Shark Kill (1976)

The 1976 Made for TV Classic!

Aired on Television: May 20, 1976

Quickly released in the wake of bloody blockbuster Jaws (1975), and similar in tone to the independent smash Open Water (2003) 30 years later, Shark Kill is a forgotten entry in the `animals run amok' genre spawned in the summer of '75. A horrible, flesh eating Great White shark invades a quiet coastal town in search of human victims, terrorizing all who enter the water. It's up to two adventures to gear up in search of the beast. But in a twist of fate, the two men find themselves stranded on their boat, and slowly the hunters become the hunted when the Great White destroys their vessel and forces them into his arena - the open sea. That is when the true torment begins for them as the shark begins a gory game of predator and prey.

This chilling and rare TV movie has rarely been seen since its initial airdate, and is an instant collector's classic!

I get that this is a low-budget release.

I get that this is a low-budget release of a 30-year-old TV movie. The quality of this release isn't just "a little rough", it's inexcusably poor. No one expects a pristine print, but the menu has better picture quality than the film. The film suffers from frequent video dropouts, blurriness, and general murkiness. You really have to wonder if the disc was proofed before release.

I grew up in Santa Barbara around the time this was filmed. I knew several of the extras, and recognize many locations. It would be great if a better print could be located and more effort placed into authoring a DVD. January 29, 2008

shark kill

the picture was bad and faded in and out hard to watch, it looks like it could be a very good movie but i had to turn it off. July 13, 2007

A Shark for All Seasons

I see by the other reviews that the vicious Internet movie critics are at it again. The Internet can be a great forum for people to air their views, unfortunately it has also become a place where people lash out with hateful barbs at a product that hasn't met their expectations for whatever reason.

First of all, I would love to know the ages of the reviewers who attacked the quality of this movie. I realize that many people aren't aware or have forgotten that movies weren't always digitally remastered with Dolby Digital Surround Sound with a picture quality that was clean as a whistle. Let me take you back to a time long ago, in a galaxy far far away. Having grown up in the 1970s, I watched many of these made for TV movies when they originally aired on the old [...] tube (no HDTV, plasma, or flat screen, no surround sound). Let me tell you, the prints that the TV stations used were sometimes beat to crap. The color would be faded, there would be all sorts of lines, hairs, and who knows what else on that print. There would also be times when the print would break and the station would put on the always dreaded "we are experiencing technical difficulties, please stand by" message on the screen. Of course, this would always happen at the climax of a film and by the time the movie came on again, the best part was already over and done with. Of course, it was annoying back then, but now I look back to those times with fond memories.

What is the point of this trip down memory lane you ask? Let's face it, Shark Kill is not the most glorious moment in film history. It's a cheesy 1970s made for TV movie that was rushed out to capitalize on the success of Jaws. It did not have great acting, cinematography, directing, or anything else for that matter. The prints used to show on the TV stations were low quality. Why anyone would think that a major studio would spend a ton of money remastering this movie to give it a super deluxe release with high tech picture quality and sound, is beyond me. I doubt that a decent print even exists of this film. No one else but a small company with a love for old cheesy movies would even bother putting out a movie like this one. If you really want this movie to get a high end release, call up Sony, Paramount, or Warner and see what they say. Just be ready to hear their laughter.

Now if this film is so bad, why even bother buying it you ask? Simple, for the cheesy 1970s appeal. It has the dreadful clothing and hairstyles, the bad acting, ugly furniture, and the "scary" monster. The picture quality isn't bad, it has the same look as the prints that were shown back in the 70s. If you are looking to see a super high tech masterpiece with superior sound, you are better off buying some George Lucas film that has been tweaked 40 billion times over. But if you want some cheesy fun, then Shark Kill is the film for you. So get out the fondue, the bear rug, Schlitz beer, and the crochet owl and put on the film! May 18, 2007

Terrible Picture

I have always wanted to see this movie. But I was really mad at the qulity of the the picture. It was the worst picture ever release to dvd. I had to get a refund because it was unwatchable. I agreed with the other review. Wild Eye Releasing should fix this problem because people who want to see rare tv movies should have the chance. April 23, 2007

OH MY GOD!!!

HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE TRANSFER. STILL CANNOT EVEN BRING MYSELF TO VIEW THE FILM AFTER WITNESSING THE FIRST FEW MINUTES. I COULD NOT BELEIVE THE QUALITY....I ACTUALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A JOKE UNTIL I FLIPPED THOUGH ALL THE TRACKS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A WORSE TRANSFER. I AM A STICKLER FOR WIDESCREEN/DECENT TRANSFERS. I AM EVEN WILLING TO VIEW VHS TRANSFERS ON DVD IF THE TITLE IS NOT AVAILABLE ANY OTHER WAY. I REALIZE THAT IT IS A RARE TV MOVIE, I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS FULL SCREEN, BUT THE QUALITY OF THIS TRANSFER IS ABSURD. IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS RECORDED OFF AN ILLGAL CABLE BOX (NO ACTUAL ACCUSATION INTENDED, BUT SERIOUSLY, COME ON!!!! BARELY WATCHABLE)I WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS COMPANY (WILD EYE) AS THEY WERE ATTEMPTING TO BRING RARE TV HORROR FILMS TO DVD, BUT AFTER THIS ATROCITY, I DON'T THINK I CAN BRING MYSELF TO BUY ANOTHER (I ALSO BOUGHT MANEATERS ARE LOOSE BY THE SAME COMPANY, BUT HAVE NOT YET HAD THE CHANCE TO CHECK OUT THE QUALITY...AFTER FLIPPING THOUGH THE TRACKS ON THIS ONE I AM SCARED TO EVEN TRY). I CANNOT JUDGE THE FILM ITSELF AS I HAVE NOT YET SEEN IT. MAYBE ONE DAY I WILL BE DRUNK AND BORED ENOUGH TO VIEW IT AND BE ABLE TO JUDGE THE FILM ON ITS OWN MERITS, BUT UP UNTIL NOW, I HAVE TO LEAVE THIS MARK. SORRY WILD EYE, BUT YOU DESERVE THIS....HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR? April 17, 2007

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