Blood Beach
Encyclopedia
Blood Beach is a 1981 horror B movie
written and directed by Jeffrey Bloom
. It stars John Saxon
and Burt Young
. The premise involves a creature lurking beneath the sand of Venice Beach that attacks locals and vacationers. The film's tagline
is: "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...you can't get to it!". Although the film
quality is grainy, and copies are scarce, the film has become a cult classic.
's Venice Beach The Los Angeles Police Department are called to the scene and after an investigation, believe it was merely a typical drowning case. As the police have more important things to do, they forget and quickly move on. Soon, the police get several more calls of missing people from Venice Beach. The puzzled police officers come down to the beach once again, and the police now believe it is the work of a serial killer. Meanwhile, more and more people and a dog
go missing. The police know the thing on the beach is no serial killer when a teenager lets her friends bury her in the sand, but they unbury her only to find she has shredded legs. Eventually the LAPD realize that people are being sucked under the sand by something under the ground when a woman is seen being sucked completely under the beach in a few seconds when she goes to retrieve her hat late one night. The local news and media quickly and widely cover the scenes at the beach, leading the police to try and figure out how to kill the beast as quickly and easily as possible. The police manage to use a backhoe and equipment to dig under the sand and track the monster down. After a struggle, they manage to blow it to pieces with a massive charge of explosives.
theatrically twice in the United States
; first by The Jerry Gross Organization beginning in January 1981, second by the Compass International Pictures
in 1982.
The film was released in the U.S. on VHS
by Media Home Entertainment
. As of 2011, the film has not been officially released on DVD
.
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
written and directed by Jeffrey Bloom
Jeffrey Bloom
Jeffrey Bloom is an American film director, film producer, screenwriter and photographer, currently residing in Studio City, California. His film projects include Flowers in the Attic and Dogpound Shuffle.-Early life:...
. It stars John Saxon
John Saxon (actor)
John Saxon is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer...
and Burt Young
Burt Young
Burt Young is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.-Personal life:...
. The premise involves a creature lurking beneath the sand of Venice Beach that attacks locals and vacationers. The film's tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
is: "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...you can't get to it!". Although the film
Film stock
Film stock is photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. The equivalent in television production is video tape.-1889–1899:...
quality is grainy, and copies are scarce, the film has become a cult classic.
Plot
A person goes missing on Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
's Venice Beach The Los Angeles Police Department are called to the scene and after an investigation, believe it was merely a typical drowning case. As the police have more important things to do, they forget and quickly move on. Soon, the police get several more calls of missing people from Venice Beach. The puzzled police officers come down to the beach once again, and the police now believe it is the work of a serial killer. Meanwhile, more and more people and a dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
go missing. The police know the thing on the beach is no serial killer when a teenager lets her friends bury her in the sand, but they unbury her only to find she has shredded legs. Eventually the LAPD realize that people are being sucked under the sand by something under the ground when a woman is seen being sucked completely under the beach in a few seconds when she goes to retrieve her hat late one night. The local news and media quickly and widely cover the scenes at the beach, leading the police to try and figure out how to kill the beast as quickly and easily as possible. The police manage to use a backhoe and equipment to dig under the sand and track the monster down. After a struggle, they manage to blow it to pieces with a massive charge of explosives.
Cast
- David HuffmanDavid HuffmanDavid Huffman was a longtime character actor with many television, film and stage credits. He was married to award winning casting director Phyllis Huffman until he was murdered in 1985.-Murder:...
... Harry Caulder - Marianna Hill ... Catherine Hutton
- Burt YoungBurt YoungBurt Young is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.-Personal life:...
... Sergeant Royko - Otis Young ... Lieutenant Piantadosi
- Lena Pousette ... Marie
- John SaxonJohn Saxon (actor)John Saxon is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer...
... Captain Pearson - Darrell Fetty ... Hoagy
- Stefan Gierasch ... Dr. Dimitrios
- Eleanor Zee ... Mrs. Selden
- Pamela McMyler ... Mrs. Hench
- Harriet Medin ... Ruth Hutton
- Mickey Fox ... Moose
- Laura Burkett ... Girl in Sand
- Marleta Giles ... Girlfriend
- Jacqueline Randall ... 2nd Girl
Release
The film was given a limited releaseLimited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
theatrically twice in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; first by The Jerry Gross Organization beginning in January 1981, second by the Compass International Pictures
Compass International Pictures
Compass International Pictures was an American film distribution company founded by Irwin Yablans and Joseph Wolf in 1977. Their first, and most notable film release was Halloween in 1978 with Falcon Films. The company closed down in 1981...
in 1982.
The film was released in the U.S. on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
by Media Home Entertainment
Media Home Entertainment
Media Home Entertainment Inc. was a home video company headquartered in Culver City, California, originally established in 1978 by filmmaker Charles Band....
. As of 2011, the film has not been officially released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.