Barracuda (1978 film)

Last updated
Barracuda
Barracuda - Film 1978.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHarry Kerwin
Wayne Crawford – (underwater scenes)
Written byHarry Kerwin – (story and screenplay)
Wayne Crawford – (story and screenplay)
Produced byWayne Crawford
Harry Kerwin
Starring Wayne Crawford
Jason Evers
Roberta Leighton
Cliff Emmich
William Kerwin
Bert Freed
CinematographyEdmund Gibson (as H. Edmund Gibson)
Edited byJane McCulley
Music by Klaus Schulze
Distributed by Republic Pictures (II)
Release date
  • September 16, 1977 (1977-09-16)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Barracuda is a 1977 American horror/thriller film about a small Florida coastal town that is menaced by chemically induced and highly aggressive barracuda fish. The cast included Wayne Crawford, Jason Evers, Roberta Leighton, Cliff Emmich, William Kerwin and Bert Freed. It was directed by Harry Kerwin, with the underwater sequences handled by Wayne Crawford.

Contents

Plot

A top secret government experiment leads to fatal barracuda attacks on the beaches of a small coastal town formerly renowned for its lobster. A marine biologist (Wayne Crawford) and sheriff (William Kerwin) uncover a plot involving a mentally unstable former war-medic (Evers) pioneering research into hypoglycemia and its effects on human behavior.

Cast

Release

Home media

Barracuda was released on VHS by UAV Corporation on December 7, 1989. [1] The film was released on DVD by Dark Sky Films on September 30, 2008. [2]

Reception

Cavett Binion from Allmovie gave the film a negative review, called it "[a] muddled attempt at ecological horror". [3] Andrew Smith from Popcorn Pictures awarded the film a score of 2/10, calling it "a cheap cash-in", and criticized the film's plot, phony special effects, and lack of focus on the film's title monsters. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Blood Feast</i> 1963 American splatter film by Herschell Gordon Lewis

Blood Feast is a 1963 American splatter film. It was composed, shot, and directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, written by Allison Louise Downe from an idea by Lewis and David F. Freidman, and stars Mal Arnold, William Kerwin, Connie Mason, and Lyn Bolton. The plot focuses on a psychopathic food caterer named Fuad Ramses (Arnold) who kills women so that he can include their body parts in his meals and perform sacrifices to his "Egyptian goddess" Ishtar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keenan Wynn</span> American actor (1916–1986)

Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in most of his film and television roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knebworth House</span> Country house in Hertfordshire, England

Knebworth House is an English country house in the parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building. Its gardens are also listed Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. In its surrounding park are the medieval St. Mary's Church and the Lytton family mausoleum. It was the seat of the Earl of Lytton, and now the house of the family of the Baron Cobbold of Knebworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Carey Jr.</span> American actor (1921–2012)

Henry George Carey Jr. was an American actor. He appeared in more than 90 films, including several John Ford Westerns, as well as numerous television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Kelley</span> American actor (1908–1991)

Edward Barry Kelley was an American actor on Broadway in the 1930s and 1940s and in films during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The heavy-set actor created the role of Ike in Oklahoma! on Broadway. His large size and acting range had him playing primarily judges, detectives, and police officers.

<i>Empire of the Ants</i> (film) 1977 science fiction horror film

Empire of the Ants is a 1977 science fiction horror film co-written and directed by Bert I. Gordon. Based very loosely on the 1905 short story "Empire of the Ants" by H. G. Wells, the film involves a group of prospective land buyers led by a land developer, pitted against large mutated ants.

<i>Eye of the Tiger</i> (film) 1986 film by Richard C. Sarafian

Eye of the Tiger is a 1986 American action film directed by Richard C. Sarafian, and stars Gary Busey, Yaphet Kotto, Denise Galik, Seymour Cassel, William Smith, and Judith Barsi. Busey plays a wrongfully incarcerated ex-convict who fights back against the biker gang harassing his hometown and the crooked sheriff protecting them. The film marked the beginning of the actor's transition to the action roles that would epitomize his career for much of the late 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Duggan</span> American actor (1923–1988)

Andrew Duggan was an American character actor. His work includes 185 screen credits between 1949 and 1987 for roles in both film and television, as well a number more on stage.

<i>Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins</i> 2000 American animated film by Tad Stones

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins is a 2000 animated science fiction comedy film directed by Tad Stones, who is also the producer with Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley. It serves as a spin-off of Pixar's Toy Story franchise and released on direct-to-video in the United States on August 8, 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Freed</span> American actor (1919-1994)

Bert Freed was an American character actor, voice-over actor, and the first actor to portray Detective Columbo.

<i>Scarecrows</i> (1988 film) 1988 film by William Wesley

Scarecrows is a 1988 American slasher film written, produced and directed by William Wesley. Its plot follows a group of mercenaries who hijacked a plane in California, and after making an emergency landing in a cornfield, find themselves stalked by murderous scarecrows possessed by spirits.

<i>Man-Thing</i> (film) 2005 multi-national TV series or program

Man-Thing is a 2005 monster film based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. Directed by Brett Leonard and written by Hans Rodionoff, it stars Matthew Le Nevez, Rachael Taylor, and Jack Thompson, with Conan Stevens portraying the title character. The film follows a Louisiana sheriff as he investigates a series of deaths in a swamp, leading to him encountering the eponymous creature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Bridge</span> American actor (1891–1957)

Alfred Morton Bridge was an American character actor who played mostly small roles in over 270 films between 1931 and 1954. Bridge's persona was an unpleasant, gravel-voiced man with an untidy moustache. Sometimes credited as Alan Bridge, and frequently not credited onscreen at all, he appeared in many Westerns, especially in the Hopalong Cassidy series, where he played crooked sheriffs and henchmen.

<i>Misery</i> (film) 1990 film by Rob Reiner

Misery is a 1990 American psychological horror thriller film directed by Rob Reiner from a script by William Goldman, based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name, The plot centers around an author who is held captive by an obsessive fan who forces him to rewrite the finale to his novel series. Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, and Lauren Bacall also star.

<i>The Crater Lake Monster</i> 1977 American film

The Crater Lake Monster is a 1977 B-movie horror movie directed by William R. Stromberg for Crown International Pictures, and featuring Richard Cardella.

<i>The Deserter</i> (1970 film) 1970 film

The Deserter, also known as The S.O.B.s and The Devil's Backbone is a 1970 Italian-Yugoslav American international co-production Western film produced by Dino De Laurentiis. It was directed by Burt Kennedy and written by Clair Huffaker.

<i>Sea Beast</i> 2008 American television monster movie

Sea Beast, also known as Troglodyte, is a 2008 American television monster movie starring Miriam McDonald, Daniel Wisler, Brandon Jay McLaren and Corin Nemec. It was released to DVD on June 30, 2009. It is the 16th film of the Maneater Series.

<i>The Beach Girls and the Monster</i> 1965 American film

The Beach Girls and the Monster is a horror and beach party film, released in 1965, directed by and starring Jon Hall. It is notable for its surf music instrumental soundtrack, bad acting, and not-very-terrifying-monster.

<i>A Real American Hero</i> (film) 1978 American TV series or program

A Real American Hero is an American television movie that aired on CBS on December 9, 1978. It runs 90 minutes. The film was directed by Lou Antonio and written by Samuel A. Peeples.

<i>Down on the Farm</i> (1920 film) 1920 film

Down on the Farm is a 1920 silent film feature-length rural comedy produced by Mack Sennett, starring Louise Fazenda, and featuring Harry Gribbon, James Finlayson and Billy Armstrong. It premiered at the Yost Theater in Santa Ana, California on December 28–30, 1919, and was released nationally three months later, opening at the Strand Theatre in Fort Wayne, Indiana on April 4, 1920.

References

  1. Amazon.com: Barracuda [VHS]: Various: Movies & TV. ASIN   6302676789.
  2. "Barracuda (1978) – Harry Kerwin". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  3. Binson, Cavett. "Barracuda (1978) – Harry Kerwin". Allmovie.com. Cavett Binson. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  4. Smith, Andrew. "Barracuda (1978)". Popcorn Picture.co.uk. Andrew Smith. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2018.