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Celebrate Summer With These 8 Essential Beach-Themed Horror Movies!

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When it comes to summer-themed horror, most revolve around summer camp or camping in general. There are countless slashers and supernatural horror films set around cabins in woods that it’s pretty much ensured that I never need to go camping again in my life. It makes sense, though; summer camps and campsites can be anywhere. The beach, however, is a much more specific setting, but one that’s even more closely aligned with the season than camping.

Cooling off in the water under the blazing sun feels much less ominous than the dark, dark woods, right? Leave it to horror to ruin that for you as well.

Here are some essential beach-themed horror films to ward you off from ever stepping foot in the water (or on sand) again…


Jaws

Jaws

Of course, no beach-themed list would be complete without the quintessential summer horror film. Still considered one of the greatest films ever made, and the prototype for the summer blockbuster, Steven Spielberg’s seminal film based on Peter Benchley’s novel made creepy use of the malfunctioning animatronic shark against John Williams haunting score to create nail-biting tension. More than any other horror film in memory, Jaws ignited a very specific and long-lasting fear of sharks, and going in the water, making it the epitome of summer horror.


Psycho Beach Party

A horror-comedy mashup of ‘60s beach movies and ‘80s slashers with a psychodrama center, this underseen parody checks off all the boxes for beach-themed horror. Lauren Ambrose stars as Florence “Chicklet” Forest, the first female surfer at Malibu Beach. Her surfing ambitions are hindered by her dissociative personality disorder that results in blackouts, making her afraid that she’s the one responsible for murders happening in her town. Based on a play, this horror-comedy also stars Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Amy Adams (Arrival).


Piranha 3D

The beach isn’t exclusive to oceans. Any large body of water, like a lake, can have a beach. So, technically this spring break lakeside beach-set horror film by Alexandre Aja counts. For those said spring breakers, fishermen, and the Lake Victoria authorities, spring break gets bloody when an earthquake frees prehistoric piranhas from the depths of the lake’s floor. Over the top in gore matched equally by its biting sense of humor, this one is every bit as fun as it sounds and perfect for summer viewing.


Blood Beach

If there’s anything that this list will teach you, it’s that beaches in California can be bad news. In this case, it’s Santa Monica Beach, and the threat comes from beneath the sand rather than the water. Playing off Jaws 2’s tagline, Blood Beach sums up their plot and tone with, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… you can’t get to it!” Hard to find and out of print on DVD, Blood Beach is the rarer option for summer horror viewing. If you can get hold of it, it’s schlocky B-movie fun that feels almost like a precursor to Tremors, but with a beachy twist (Tremors is much better).


The Lost Boys

Sometimes you don’t even have to step foot in the water to find horror at the beach. In the case of this beloved horror-comedy, the beach town of Santa Carla is inundated with vampires. When the Emerson family moves in with Grandpa after mom Lucy’s divorce, older brother Michael (Jason Patric) falls in with a gang of blood-sucking teens that prefer to party all night and sleep all day. They also choose the beach and boardwalk as their feeding ground, and hide out in a beachside cliff.


Humanoids from the Deep

An exploitation creature feature from Roger Corman that’s set in a Californian fishing village. It results it fun brutal kills from aquatic humanoids but super sleazy raping of beach-going women. Take out that icky aspect and you have one hell of a fun creature feature with creature designs by Rob Bottin (The Thing, The Howling). Directed by Barbara Peeters, who did a fantastic job handling the gruesome deaths of the men under Corman’s directive, “Kill all the men and rape all the women,” but wasn’t explicit enough on the latter part of his orders. So, Jimmy T. Murakami was brought in to direct those scenes in a way that would push Corman’s B-movie goal. Save for those scenes, Peeters’ version of the story is a must watch.


The Mutilator

This ‘80s slasher, one of the goriest, probably doesn’t seem like essential beach horror. It is, though. It follows a group of friends heading to a family owned beachfront condo over break, and naturally, things get deadly. Originally titled Fall Break, it’s a rare slasher with an upbeat theme song that feels like it belongs more to a comedy than horror, and it fits the charm of this over the top movie. The kills are gruesome and make great use of beach-themed weapons like a fishing gaff. It’s also a rare slasher where there’s no real mystery at all behind the killer’s identity. Beach theme plus gore equals a must watch summer slasher, even if it’s set during the fall.


Creepshow 2: “The Raft”

The best segment for this anthology sequel also perfectly encapsulates the terror of summer. Or at least, it makes for a strong case to heed warning signs posted on the beach. For four college friends, they decide to opt for a more isolated setting for their day at the beach, driving to a secluded, empty lake. They swim out to the raft out in the middle, only to be greeted by a strange oil slick. The friends realize they should’ve just stuck with a more crowded beach when the oil slick begins devouring them in painful ways. Not only is this one of horror’s best anthology segments, but it proves horror can lurk in all bodies of water.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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