“Córki Dancingu” aka “The Lure” (2015) – Polish Disco/ Musical Mermaid Horror/ Fantasy

Wooo!! Well.. the month has flown by but before all the lovely mermaids sing their final siren songs and swim back into the murky depths of the deep green sea, we’ve still time for one last Review. So… now it’s time for perhaps the weirdest film of all in our “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016”, the 2015 Polish film fantasy “Córki Dancingu” aka “The Lure”. Get ready Gentle Visitors… I’m thinking this is probably the only Disco musical communist-period piece Horror Fantasy romance film about singing and dancing man-eating mermaid strippers ever made. Yep. Couldn’t pass this one up, not on your lives…

Our synopsis goes like this: “Two teenage Mermaid sisters – Silver and Gold – find themselves in the middle of the world of Warsaw dance parties of the ‘80s, vibrant with music, glittering with neon lights and sparkling sequins. They join the musicians of the “Figs and Dates” club-band and overnight become the sensation of the capital’s nightlife. Immersed in love and budding passions they forget their true nature for a while. But one single broken heart is enough for the situation to slip out of control and lead everyone towards tragedy…”

This is one of those crazy lil’ films that comes along once in a while and makes even this wee Catgirl shake her head and go “WTF…?”. One look at some of the early reviews and I knew I just had to get my Magical Catgirl Powers to working on finding a copy for myself. One quick internet shopping trip to Poland and I managed that very thing… but was all my eager curiosity worth the effort? One way to know for sure… Yep that’s your clue!! Don’t just sit there like a bump on a log…. you know you all wanna hear all about this goofy film. 😉

“Dagon” (2001) – American Lovecraftian Aquatic Horror

Can’t really do a proper Mermaid themed Review Festival without visiting some of the quaint antediluvian submarine horrors of H.P. Lovecraft’s Deep Ones, now can we? Although our “little mermaid” in this one has more resemblance to Ursula the Sea Witch than Princess Ariel, I’m thinking Stuart Gordon 2001’s Lovecraft inspired film “Dagon” fits in just fine. But then I’m a sucker for romance and even freaky octopus girls need sweet forbidden love too, now don’t they? Hehehehe!! 😉

Our synopsis reads like this: “Paul Marsh is yachting along the Spanish coast with three companions when a freak storm causes their boat to founder on the rocks. With the ship sinking, and one of his friends trapped in the wreckage, Paul and his girlfriend Barbara take a small boat to a nearby village to find help to free them. But the town of Imboca and it’s locals seem odd and freakish, and their behavior grows increasingly strange and threatening. Soon it’s clear that Imboca is a place mired in a shadow of evil that threatens them all unless they can somehow get away. But… once Paul meets a local girl, who has appeared in his recent nightmares as a mermaid, he realizes that the fearful world of his dire dreams is now a deadly reality… a reality which he may never escape.”

So, if you, like a wee Catgirl, also have a taste for the icky cosmic horrors that inhabit Lovecraft’s tales of terror, then “Read On” o’ Gentle Visitors and lets all find out some of those secrets “man was not meant to know…”

“Mamula” aka “Killer Mermaid’ (2014) – Serbian Mermaid Horror

Our “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016” continues at full speed!! Now it’s time for some scary mermaid action, Euro-style with a look at 2014’s low budget Serbian mermaid horror film “Mamula” or as it’s know most places, “Killer Mermaid”.

Our synopsis reads as follows: “Two young American women, Kelly and Lucy, go on a Mediterranean vacation for fun and sun with an old college friend from Serbia, Alex. Along the way, they will encounter a mysterious stranger and come to grips with a long held secret that will threaten their very lives when they uncover the watery lair of a man-eating mermaid siren hidden beneath an abandoned military fortress. What was once a carefree adventure soon becomes a deadly fight for survival against an ancient myth come to terrible life.”

Sounds like we have a winner here! Sexy fun in the sun, a deadly serial killer, a deserted Island with an ex-Nazi prison, and a killer mermaid with a taste for human meat… What more could this wee kitten want? Well… OK… maybe some kung-fu, but hey… you can’t always have everything… 😉

“Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid” (2012) – Hindi “Mermaid” Drama/ Suspense

Our month long celebration of all things mermaid, “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016” continues! This time out, a perhaps odd little choice, the 2012 Hindi Social Drama film, “Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid”. Not reeeeaaallly a “mermaid” movie per se… but still an excellent lil’ film that Yours Truly wanted to include.

The synopsis? But of course! “Two city-bred kids, fearless tomboy Shreya and her little brother Sam travel to their dusty Haryana village for a vacation with their parents. What happens there is an adventure, which comes packed with significant life lessons. It’s not the idyllic village of their dreams but a problem-ridden place with dried up ponds, unfriendly villagers, unspoken secrets, out-of-bounds spaces, a child-eating witch and no girls, a reason why wives are imported from other states. In the backdrop of this engrossing adventure the social issue of female foeticide is subtly interwoven without being preachy and melodramatic.”

Ummmm? So this one isn’t actually a “mermaid” movie? “But… but… Neko” you ask“What about that witch in the synopsis? There is gonna be a witch, right?” Ummmm. Yeah… Gotta admit, this one sorta fooled yours truly when I was first tracking it down. It definitely didn’t turn out to be the movie I thought it was going to be. But guess what? It still turned out to be a really, really good movie that I ended up liking a whole lot. Wanna find out why? Then just “Read On”, o’ Gentle Visitors and find out! 🙂

“Night Tide” (1961) – American Mermaid/ Suspense/ Horror

Time for another Review in our month-long “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016”. This time out? How about an old B&W creature feature starring a young Dennis Hopper in one of his earliest film roles, 1961’s psychological mermaid suspense film “Night Tide”?

The synopsis reads: “While on shore leave, sailor Johnny Drake becomes enamored of Mora, a young woman who works as a “mermaid” at a sideshow attraction. But for Mora it’s no act. She actually believes that she really is a mermaid who is destined to murder men on the night of a full moon. Despite this, Johnny is still captivated by the mysterious woman, however, and begins to suspect that her boss, Capt. Murdock, may have something to do with Mora’s murderous thoughts.”

More carnival sideshow mermaid antics, along with some suspense and a bit of period fun. I first saw this one years ago on Saturday morning TV, and remembered it enough to want to take another peek just for you, o’ Gentle Visitors, so let’s jump in the “wayback machine” and get us some vintage chills and thrills… 😉

“The Mermaid” aka “鱼美人” (“Fish Beauty”) (1965) – Chinese Mermaid Opera/ Fantasy/ Romance

Time for another Review, and this time out it’s a trip back to the 1960’s and the heyday of the Shaw Brothers with a look at the sumptuous 1965’s Huangmei opera film “The Mermaid” based on the 16th-century Chinese play “A Tale of Goddess of Mercy’s Fish Basket (觀音菩薩魚籃記)”. A virtuous scholar, a beautiful Carp Spirit Fairy, romance, comedy, mistaken identity gags, and oodles, and oodles of singing. Yep… they don’t make them like this anymore…

Our synopsis? Well it sorts goes like this: “A scholar named Zhang Zhen who finds himself taken in by the Prime Minister after the death of his beloved parents. Soon enough, Zhang Zhen falls in love with his benefactor’s pretty, but haughty daughter, Peony. But, there are two problems preventing a union between the two. For one, her father simply won’t approve of the match, and  Peony herself has no interest in the lowly Zhang as a suitor to begin with!

Stuck inside with nothing to do but study for exams, Zhang tries to brighten his spirits by feeding fish in a nearby pond. On one fateful day, a carp fairy transforms itself into a beautiful woman who just so happens to look exactly like Peony! Plenty of misunderstandings and misadventures ensue when this lovely Carp Spirit tries to adapt to life on the surface while trying to woo the scholar to whom she has lost her heart! Who will Zhang choose – his first love, Peony or the vivacious mermaid?”

Yep… sweet, sweet romance and magical hi-jinx abound. But will I be able to sit through all the singing and dancing? Guess we’ll find out, won’t we? 😉

“She Creature” (2001) – American Mermaid Horror

Time for another entry in our “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016”, and for some spooky fun we’re taking a peek at 2001’s pay cable remake of a 1956 classic, “She Creature”. Made for the Cinemax pay cable TV movie channel, it was part of a series of 5 Halloween films called “Creature Features”, all of which borrowed the titles of some of American International Pictures classic films of the 50’s and 60’s to make new films that weren’t strict “remakes” in as much as inspired tributes to those old classic movies. Of them all, “She Creature”, I personally think, was the best, and had the most lasting impression on this wee Catgirl. So much so that I naturally picked up a copy once these were released on DVD.

A quick synopsis? How’s this then: “Two Irish carnival workers, Angus and Lily, operate a lackluster sideshow for a tacky rundown circus. All of that has the potential to change when they meet an old sailor, Mr. Woolrich, who happens to possess a real mermaid. With visions of fame and success running through his head, Angus abducts the mermaid and boards a boat to America with Lily. However, the mermaid is not as docile as she seems, and as the voyage begins to go terribly wrong, crew members start mysteriously disappearing.”

Yep… a real honest-to-goodness period piece mermaid horror story. Neko just loves those…. Wanna hear the details and find out if it’s worth hunting down for a look? Then Gentle Visitors, you know what you gotta do, right? 😉

“Arwah Kuntilanak Duyung” (2011) – Indonesian Mermaid Horror/ Comedy

“Splish, splash!!” Our Mermaid fun continues here at the Litterbox with another of those odd little Indonesian Horror goodies that your Favorite Catgirl Princess just can’t seem to live without. Up this time out for our “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival” we have 2011’s “Arwah Kuntilanak Duyung” or… if my Indonesian translating skills are improving “Demon Mermaid Spirit”. 😉

Our synopsis is as follows: “Linda and Ardo meet and fall in love on a beach. Ardo was so happy to have Linda, so he purchased a beach villa for his beloved wife. But the beach was haunted by the spirit of a murdered woman Ayshah who has become a mermaid demon who causes much mischief as she seeks out her killer to get revenge for her untimely death.”

Yep… it’s our old friend Dewi Perssik, Indonesian dangdut singer and wannabee actress donning the “Fins & Tail”still trying her darnedest to be Indonesia’s Top “Scream Queen” and horror movie star. Persistent lil’ lady isn’t she? Here’s hoping she’s managed to elevate this one above the usual “craptastic” standards that most low budget Indonesian horror seems to revel in. But… hey… Your Favorite Catgirl Princess isn’t holding her breath with anticipation, Hehehe!!!

“The Mermaid” aka ” 美人鱼” (2016) – Chinese Fantasy Mermaid Romance/ Comedy

With our August “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival” currently chugging along in full swing here at the Litterbox, you Gentle Visitors just know this Catgirl Princess couldn’t pass up a chance to do her own review of HK filmmaker Stephen Chow’s latest romantic comedy “The Mermaid”, just available here on Region 1 DVD release. Sigh… Neko’s got a real soft spot for sweet magical romantic comedies…💖

Did somebody say synopsis? Yep, and it goes like this here: “Pretty, naive young mermaid Shan is sent to the human world on a secret mission by her people to play the part of a sexy temptress so she can assassinate Lui Xuan, a spoiled millionaire developer with a real estate project that threatens to destroy the last remaining ecosystem of her race. But despite her resolve to finish him off, Shan ends up falling in love with him instead. Can she put aside her feelings and save her people or will the mermaids fade away once and for all and become nothing more than legend?”

💕 Awwwwwww!!💕 Sweet adorable magical girlfriend romance movies… This wee lady can never ever get enough of those. Ghosts, Fox Spirits, Aliens, you name it… so why not one about one with a cute girl who is half human and half goldfish? Yeah… I’m there. The fact that this one is by the director  of one of my all time favorite films, “Kung Fu Hustle” only makes me want to see it even more.

It’s a surprising smash hit in Asia, but will it live up to this wee lady’s hopes and expectations for movie goodness? Guess we’ll all find out…

“Gancore Gud” (“ก้านคอกัด”) aka “Dead Bite” (2011) – Thai Mermaid/ Zombie Horror Comedy

So for our first entry to this month’s “Frolicking Under The Sea: Mermaid Fantasy Film Festival – August 2016”, I have for you a review of a 2011 Thai horror comedy that has been just about impossible for this wee kitten to pin down over the years since it first came out, “Gancore Gud” aka “Dead Bite”. Impossible to track down? Ha!! Not for a reeeeaallly determined Catgirl if she’s patient and sets herself to the task…

Our synopsis goes like this: “A Thai Hip-hop group, Gancore Club, traveling to a promotional photo-shoot by ship becomes stranded on reputedly haunted Mermaid Island, run afoul of strange aquatic zombies and the vicious locals who try to hunt them down as sacrifices to their mysterious and sexy island mermaid goddess.”

Ummmm? Crazy Thai Hip-hop guys? Oodles of pretty Thai girls in Bikinis? Killer islanders with butt loads of pointy weapons and a thirst for blood? Mermaids and zombies? All in the same movie? Heck yes!!! Neko is sooooo there! 😉

So. Wanna hear the crazy plot and find out if it’s maybe gonna jump to the top of your “Don’t Miss” list too? Then by now, Gentle Visitor, you know the drill…. 😉