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She Creature
2001 - R - 91 Mins.
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| Director: Sebastian Gutierrez | | Producer: Lou Arkoff | | Written By: Sebastian Gutierrez | | Starring: Carla Gugino, Rufus Sewell, Rya Kihlstedt, Jim Piddock, and Gil Bellows. |
| Review by: Joe Rickey |
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Angus (Rufus Sewell) and Lillie (Carla Gugino) run an eccentric traveling circus filled with all of the oddities one would expect from such an enterprise. While traversing the Irish countryside they come across an old sailor with a secret. He holds a mermaid in his castle. The two steal the mermaid from the man hoping to make money off the creature. Soon they realize that the creature is a violent creature bent on destroying anyone it comes in contact with.
She Creature is a surprisingly competent direct to video offering from special effects whiz Stan Winston and director Sebastian Gutierrez but still suffers from its low budget origins and the fact that it doesn’t stray far from the conventions of the horror genre. The plot is basically what amounts to the standard setup for a horror film with a group of people trapped in a confined location (in this case, a boat) with a malevolent being that wants to kill them all. The film doesn’t do too much to stray far from that formula and differentiate itself from other such films. Oh, of course the film features a couple plot twists, which are supposed to come as a surprise to the viewer, but for the most part they fail to do so because they are telegraphed early on. With a little more subtlety on the part of the director (who also wrote the film) the supposed surprises would have actually came across as surprises to the viewer.
The acting is really quite well done for the type of film She Creature is. The cast is more of the higher caliber variety one would not expect from a direct to video monster movie. Carla Gugino (Spy Kids) and Rufus Sewell (Extreme Ops) are perfectly effective as the money-grubbing duo that steals the deadly mermaid. As the titular mermaid, Rya Kihlstedt (Deep Impact) doesn’t have to do much except look menacing yet beautiful at the same time, which she easily accomplishes. In supporting roles, such familiar faces as Gil Bellows (Chasing Sleep, TV’s The Agency) and Jim Piddock (Best in Show) are surprisingly good in their limited screen time.
The special effects are also well done which is not surprising considering that Stan Winston (Terminator 2) is heavily involved in the film.
Overall, She Creature ends up as a competent horror film despite being a formula horror film to its violent and effects-heavy core.
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