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Night Tide

Play trailer Poster for Night Tide 1961 1h 24m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
While on shore leave, sailor Johnny Drake (Dennis Hopper) becomes enamored of Mora (Linda Lawson), 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. Drake is still captivated by the mysterious woman, however, and begins to suspect that her boss, Capt. Murdock (Gavin Muir), may have something to do with Mora's murderous thoughts.

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Night Tide

Critics Reviews

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Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Harrington, who would go on to be known as an ideological successor of George Cukor due to his ability to work with a host of egotistical divas throughout his exciting career, proved to possess an exciting flair for genre even from this first effort. Nov 12, 2020 Full Review Eve Tushnet Patheos The dialogue is perfunctory, and both Hopper and his love interest seem to drop each line with a clunk... Oct 23, 2020 Full Review C.H. Newell Father Son Holy Gore This mythological horror explores how far a person will go to ensure they remain connected to those for whom they care deeply, even to wildly unhealthy and dangerous lengths. Rated: 4/5 May 1, 2019 Full Review Christopher Long Movie Metropolis The film is so deftly crafted ... that the creaks in the screenplay don't show too glaringly. Rated: 8/10 Nov 5, 2013 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews As a chiller, it's top-notch. Rated: A- May 9, 2010 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Aug 16, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jens B 🎃 "Night Tide" holds a similar value to "Little Shop of Horrors" with Jack Nicholson: it offers a glimpse into the early careers of significant actors. This doesn’t mean that much actually happens here. We watch Dennis Hopper wandering around Venice Beach in his sailor uniform (what a shithole) and encountering a mysterious woman. Perhaps she's a siren luring lustful men to their doom... 🃏 And then, well, not much else happens. There are conversations with a retired British captain who has the hand of an Arabian thief preserved in his living room cabinet. Or a tarot card reading that I barely remember. Or a surprisingly homoerotic massage scene. 🧜🏿‍♀️ Apart from that, there's a lot of coffee with the carousel woman, Dennis Hopper fooling around with a human-sized octopus, and eventually with a mermaid. Then some mysterious drama unfolds, and that's about it. I might have slept through important parts, but otherwise, this is a pretty sleepy film with zero scares. But thanks to Mr. Refn for the restoration—it looks great. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review JJ H If you love a film that makes up in creativity what it lacks in budget, this one is a gem. In black & white, the direction and cinematography really capture the foggy, windy atmosphere of a California beach. It's not all sunshine! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/17/23 Full Review william k Interesting, but ultimately disappointing phantasmagorical tale is successful creating a mysterious, dream-like atmosphere hinting at more than it delivers. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Just awesome. I can see why this is soo highly regarded as a horror classic. You can see it's influence all throughout the genre. It's a tragic tale, and it's excellently done. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/20 Full Review Audience Member Frustrating ~ Blobbo keep waiting Hopper learn to act. No such luck. This just boring-bad. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Splendidly cheesy / has excellent posters. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Night Tide

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Night Tide

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Movie Info

Synopsis While on shore leave, sailor Johnny Drake (Dennis Hopper) becomes enamored of Mora (Linda Lawson), 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. Drake is still captivated by the mysterious woman, however, and begins to suspect that her boss, Capt. Murdock (Gavin Muir), may have something to do with Mora's murderous thoughts.
Director
Curtis Harrington
Producer
Aram Kantarian
Screenwriter
Curtis Harrington
Production Co
Phoenix Film Partners
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 2, 2019
Runtime
1h 24m
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