This is the 1978 killer fish film from Joe Dante, starring Bradford Dillman and Heather Menzies-Urich it is from a grimy time and low budgets. I have to come out and say that I can see past all of the problems of this film to state that I love it. Even the problems when you stop and go would you really do that? Really? I still love it, there is a dark humour that comes from the way that the film is put together and it is as funny now as it was when filmed with a comedy in mind.
This film starts with a couple of hitchhikers who go for a swim in a tank of water that they had to climb through a fence for, it is dark and I ask would you really swim in a tank of water in the middle of nowhere? Then you have Maggie looking for the lost couple who drags the drunk Paul along to try and find them and quickly they end up in the same place as the couple and they break a lock to get in, I mean this is all set up which makes me think there is a level of let us quickly get to killer fish without worrying about believability. In her desperate search for the couple instead of contacting the authorities they go inside ignore the clearly twisted genetic experiments and drain the tanks and so you have killer fish in the water. And from there the fun ensues with a race down river following the path of destruction that the fish leave in their wake.
Joe Dante sculpts this film expertly along there is character development so that you care when someone is eaten and you know what is going to happen and how it is going to work but that is all part of the fun. I will admit that there are some serious flaws in this but you cannot really fault this film, so for me it is a 4 star review and a recommend, certainly if you enjoy dark horror comedy.
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