on a wild rampage).

Also known as Something Waits in the Dark as well as Island of the Fishmen.

Italian: L'isola degli uomini pesce.

© copyright 1998-present | The Terror Trap; www.terrortrap.com | all rights reserved