The Red Tide Massacre review.
Contaminated water turns an escaped convict into a murderous creature. I never quite figured out if this was a comedy or not.
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The Red Tide Massacre
Directed by John A. Russo
Screenplay by Palmer Edward
Starring Michael Paré, Susan Elle, Sam Schweikert, Rich Sands, Gina Vitori, Jackie Kay, Duane Whitaker and Elizabeth Trieu
The Red Tide Massacre Review
There are two ways to look at The Red Tide Massacre. It’s either a repetitive low budget creature feature where a lot of uninteresting people are killed off in underwhelming ways…or a fun horror-comedy that uses those cliches to its advantage. The fact that the word comedy isn’t listed under its genres on any of the online movie databases should probably serve as a warning sign. Odds are most people will watch The Red Tide Massacre and see something disposable. If you’ve watched a lot of low budget horror, however…you might find the whole thing oddly entertaining.
The red tide has rolled into town and killed all the marine life. Scientists toil away looking for an explanation…but not before an escaped convict is exposed to the contaminated water. He begins to transform into a creature, murdering his way through town.
Laying the plot synopsis of The Red Tide Massacre out like that…I still can’t tell if it’s a comedy. The movie introduces us to a lot of characters. So many, in fact, that the back half of the movie features several recurring scenes where previously unseen, unnamed characters are happened upon by the creature just to add to the body count. Some may see that as uncompelling or lazy…I found it hilarious. Intentional or not.
As is the case with most low budget horror…you aren’t going to get the memorable kill scenes you’re probably looking for. A lot of the customary cutaways or slightly out of frame kills. A creature hand knocking a victim our of sight before finishing them off…that kind of thing. There are some fun practical effects to show of the aftermath of the monster’s attacks…which are always appreciated.
Not all the characters in The Red Tide Massacre are unnamed…though they are largely as undeveloped. Our first window into the world is reporter Rio Lee (Susan Elle). She is covering both the red tide and the manhunt for an escaped convict (Rich Sands). Though her character becomes part of the overall narrative as well…the movie will cut to live news updates throughout. I chuckled every time it happened. Intentional or not. The local sheriff (Michael Paré) shoots the convict, but he escapes through the contaminated water.
The sheriff’s son Tommy (Sam Schweikert) eventually steps up to be the lead of the story. You can probably guess why that is without having to spell it out completely. Tommy has connections with every aspect of the story so his position at the center of it all makes sense. He can jump into conversation with police (he’s been deputized), scientists (one is a romantic interest) or Susan (…another romantic interest) with ease. Storytelling perks of living in a small community.
He’s even aware of the local “Skunk Ape” legend that makes the emergence of a murderous sea creature more palatable than it should be to the locals. “Skunk Ape” is a term that you are going to hear a lot in The Red Tide Massacre. The backstory of the Skunk Ape diverts the pursuit of the convict turned creature long enough to become obvious that it was added to pad the length of the movie. Still, it provides an added layer to the dynamics of some of the townsfolk. “Skunk Ape” is also a funny term to have people yell about. Intentional or not.
The fully formed creature is good for a smile too. It’s kind of good in that low budget rubber suited monster kind of way. The convict transforms over the course of the story…finding its full form for its third act hijinks. Hijinks is probably the best way to describe the creature’s rampage. The creature shambles through the town killing whoever it comes across. A rampage largely comprised of random encounters. While it is no doubt the result of wanting as many kills as possible…there is something irreverently entertaining about it.
Irreverently entertaining probably isn’t the right description. The truth is The Red Tide Massacre is both easy and hard to pin down. Ten minutes into the movie I found myself genuinely wondering if this was a comedy or not. I didn’t find the answer by the time the credits rolled. Trying to solve this mystery provided endless entertainment. If you don’t find yourself in the same boat after those first ten minutes…you should probably jump overboard and risk swimming away.
Scare Value
We may never know how much of The Red Tide Massacre’s entertaining moments played out as intended. I’d argue that it doesn’t matter either way. What I do know is that, aside from a hastily tacked on climate change warning…the movie isn’t aiming for overly serious. The tone it finds is loose and familiar. In ways that some may find forgettable or even off-putting. For others it may just hit a sweet spot that they’ll find perversely entertaining. Intentional or not.
2.5/5
The Red Tide Massacre Links
Rent/Buy on VOD from VUDU and Amazon
