Blood "N" Bubbles

The History of Diving In the Movies.

We coined the term Blood 'N' Bubbles not in reference to any particular movie but rather to the way that film makers have historically portrayed scuba diving. Very few movies have been produced over the years that show the sport of diving the way that is really practisedfun, safe and devoid of monsters, bad guys and hungry sharks.

Blood 'N' Bubble movies come in all shapes and sizes, but for the most part the colour is red because of the blood. There are big budget Blood 'N' Bubble films (i.e. Sphere and Abyss), there are moderate budget B movies (i.e. Orca and ffolkes) and then there are the lake bottom exploitation movies like this month's feature.

The artwork shown here has a Jaws feel to it doesn't it? A woman swimming in the water doesn't realise that a monster is ogling her bikini clad bottom and is ready to show her the bottom of the bayankles first. The movie tag line is "It waits underwater to skin you alive". Accompanying advertisements warned movie goers to "Sign up for a trip to Paradise. But don't go near the water".

Sounds frightening doesn't it? Trouble is, none of that happens in the movie! Starring Kathryn Witt, William Steis and Laura Banks, this 1987 release from Warner Brothers / Concorde films takes place on a freshwater Hawaiian lake. Looking more like Mexico than Hawaii, the film tells the story of an ancient reptile man who after being awakened by dynamite (overzealous fishermen), decides to terrorise a lakeside resort. Made by the same people who brought us Equaliser 2000 and Vampire Hookers can you name this picture?

Answer

We freely admit that this month's quiz is a toughy. If you answered Demon of Paradise you probably do the vast majority of your diving in Blockbuster's reject bin!

Demon of Paradise, has very little diving in it and is best enjoyed because of the bad acting, cheesy sets and unbelievable plot lines. The movie is a remake of another Blood 'N' Blood stinker, Up From The Depths, a pathetic flick that used quite a bit of undersea footage.

The picture opens with a fisherman dynamiting the river. The big bang wakes up a prehistoric monster who swims to the surface looking for a cup of Kahoona coffee and a bite of a Hawaiian stew (the citizens of the fishing village and a nearby resort). The beast looks like the Creature from the Black Lagoon with a Rastaman hairdo. The scenes of horror aren't and the dialogue dives more than the actors do.

A female researcher does make it under the water. She dons scuba gear to save the monster for study purposes. She doesn't see the beast but she does locate a hidden cache of dead people probably the monster's midnight snack stash. The dive is suitably murky but wait a minute, there are small coral heads and sponges growing on the bottom of this fresh water riverthe producers bought stock reef footage for their river dives! And while we are on the topic of continuity problems, how come the diver wore a blue BC while on the boat yet when underwater the thing was suddenly yellow?

Rating - 1/2 Bubbles