She Creature (2001 TV Movie) User Reviews

Professional remake of a cheesy 50s movie.

[dgaither · 7/10 · 21 May 2004]

This movie is one of 5 "Creature Features" made by HBO in 2001. The idea was to take a cheesy 1950s movie and remake it with better special effects. Stan Winston, the famous effects master, was one of the producers of this show. Not having seen the original, I don't know how this does as a remake, but it's a lot of fun on its own. A husband-wife team running a fake mermaid show at a carnival in Ireland are approached by a customer who seems crazy. He's very disappointed that the mermaid isn't real. They take him home to discover that he has in a tank in his house a real mermaid. The husband hatches a plot to steal the mermaid and take her to America to earn a fortune. The mermaid is convincing and beautiful, not to mention topless. The camera-work aboard ship is masterful. It evokes the claustrophobic closeness of a sailing ship below decks with close shots, tight framing and proximity of actors. There is also a subtle camera movement throughout these scenes evoking the sense of sea swells. I know this is an old trick, but I've rarely seen it done so well. There were long passages when I forgot it was happening, yet it contributed to the underlying reality of the movie space throughout. There are only a couple of surprises in the movie and both of them are homages to earlier great horror movies. I don't want to ruin it by giving them away, but you'll recognize them when you see them. There's not a lot of gore, by today's standards, but what there is is quite convincing. I don't think you'd want to let a sensitive 12-year-old see this movie. Also the mermaids are not portrayed as kindly creatures as they are in most movies.

A cool little movie

[sargon999 · 7/10 · 22 November 2002]

With the cheesy title and the horrible DVD cover I was expecting some kind of "Species" clone, but this is an underappreciated mini-classic. A throwback to the Weird-Tales school of horror-stories from the 50s and 60s. This is a moody, atmospheric film with a good cast. Rufus Sewell, in particular, gives a great performance here. The mermaid effects are really good (no knees) and the mermaid girl is beautiful as well as creepy. The film has a polished, classic-cinema look that is extraordinary, considering the whole thing was shot in something like 20 days. My only complaint is that the sound on the DVD is EXTREMELY bad, the mix is such that you have to turn it wayyyy up to even hear the dialogue. Other than that minor caveat, this is a little gem of a movie.

The lost opportunity

[marin1977 · 6/10 · 28 September 2007]

This movie evokes some mixed feelings in me... it is carried by the two female actresses in main roles, and that storyline (pretty much the only one anyway) should have been followed to the end. The mermaid is superbly played by Rya Kihlstedt, in difficult circumstances (topless, mostly in water, with no dialogue). She is beautiful, exotic, sexy, vulnerable and deadly - what more could one ask for?

It is a real shame that the end is a cheap ripoff of the "Alien" movies - totally unnecessary and pretty much ruins the movie.

It is amazing that this movie couldn't get financing outside of ridiculous "Creature feature" serial... With proper budget and improved scenario this had the potential to be a hit, probably instant classic of the genre (you can quote me on that).

I am giving this a 6 overall: Rya Kihlstedt - an easy 10 Rufus Sewell & Carla Gugino - around 7 each, Gugino had more screen time but wasn't really that good the script & directing - overall 6, but the end ruins it down to 3

Mermaids a la Lovecraft!

[klofkorn · 7/10 · 6 June 2004]

She Creatures was an interesting take on mermaid lore. Hope the director & producers come out with a second part. Perhaps they'll even merit a budget appropriate to the task. This is ripe for a sequel, unlike so many other modern horror flicks. The cinematography was very good. The directing was likewise very good. I thought the make-up on the mermaid creature as she first appeared just decent, but the shots later in the film were very good. The close-ups would be ripe for some good computer graphics. Still, they did well with the technology they could afford. My guess is the writer was influenced by Lovecraft, but that is not played up in this film, and in fact is played down to the point of being unrecognizable to viewers unfamiliar with the Lovecraftian genre. I gave it 7 stars, but as I think back on it, I'd be inclined to give it 8 - 8.5 and I'm a harsh critic of modern horror films. With a decent budget this guy could kick some serious butt.

Good Creature Feature

[Carrigon · 7/10 · 7 October 2002]

I liked this movie. That's saying alot since I hate most of the modern horror films. I thought this one was very well done. The Mermaid was believable and the period costumes and settings were very good. It's definitely one of the better new horror films. I'd recommend it.

Fish Bait...

[azathothpwiggins · 30 August 2020]

A carnival sideshow frontman named Angus (Rufus Sewell) and his star performer / girlfriend, Lily (Carla Gugino) stumble upon what appears to be the opportunity of a lifetime. A real mermaid! Angus simply must have this hypnotically beautiful creature at any cost. This leads to criminal activity and death. Angus and Lily secure a ship, and head to America to hit the big time with their new attraction. Once at sea, the horror begins.

If you enjoy a really good monster movie, then you should love SHE CREATURE. It's not just a showcase for Stan Winston's special effects, as glorious as they are. There's a solid story to hold it all together. This is an excellent example of a terror tale spun right. Angus and Lily are more than just 1-2 dimensional characters. They're flawed human beings with both good and bad motivations. The title creature (Rya Kihlstedt) herself is far more than she seems to be. She displays so much in her dark, beguiling eyes! The ferocious finale is very satisfying indeed...

Could have been worse

[preppy-3 · 4/10 · 9 January 2003]

In the early 1900s a ship is bearing a mermaid across seas with is owners (Rufus Sewell and Carla Gugino). But the mermaid, who looks absolutely gorgeous, is totally evil and has a few surprises in store.

Ultra low budget (and it shows) monster film with tons of padding (this would have worked better in an hour) but not totally worthless. It's surprisingly extremely well-acted (especially by the absolutely beautiful Sewell and Gugino), definetely does have a few effective moments and really kicks into high gear during the last 15 minutes. The special effects are also pretty impressive and there's just enough blood and guts for us gorehounds out there.

The main problem is the script--it is slow and I kept dozing off. There just wasn't enough of a plot to sustain the whole running time. They even through in a totally needless (and silly) sex sequence between Sewell and Gugino. And the direction is by the numbers. That aside, it's an OK time waster. Just make sure the fast forward button on your remote works.

Good movie! It's a pity the budget was so small.

[NoName1989 · 7/10 · 17 August 2006]

I saw this movie on TV a few months ago, and I liked it. With a small budget, Sebastian Gutierrez managed to deliver a more than satisfying film.

The acting is pretty good! Certainly Rya Kihlstedt is really haunting as the mermaid! But also Carla Gugino, Rufus Sewell and Reno Wilson do well!

The special effects are (for a low budget production) good. The movie is also (to my surprise) quite intelligent and sometimes it's even psychological.

The last scene makes me want to see The Mermaid Chronicles, Part 2!

Ariel Would Be So Disappointed.

[Son_of_Mansfield · 5/10 · 20 August 2005]

This is the only one of the Creature Features that comes close to being a decent movie. The dark, moist atmosphere of the ship proves to be a good setting for this movie where everybody is hiding something. Carla Gugino and Rufus Sewell are good, but I was the most impressed by Rya Kihilstedt. She has a tough part. She doesn't speak, she is topless, and she is almost always submerged in water. But her eyes, every time I catch this on TV, her eyes seem so hypnotic. She really seems innocent. Unfortunately, the story and not so special effects ruin the movie in the last act. It turns into one of those lets kill everyone as fast as possible movies.

Watch it for Carla Gugino's English Accent

[blindlemon · 6/10 · 5 November 2005]

Nothing special about this movie in itself - but worth watching for the remarkably talented Carla Giugino! As an Englishman, I have to say that Ms Gugino manages to pull off the incredibly difficult task (for any American) of acting throughout the film with the most impeccably correct English accent I've heard from any non-native actor, ever. If you thought Meryl Streep's accent was good in The French Lieutenant's Woman, or Gwynneth Paltrow's in any of her 'brit flicks', then take a listen to Carla Gugino in She Creature. Not only is her accent flawless, but it's also the most varied and wide-ranging in expression and tone I've ever heard from an American. While Streep and Paltrow are good, their accents can tend to sound a little one-note at times, as if they are simply repeating a few key sounds to get the effect; Ms Gugino, on the other hand, sounds every bit the native English lady - with so many lights and shadows in her vocal performance that, as an Englishman born and bred, I was reaching for the IMDb trying to figure out where she might have picked up such a varied accent. Prep School? Born in the UK? No, doesn't seem like it. Oh, and by the way, she looks fantastic in this movie too.

I would recommend any English person to check out this movie just for Carla Gugino's English accent. If you can find even a hint of Sarasota anywhere I'll be amazed.

Some nice visuals

[jfgibson73 · 5/10 · 6 May 2010]

She Creature is a period piece, set around the turn of the century in Ireland. A sideshow couple somehow steal a mermaid and get it onto a ship heading for America. They plan to make money off of it, but things go wrong.

The best thing about this movie was how well Carla Guigino was filmed. They made her look great in every scene. The mermaid was kind of cool looking in her antique tank, and there was a pretty nice atmosphere of menace built up.

I didn't really like how it resolved. The mermaid started eating the crew, and eventually turned into a spiky creature that killed everyone except the pregnant Carla. She brought the ship to some hidden land where the rest of the mermaids were waiting to eat the remaining bodies.

There were some memorable visuals, and the fact that the title suggests there are other installments gives it an air of mystery, but I think that is really all there is to it. Fun to watch, but not much payoff.

You have probably thought, at some point, that someone should make a movie about an evil mermaid. I have, we all have, and someone did. 'She Creature', is the result...

[The_Void · 8/10 · 3 July 2004]

It's always nice to see a movie that does something a little different, and if there is one creature that hasn't been used a lot in movies; it's the mermaid. She Creature follows a band of circus performers that discover an old man that owns a mermaid and decide to steal it, take it to America and get rich. However, things are never that simple and the mermaid turns out to be more than a pretty fish that looks like a lady; she's also a blood sucking fiend!

The film is shot in the style of the old monster movies, and that is much to the film's credit. The scene in which the mermaid is introduced, especially, is very striking and creates a great sense of mythology about the title creature. The setting of the scene is vibrant because of the Gothic style of it; the tank, the basement it's in, even the mermaid itself is spot on. The film carries off a very clever trick regarding the mermaid, which, intentional or not, is clever; by introducing a 'fake' mermaid first, when the 'real' mermaid is introduced, because it looks such an awesome spectacle in comparison to the fake one we saw earlier, we are able to believe that it's real. This is a very good in the movie because in a creature feature, if you can't buy the creature, the movie generally doesn't work very well.

The mythology of the mermaid is also done well in this movie. For the better known monsters such as vampires or zombies, building the mythology is easy because everyone already knows the story and therefore the film can afford to not worry about that so much. However, here it's different because the mermaid, although it is well known itself, it's story isn't, particularly the more horror friendly version of the story, i.e. not the one in 'The Little Mermaid'. The mermaid's mythology is shown clearly to the audience, who is then able to see it in action through way of a fantastic spectacle of an ending. The creature effects on the mermaid towards the end as she turns into a raving monster remain well done, despite the absurdity of the creature, but the ending's real brilliance comes when the seamen get to 'Mermaid Island' and we see shots of several mermaids in the water. What makes it so interesting is that it delves almost into an unknown, the way that there are still things out there to discover. Not to mention the incredible beauty of the scene itself. She Creature is not a masterpiece, but it is very good and I give it a big thumbs up.

Pretty good made-for-TV fishy fun horror flick.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 20 August 2006]

Angus, an Irish showman (Rufus Sewell), and his gang of carnival pals steal a mermaid and set sail for America to try and make their fortune. The mermaid, however, is not as innocent as she looks and has her own plans for the crew and passengers of the ship.

For a made for TV feature, She Creature is a surprisingly effective little movie with good production values and a pretty decent cast. Produced by Special FX wizard Stan Winston, the movie is worth watching if only for the fact that it features one of the creepiest mermaids in movie history (Ariel she is not!).

Things go awry when the fishy female starts to show her true colours by developing psychic contact with Angus's girlfriend Lily (Carla Gugino), scaring her senseless with nightmarish visions and dreams. As the journey progresses, people mysteriously vanish, and Lily suspects that the mermaid is responsible. By the time Lily discovers the dreadful reality of the situation—the mermaid is leading the hapless seafarers to her home island in order to feed them to her piscine pals—it is too late: they are destined to become fish-food! With a nicely realised mermaid which transforms into a vicious monster towards the end, lovely Gugino getting jiggy (surprisingly hot, despite her remaining fully clothed), and a smattering of gore, the film delivers enough chills to keep on entertaining until the end.

Typical TV movie

[CharltonBoy · 5/10 · 6 May 2003]

When you think about it its suprising that there has not been more movies about mermaids.Splash is the only one i can think of and come to think of it that was dire so that's a good enough reason not to make another.She Creature is another poor film and if you are unfortunate enough to have to sit through this you will wish they put the whole Mermaid idea on the back burner for another 20 years. The scenes with the naked mermaid make good eye candy but that is about all i can say about the film that is positive. All in all this is a typical movie made for TV which has the worst trait any movie can have....it's boring. 5 out of 10.

Nice story, rather weak ending

[siderite · 7/10 · 18 July 2005]

It is rare for todays movies to try to be accurate in their description of the background. They usually stick to known clichés so they don't have to spend time explaining them to the public. This one portrays an era where the quick buck was made by shady entrepreneurs that transformed the stupidity of people into money. Well, that sounds very actual, isn't it? :)

I am talking about carnival people, people making money by displaying freaks (or illusions of freaks). Imagine the fortune of such a carnie when he meets a real freak: a mermaid.

Now, this beginning is very good. I liked the idea and the cast was promising. However, by the end of the movie it all resorted to weak special effects and monster bashing. Not that there is anything wrong with that :)

In conclusion it was a better than average monster movie, but with such a promising beginning it delivered a lot of disappointment in the end.

The beauty of the sea is calling.

[lost-in-limbo · 7/10 · 20 June 2006]

Early 19th century - Angus a carnival owner gets a visit from a grizzled old sea captain who believes that their mermaid is real and is there to warn them of the dangers of this creature. This is when the old man shows Angus and his girlfriend Lillian the mermaid he keeps bolted in a large fish tank. Now Angus wants this never-seen-before attraction and he steals it with the plan of heading to America on a sailing ship for fame and fortune. But the crew aboard the ship meet the deadly side of this beautiful creature and Lillian gets real close and personal with it.

This might be a diamond in the rough compared with the rest of the cable TV Creature Features' presentations. I agree that the mythology idea surrounding the feature is an extremely original one and it's very well produced, but I thought the film did not entirely complement it altogether. That goes for the shapeless direction and disjointed script that lacked personality. But with these faults in mind - I still found the film to be hypnotically enchanting, striking attention to the dense material and the atmosphere breaths the old fashion creepiness of monster flicks back in the heydays. Visually it's rather appealing with its darkly slick surface gloss bursting at the seams. Maybe at times it got a bit too artsy and either pointless for its own good - like those edited scenes of the mermaid attacking it's victims and the constant flashes of the mermaid in the tank. I actually thought the death scenes were poorly handled and definitely lacked imagination with the majority of the lethal cut-away deaths being replayed in POV frame shots that turn bloody red. When it comes to the action / violence it doesn't really break out until the final third - where the pace and excitement levels really picks up and we get swept up in some well-placed shocks and neat looking creature designs provided by make-up guru Stan Winston. The well-accomplished special effects are truly detailed and the sensual beauty of the mermaid design (who's mysteriously played by the adorable Rya Kihlstedt) is simply hard to take your eyes off. The atmosphere created builds upon it's confined setting with the majority of the film-taking place on a sailing ship. But the film is still decorated with a surrealistic, dreamlike build up because of the mythical set-up that truly makes you pay notice. The performances are stable and precise. Carla Gugino is irresistibly winsome and Rufus Sewell gives a sincere performance. Aubrey Morris as Mr. Woolrich is enthusiastically, resourceful in a rather small role. While, the mobile score doesn't have that much of a huge impact on proceedings -- the sweeping photography is rather polished and brings another fine dimension to the presentation. This watery tale is one of the sea's many wonders.

"Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature" is no more than a glossy and at times an interesting slow-burner of a monster feature.

Another Mermaid Movie

[potshotk · 1 May 2004]

The Mermaid Chronicles was an interesting idea, but releasing this on its own under the "She Creature" title probably confused more people than it enticed. This film is about as far from the Corman original as one can get.

Good production values and until the faux-Aliens ending I was quite caught up in it.

But most posters seem to feel that "Splash" was the only other mermaid movie ever made. If you enjoyed this, check out the old Curtis Harrington film, "Night Tide" starring Dennis Hopper. Both films share a creepy quality on a low budget ambiance and both use a carnival sideshow and a "captive" mermaid as central plot devices.

Wasted opportunity

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 18 December 2016]

SHE CREATURE is one in a handful of remakes of '50s B-movies released under the Creature Features banner. The results are a mixed bag, ranging from the execrable (TEENAGE CAVEMAN) to the merely bad (EARTH VS. THE SPIDER). SHE CREATURE falls into the latter camp, which is a shame as it has the potential to be a genuinely good modern B-movie. The problems are those that frequently occur in the low budget television movie genre: poor direction and a lack of focus in the plot; limited funds available for locations (much of the film takes place on one single set); clichés (monster-vision shown with jerky camera-work and a red filter, a last-reel critter looking much like the queen from ALIENS) and a somewhat derivative script.

There are pluses, of course, and the casting alone is a highlight of the film. Rufus Sewell is one of my favourite leading men when he has the chance to be, and he acquits himself well here. Carla Gugino brings warmth and integrity to her role, as well as a very good accent, and she's by far the best thing in the production. Reno Wilson makes for a very imposing zombie in some early moments as well. There are also lots of frustrated plot elements that COULD have been good: the heroine's psychic link with the creature; the twist ending; the character motivations. In the end, little is done with these and the film becomes a run-of-the-mill monster-on-the-loose yarn, benefiting from some Stan Winston CGI effects but lacking in any originality whatsoever. There's virtually no gore or action to enjoy and while the titular mermaid makes for quite an alluring character, SHE CREATURE is an example of wasted opportunity.

A nice old school horror flick.

[tomimt · 7/10 · 4 March 2006]

"She Creature", even tough stroke with such an awful name, is a rare kind of a horror film with very nice old school horror touch. The level of gore is kept on minimum and the film relies more on suspense than outrageous splatter.

On the minus side the film starts to rush too much in the final part and the whole thing gets a bit too much out of focus plot wise. Also there are few too many crooked camera views of the situation, so they tend to get a bit too annoying towards the ending.

Underneath of all that there can be found a very nice little horror film. Atmosphere and acting is okay during the whole film. Even the creature effects in the end are done rather nicely, tough it's more than clear, that the film isn't made with the biggest budget on the world.

I liked the fact, that "She Creature" wasn't set on modern times, but in early 1900's instead. It brought in a nice, not so skeptical element to the plot. All in all very nice little horror film.

Just one Chronicle after all

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 17 August 2016]

But one that has a fine cast, especially in the lead roles. I wonder if Carla and Rufus are invited to Horror conventions. But back to this movie, that has a nice creature feature feel to it. You know where this is going, you also realize where the motivation of the main actors comes from.

That doesn't mean you'll agree with their decisions at all. It's really obvious and predictable and made a bit better because of the acting at hand. That doesn't mean you'll like it, but the make-up on the "creature" is really good. Also they didn't "hide" her upper body, so there is partial nudity (not from Carla G. though, just in case you were wondering). Overall a nice little film that does what it says on the box (apart from the fact that there weren't more than one of these)

Surprisingly Good

[jwalkernot · 7/10 · 1 December 2001]

I stumbled on *She Creature* by accident -- it was starting on HBO as I put in a videotape, and I got hooked before I got around to hitting play. It's a mermaid movie, but one with far more in common with *Alien* than with *Splash* -- an effectively made low-budget horror picture that exploits all sorts of our anxieties to chilling effect.

Cheesy horror movie?!

[sunflowr · 4/10 · 25 January 2003]

Oh gosh, you people take kitchy (sp?)-ness way too seriously! This is a great movie, if you love the ol' horror movies from the 50s. Yes, have a few drinks & watch it...why not!? Have a few while you watch "Creature from the Black Lagoon" or any of the original "Frankenstein" or "Dracula" movies!

What makes this one stands out is the beautiful scenery - the costumes, the set decorations - very nicely done. It makes this B movie a bit more palpable, despite the lousy acting. I was half expecting this to become one of those late-night porn movies, because the acting was so bad, but I'm glad it didn't. Not that I'd recommend this to Mom, but still... it was rather entertaining for a late-night cable movie.

Let's have more "truthful" movies about mermaids!!!!!!

One of a kind gem

[Kilroy-55 · 9/10 · 23 September 2001]

Scorsese's mantra 'less money, more power' gets the full workout here as top drawer acting, a compelling story and great visuals all get thrown in a blender to create this clever mini masterpiece. Allegedly shot in 18 days, this made for cabler leaves most so-called theatrical horror movies in the dust by tipping its hat to both Hammer and Lewton in creating a genre all its own: the mermaid pshychological horror movie. Carla Gugino (of Spy Kids and Center Of The World) pulls the whole thing together with an Award-worthy performance, playing one of the sexiest, smartest scream queens ever (with a British accent, no less) and Rufus Sewell's rascally take on her accomplice/betrayer is of equal note. Add to that the stunning Rya Kihlstedt as the creature and you're in creepy movie heaven. It's not usual for movies in this genre to be carried by acting and story, but that's exactly what She Creature does. Stan Winston's monster, Alien's oceanic cousin, is equally impressive.

A Good Movie With Mermaid

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 6 October 2003]

In Ireland, 1905, a fake show with a zombie and a mermaid Lily (Carla Gugino) is presented in a circus in a small town. An old and wealth man named Captain Dunn (Jim Piddock) finds out that the mermaid is fake and gets very disappointed and feels very bad. Angus (Rufus Sewell), the owner of the circus, in a kind of retribution, gets Captain Dunn home. There, he shows Angus and Lily a real mermaid (Rya Kihlsteadt). Angus decides to steal the mermaid and sails with her to USA to become a rich man exposing her. Along the trip, Lily reads the journal of Captain Dunn's dead wife and becomes aware how dangerous the mermaid is. I liked this movie. Although being a cable TV one, it is very intriguing and well presented. The plot, with mermaid, is original. However, the last part of the story is a copy of Alien. Anyway, is a good entertainment and the viewer will not be disappointed. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Criatura da Destruição" ("The Creature of the Destruction")

5/10 - Close to Pathetic

[dromasca · 5/10 · 26 September 2002]

Be warned - The Creature is the name of a new movie house, that will produce (if the do not get stopped in time) a series of low-cost horror movies, trying to recreate the 50's horror style. Avoid them!

This is not because of the genre. When they are (or were) well done these movies could be quite interesting, combining innocence with investigation in the limits of horror, and artistic liberty that mainstream studios at that time could not afford. The problem is that 'She Creature' is badly directed, plainly boringly acted, does not create enough tension and interest. The sincerity of the 50s is non-existing, the horror barriers have been crossed for a long time, and the effects are very, very poor. (did they really re-use the monster costumes from 'Alien'?).

You have been warned! Run off the Creature!