More Shark Bait

If it's not snakes, it's giant mutated sharks! After Mega-Shark vs Giant Octopus (US-2009; dir. Ace Hannah), Sharktopus (US-2010; dir. Declan O’Brien), and news of Swamp Shark (US-2011; dir. Griff Furst), Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws (NZ-[in development]; dir. Andrew Todd and Johnny Hall) and Fred Olen Ray's Super Shark, now we're told that the less-than-awesomely-titled Psycho Shark -- a Japanese addition to the meme -- is about to be released to DVD.

The question is, does this poster give a true indication of the shark's size? If so, I'm there!

Addendum: Apparently the size as indicated here is accurate. Here are a few indicative screenshoots, courtesy of Agressions Animales:

Called "Jaws in Japan" in its home country, the film has been given the title Psycho Shark to avoid unnecessary litigation problems that might arise from copyright infringement relating to Mr Spielberg's 1975 mega-hit. Meanwhile, Japanese publicity for Psycho Shark (Japan-2009; dir. John Hijiri) is emphasising the non-acting attractions of its two female leads more than it is the actual title monster -- both of them (Nonami Takizawa and Airi Nakajima, that is) being "bikini models" (see SciFi Japan for visual details, plus the image above).

They may very well provide some compensation in the event that the film is otherwise as bad as Japanese reviews have suggested it is.

• Source: SciFi Japan

New Shark Strangeness: Exclusive Update

We seem to have been fielding a lot of weird, eccentric shark movies lately, what with the appearance of Mega Shark, Sharktopus, Ghost Shark, Jurassic Shark, Psycho Shark, the bionic, super-enhanced sharks of Dark Waters and Deep Blue Sea, and a plethora of just plain old killer sharks, alone or in packs (Shark Swarm). Now filmmaker Donald Farmer -- who has previously given us Chainsaw Cheerleaders (2008), the zombies of Dorm of the Dead (2006), An Erotic Vampire in Paris (2002), Vampire Cop (1990) and the just-released-to-DVD Demon Queen (1986), to name but a few -- is about to offer up Shark Exorcist.

This Jaws meets The Exorcist hybrid begs a lot of questions, of course, and so far Farmer is keeping the details to himself -- questions such as: is it about a priest who exorcises the demons from possessed sharks, or a shark who exorcises the demons from possessed swimmers? I guess we'll have to wait for 2012 to find out.

Farmer told Undead Backbrain that "Part of it is shot and edited. . . all the scenes we did in New Orleans. Scenes are being shot in other places now." Several of those New Orleans scenes you can see below:

The film is written and directed by Donald Farmer, and produced by Jamie Nichols, for Suicidal Productions with Stratosphere Entertainment.

Farmer added: "Also I'm starting an online comicbook called CLOWNS VS. ZOMBIES, the first installment of which will be online within a month or so. And my documentary about obsessive TWILIGHT fans called "TWI-HARDS" is finished..."

• Source: Donald Farmer via Avery Guerra. Website; Facebook; MySpace, IMDb.

Another Shark Movie: Swamp Shark

Water monsters, and sharks in particular, are certainly riding the crest of a wave. Undead Backbrain recently highlighted Fred Olen Ray's latest monster flick, the awesome Super Shark, which ups the ante on Jaws and even Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus (though not, perhaps, Sharktopus) by offering us a mutant shark that is not only huge but walks on land and flies!

SyFy Channel's latest, however, is a shark that is apparently unique in that it "swims, kills people and is out there" ... out there being in the swamp with the alligators. The film has the frankly not-very-inspiring title, Swamp Shark (US-2011; dir. Griff Furst), though hopefully once the shark starts being more proactive it will fulfilled the promise of the general sense of urgency created by the trailer's gun-tottin' Kristy Swanson, the numerous shouting voices, the interestingly atypical fin and the brief climactic view of its large (though not unnaturally so) mouth.

At least the film's got Robert Davi's rugged visage in it. For me, his presence always offers a degree of credibility.

• Source: io9 via Avery.
• Written by Robert Hood

Update: Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus

What we always want to see as a lead-in to these monster mashes is, of course, the critters. Paul Bales of Asylum Entertainment has sent along an early rough-cut of the titular stars of the upcoming Mega Shark versus Giant Octopus (US-2009; dir. Ace Hannah), engaged in their first conflict. You can read more about the film here.

Click on the image to see it bigger

And here is a brief clip of the actual sequence:

Cool, eh?

Watch out for more!

• Source: Paul Bales via Avery

New: Mega-Shark vs Giant Octopus

Taking the lead from Japanese kaiju eiga -- where you describe the main attraction of the movie in the title -- The Asylum's latest creature feature offers 'em up very big indeed, if the image on the cover is anything to go by.

Mega-Shark versus Giant Octopus (US-2009; dir. Ace Hannah)

Synopsis:

The California coast is terrorized by two enormous prehistoric sea creatures as they battle each other for supremacy of the sea.

Clearly this film embraces several key elements of the Japanese monster-film tradition: descriptive title, really big beasties and monster punch-ups.

If it delivers on those promises, I'm there!

• Source: Official website

More from the Asylum

While we're on Asylum and robots, here is the trailer for the exploitation company's "shadow version" of The Day the Earth Stood Still -- which seems to go with the blockbuster film's basic premise but adds lots of giant robots. And let's face it, giant robots are what we really wanted anyway -- not Keanu Reeves.

The Day the Earth Stopped (US-2008; dir. C. Thomas Howell)

Synopsis:

Hundreds of massive intergalactic robots appear in all of the major world capitals with an ultimatum: Prove the value of human civilization or be destroyed.

Nice big robots!

And as if that isn't enough, here's one that's coming up which doesn't "shadow" a current blockbuster so much as exploit certain individuals' obsessive fascination for sharks and giant octopi:

Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus (US-2009; dir. Ace Hannah)

Synopsis:

The California coast is terrorized by two enormous prehistoric sea creatures as they battle each other for supremacy of the sea.

• Source: Asylum website

New: Sand Serpents

This looks rather interesting:

Sand Serpents (US-2009; dir. Jeff Renfroe)

Synopsis:

US soldiers fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan come up against an even deadlier enemy: enormous worms that tunnel under the sand and emerge to consume human prey. (Fangoria Online)

Sand Serpents will be premiering on the newly branded SyFy Channel on July 11 -- in a creature feature summer that includes Kyle Rankin's giant bug flick Infestation, Rick Schroder's mythological Hellhounds, Ace Hannah's Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus and Kristoffer Tabori's High Plains Invader, which stars James Marsters as "an Old West outlaw whose hanging is conveniently interrupted by ... an assault by oversized alien insects, leading him to become a reluctant hero."

Source: Fangoria Online via Kaiju Search-Robot Avery