- Horror Movie - Horror Homeroom

Posted on July 11, 2015

Jersey Shore Shark Attack (2012) Review

Gwen

Jersey Shore Shark Attack is full of surprises!

As Horror Homeroom’s first edition of shark week comes to an end we wanted to leave you with a good taste in your mouth. That’s why I want to complete this week with a film that is pure, gluttonous fun. I wish I could convey in words the sheer bliss that I felt after watching this film, but it is something that needs experiencing. It is exactly what it sounds like: a cross between MTV’s “Jersey Shore” and Jaws (1975) and it is nothing short of AMAZING. It is a perfect crescendo for our shark week because it reminds us that sharks can be anxiety inducing but more importantly, thrill inducing. What Jersey Shore Shark Attack boils down to is simple amusement. There is no significant social commentary or any smart themes about nature but there are gun toting, fist pumping Guidos who rid Seaside Heights, NJ of its killer albino sharks. There are minor underlying comments about class and gentrification but if you watch this film you watch it for the fun, the cast, and the death scenes.

Posted on July 9, 2015

Shark Horror, Part 2: The Shark in the Human World

Dawn Keetley

In my first post on shark horror, I wrote about “naturalistic horror,” which puts us firmly in the terrain of the shark, in a world relatively indifferent to humans (except as food), in which the good guys don’t necessarily come out on top (or even alive), and death is random. In this post I want to write about something very different, what we might call “humanist horror.” In this variant, sharks come into our terrain, events (including death) seem governed by human rules (a few unsavory jerks or insignificant extras are eaten), and the good guys come out on top. These films tend to be horror-comedy—and really not that scary.

The hallmark of these films is that they eschew the existential dread invoked by sending humans out into the ocean—into the shark’s world. Instead, they bring the shark to where we live.

Posted on July 8, 2015

Horror Rewatch: Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Gwen

Deep Blue Sea appreciates nature’s preeminent design-the shark.

R | 105min | 1999 | (USA) | Renny Harlin

Let’s get the meat and potatos out of the way: Imdb aptly describes the film as: “Searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the bait as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.” Deep Blue Sea certainly packs a punch with its special effects, animatronics, and plot twists. Without giving away spoilers, I have to concede that this film certainly has my personal favorite death scene of all time to date. Similar to so many of the pets on my top ten horrific pets list these sharks only become killers once man meddles in matters of nature, or more specifically with God’s perfect design.

Deep Blue Sea suggests that sharks are quite infallible by design. During a discussion between scientists they mention that sharks are the oldest and most efficient creatures on the planet they never get cancer, go blind, or show loss of brain functioning. In the mind of lead scientist Dr. McCallister (Saffron Burrows) this is what makes them the perfect candidate for her intrusive and unethical scientific practices. Read more

Posted on July 7, 2015

Up from the Depths (1979) Film Review

Elizabeth Erwin

Directed by Charles B. Griffith, Up from the Depths is a gloriously hokey film that is less monster horror and more spoof horror, although that may not have been its intention. Capitalizing on the shark mania created by Jaws, the film echoes its film predecessor in delightfully absurd ways. The plot is a relatively straightforward one. After a significant underwater earthquake, a prehistoric shark rises up and immediately begins feasting upon the vacationers of a high-end resort. That the resort in question looks more like a set reject from Fantasy Island and less an affluent playground is just one of the many ways this film continually reminds us not to take it too seriously.

Posted on July 6, 2015

Shark Horror, Part 1: Naturalistic Horror

Dawn Keetley

Shark Week in July seems to have become a staple of our seasonal calendar, so now’s a good time to think about sharks in horror film. I’d like to propose two broad categories of shark horror. One falls under the rubric of what critic Michael Fuchs has aptly called “naturalistic horror,”[i] which puts us firmly in the terrain of the shark, in a world relatively indifferent to humans (except as food), in which the good guys don’t necessarily come out on top (or even alive), and death is random. (Check back later this week for the second kind!)