Barracuda (1978)

Directors:

Harry Kerwin
Wayne Crawford

Writers:

Wayne Crawford (writer)
Harry Kerwin (writer)

Release Date:

January 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

You Can Almost Hear The Screams! as the water below becomes a CHURNING DEATHBED of FLASHING TEARING TEETH!

Plot:

Little coastal town is being terrorized by deadly Barracudas. |

Plot Keywords:

Barracuda | Coral Reef | Drinking Water | Chemical | Jail Cell

Cast

Wayne Crawford	...	Mike Canfield
Jason Evers	...	Dr. Elliot Snow
Roberta Leighton	...	Liza Williams
Cliff Emmich	...	Lester
William Kerwin	...	Sheriff Ben Williams
Bert Freed	...	Jack
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Scott Avery	...	Toby
Wayne Hackett
Harry Kerwin	...	Agent Arriving #1
Matt King	...	Agent Leaving
Bobbie Ellyne Kosstrin	...	Maggie Snow
Ray Michel	...	Second Arguing Man
Robert G. Noe	...	Hotel Clerk
David Renier	...	Arguing Man on Street
Jerry Rhodes	...	Bubba
Rick Rhodes	...	Agent Arriving #2
Burt Richards	...	Security Guard
William Roundebush	...	Boy Student
Bob J. Shields	...	Floyd
Dick Sterling	...	Second Guard
Denise Taylor	...	Girl Student
Leigh Walsh	...	Girl Student

Also Known As:

Barracuda: The Sea Horror (Australia) (video box title)
The Lucifer Project

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-12 | Italy:T | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Company:

American General Pictures

Lying not-so-low in the weeds, not going to ambush anyone

The main reason why I often enjoy imitations and cheap rip-offs more than the original they're inspired by is because the people behind it are so much more shameless and extravagant with their ideas. Spielberg's landmark classic "Jaws" spawned a copious number of imitations and suddenly nearly every type of sea animal – whether genetically altered or not – at one point during the seventies got depicted as an unstoppable killing machine. Not just every possible species of sharks, but also piranhas, octopuses, whales and even barracudas. This one, however, isn't exactly the "Jaws" rip-off you'd suspect it to be. If anything, it's actually more of a "Piranha" copy and not nearly as trashy and/or mindlessly entertaining as I hoped. The script tries to be a little too clever, creative and mysterious even though the outcome of the story is pretty obvious right from the beginning. I, for one, think the writers/directors duo Harry Kerwin and Wayne Crawford perhaps should have opted for a cheesy good old-fashioned creature feature rather than a pseudo-intellectual piece of eco-horror. "Barracuda" nevertheless opens promisingly with moody underwater images guided by creepy musical tunes, immediately followed by a scene of two divers getting virulently attacked by the titular creatures. There's something fishy – pun intended – going on in a little coastal town. Simultaneously with a couple of bizarre and unsolved diving accidents, a marine biologist discovers dangerous chemicals in the water, probably coming from Poppa Jack's plant nearby. Likely, the chemicals turn the barracudas into ravenous killers and even appear to negatively affect the townspeople that consume locally caught fish. The middle-section is intolerably boring, mainly because you're completely unprepared for the switch towards a slow and talkative film, and "Barracuda" eventually ends as a full-blooded political conspiracy thriller. The killer barracudas don't even get mentioned or shown anymore. This is a textbook case of misleading – or even downright false – advertisement, really. The alternate title for this film is "The Lucifer Project" and at least that one immediately gives a far more accurate small description of what to expect. Of course, the title "Barracuda" accompanied by a bloody drawing of a sharp-teethed fish devouring a human head attracts a lot more horror fans. Shame.