More shark movies! More shark movies. The killer shark subgenre of horror is one of my favorites. In my opinion, the more hilarious and less sensical – the better. I will never turn down an opportunity to watch a title in this category, so that’s why I jumped at the chance to review Madeline Deering’s Bathtub Shark Attack. It’s currently available on DVD and at many film festival appearances, but a Blu-ray release is pending in the next few months and more journalists are getting the chance to see it. Having followed the film’s director on Facebook, I’ve seen how passionate she is about getting this picture out to the public. Let me just say… All of her social media efforts do not do Bathtub Shark Attack any justice. It’s so much better than what you see online!
The film follows a young couple who move into a cheap apartment, only to discover an ancient evil lurking in their piping. Yes, it’s absurd and outlandish, but god damnit – I loved the fuck out of it. People are going to watch Bathtub Shark Attack, read my review saying that it’s near perfect and then come for my head on a spike. But, listen, HorrorSociety was originally founded by Mitchell Wells to promote INDEPENDENT scary movies and this title is what no-budget horror encompasses. Bathtub Shark Attack so accurately mirrors 1980’s B-movies when every joe schmo with a camera would put something out on VHS. It’s super fitting because I could see myself walking through the shelves of a VHS rental place in the early 1990s and stumbling across this flick. It’s an honest, hearty through back for sure!
Bathtub Shark Attack stars Ruby Craft, Benjamin Dietels, Carly Sonafelt, Tom Gross, Jerry Pietrala and The Crazy’s Lynn Lowry. The film was written, produced and directed by Madeline Deering. It features cinematography, editing and special effects by Joseph Russo. Angel O’Connor shared in the special effects and Marcus Koch designed the killer shark. Uno Gomazzi served as executive producer. Bathtub Shark Attack was shot under Nekro Shark Films and now I’m going to pay attention to anything this team creates because this title is absolutely beautiful in the most diabolical way. I feel like this cast and crew had a real lightening in a bottle effect that in return made this film so successful.
It’s retro. The camera work and audio leave a lot to be desired, but I truly believe that’s the whole point. It’s the less polished quality that makes the nostalgia come 10x harder. It’s campy and at other times plain erotic for no reason. And I’m so, so, so, so glad the team stuck with practical special effects in leu of a digital evil shark. Had they done the latter, that aspect would have ruined the nostalgia and killed the atmosphere. Madeline Deering has a true knowledge of realism in film and easily delivered my favorite killer shark movie this decade. And the best part is there’s built in ways for a sequel including the talking laundry machine and… well… genital shark… I know I would tune in for any continuation to this narrative. Just more death scenes, please. 5 was truly not enough!
Bathtub Shark Attack is the type of balls to the walls monster movie we need in 2024. Well done.
Final Score: 10/10! (Sue me, I loved it…)
