Night Tide (1961) Poster

(1961)

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7/10
A Literary and Occult Classic If One Scratches the Surface
gavin694212 May 2009
This film excels both as a good narrative (though it borrows heavily from "Cat People"), but also on a deeper, symbolic level. While Dennis Hopper had small roles before this, "Night Tide" casts him as a lead, and he fares well. Reviewer Rick McGrath says, "Hopper's acting in Night Tide is, I think, ultimately suspect. It's fun to see him so young, so cute in his tight navy suit, but he plays Johnny Drake as a bumbling, nervous, fidgety, slightly stupid loner ... so much so he often seems dislocated from the action and his co-stars." I don't know that I agree. Surely he comes across as nervous and shy at times, but bumbling? Clearly his character was designed to be young and inexperienced -- this is necessary for the scene in which he confronts Captain Murdock (Gavin Muir) in his home and is told tales of the Sirens and is shown a dismembered Arab hand. A hardened sailor wouldn't be so spongelike for forbidden knowledge.

McGrath refers to this film as "a psychosexual tale of freudian camp and hilarity". I think it's deeper than that. Yes, there's more sexuality than is presented on screen, but I don't accept the absurd premises of McGrath, who goes so far as to say one scene involving a dock is "phallic". No way. Is the film campy and hilarious? To a point, sure. It's the early 1960s and the budget is low. But the writer and director, Curtis Harrington, seems to have a vision and executes it with finesse. The opening scene clues us in that Harrington is a man who cares about visuals, and we are reminded of this again alter on when we see Mora close up in the sideshow mermaid tank. He frames shots to reveal not just an object, but an emotion.

The casual viewer may overlook the literary and occult themes present in this short film, but I think the flower that is "Night Tide" cannot fully bloom without this understanding. As revealed in the closing credits, the film takes its name from a verse in Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee":

"And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling - my darling - my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea."

The poem highlight's Poe's love of a woman so strong it stretches beyond death, and also happens to be the last complete poem he ever wrote, in essence his "last words". The macabre nature of the poem underscores the hidden darkness of "Night Tide" that may not be apparent to all viewers.

Captain Murdock is a man with a rich sense of literature and philology. He is clearly familiar with Greek legends, as he relates the tale of the Sirens briefly to Drake. Presumably he is also the one who named Mora after finding her on a Greek island (assuming her origin is truthful). The name "Mora" is likely a variation of the Greek name "Moira", one of the Fates of legend. Her name translates roughly to "fate", "destiny" or "doom", a fitting moniker for a woman who is the death of her lovers. Murdock also paraphrases a notable line from Shakespeare's Hamlet:

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

As an aside, it is worth noting that Harrington named his main character "Drake", a male duck, which may be symbolic of Johnny's being torn between land and sea, as ducks are comfortable equally with both. This is clear from his career as a Navy man who spends his time on the ocean, but seems more at home on the shore. And, of course, it parallels his love of Mora, the creature of the sea, with the relative safety of the land where she is unable to lure him to a watery grave.

Most viewers will miss the occult connection, as it is not made overtly clear in the film. The only sign we have to go off of is Murdock's address in Venice, 777 Saabek Lane. "777" may be familiar to Biblical scholars as one of the numbers of perfection -- 7, the number of God himself, combined with 3, the unity of the trinity. It is alluded by this address that Murdock is a man of knowledge and power, both mysterious and esoteric. But also, this is a number associated with Aleister Crowley, the famed English occultist. This is no mere coincidence, as Crowley has a connection to this film.

His connection comes through the woman who plays the "water witch" that speaks the odd language, Marjorie Elizabeth Cameron (1922-1995). Cameron was the wife of rocket scientist Jack Parsons, a friend of Alesiter Crowley who was hand-chosen to lead California's Agape Lodge in 1942. Parsons, incidentally, was also a magick partner with Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Cameron came to be involved with "Night Tide" as she had partied with co-star Dennis Hopper in the 1950s, and worked with Curtis Harrington and Kenneth Anger in 1954's "Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome" -- Anger was another Crowley devotee, who also knew Manson Family member Bobby Beausoleil. He later associated with Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey. To say that Cameron, Hopper and Harrington had connections to Crowley and the occult would be a mere truism, and that occult symbolism figures into "Night Tide" should not be considered a stretch.

(Review considered too long by IMDb... see Killer Reviews for complete write-up.)
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7/10
Night Tide
Scarecrow-8821 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Sailor visits Venice Beach pier Amusement park, falling in love with a mysterious young woman who portrays a mermaid in an alcoholic captain's show. When two men are found dead, she becomes a suspect and it could mean danger towards the sailor if he continues to carry on relations with her.

Early method performance from Dennis Hopper, as the droopy-eyed, rather melancholy, lonely sailor who seeks love, only to find it in a doomed romance with a girl who yearns for his, but seems to be harboring a secret which threatens any chance for a meaningful relationship. While it does feature atmospheric direction from Curtis Harrington, Night Tide wasn't the chiller I was expecting, but more of a sombre tale of two young people finding each other, not allowed to be together as they so desire due to circumstances which may or may not be supernatural.

The key to what ails them could lie in Captain Samuel Murdock(Gavin Muir), a former journeyman who found Mora(the lovely Linda Lawson, in a haunting performance)as a girl left to starve in Greece. Mora believes she might actually be a mermaid, for she "hears the calls from the sea people." Johnny Drake(Hopper)attempts to persuade her away from such nonsense, he believes is a delusion planted in her mind. Luana Anders, who is simply adorable, is the daughter of a barker so obviously in love with Johnny that it's evident all over her face and demeanor when he's near.

I think Night Tide will definitely be of interest for those who can only see Hopper as an actor who portrays foul, ugly, repellent characters, Johnny quite a polar opposite of those type of roles. Very quiet and subdued, Johnny is the kind of character that is quite approachable and pleasant. It's an interesting character in his resume, but one I'm sure will surprise those who are accustomed to his Frank Booths and other loud, abrasive monsters. Marjorie Eaton has a memorable part as a clairvoyant whose tarot reading for Johnny heightens the final chapter of the movie. The movie's mood and temperament parallels Johnny, the central character. Nice little sleeper, with many effective night scenes, and a rather seductive setting. Ultimately, the result of Mora's dilemma truly is tragic because it doesn't have to end the way it does, but due to an obsessive kind of love, leading to deception and murder, the conclusion is fated to happen as it unfolds.
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Myth and mystery
mermatt3 October 1999
Though it is a small production, it is interesting in the way it deals with the myth and mystery of the sea and its lore. We are purposely given sketchy information about the carnival mermaid who may in fact be a siren luring the lonely sailor nearly to his doom.

A very young Hopper plays the sailor, and Lawson is sufficiently enchanting to make us believe that she is more than just a girl wearing a fake fishtail. The film has a TWILIGHT ZONE quality to it, leaving the viewer wondering at the end.
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6/10
intriguing offbeat oddity
Jonny_Numb9 October 2005
Released one year prior to the atmospheric, surreal horror classic "Carnival of Souls," "Night Tide" is a similarly bizarre film that radiates an odd effect. Johnny (a young Dennis Hopper) falls in love with Mora (Linda Lawson), a sideshow performer who might also be a mermaid with a penchant for murdering her lovers. The performances are adequate and realistic, with Hopper conveying a proper balance of lovestruck awe and confusion; Lawson is fittingly remote and enigmatic. Writer-director Curtis Harrington builds a fair amount of suspense and limits the action to several effective dream sequences, thereby retaining a surreal mood. Not as wild as Jack Hill's "Spider Baby," nor as subtly brilliant as "Carnival of Souls," "Night Tide" is a diverting in-between that's worth a look.
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7/10
Early Hopper Mood Piece!
shepardjessica-120 November 2004
Fascinating study with great location and innocent performance by Dennis Hopper who looks about sixteen years old, but is actually in his late 20's. Linda Lawson is lovely and mysterious and it's always great to see Luanna Anders. I hope this film has some kind of cult following because it's so strange.

A 7 out of 10. Best performance = Dennis Hopper. This is on DVD now and fairly easy to find. If you're a Hopper fan, this is a must-see. Great black and white cinematography and eery feel the entire film that is unexplainable. This should definitely have a higher rating by IMDb voters (in my opinion).
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6/10
Stylish low-budget mood piece...
moonspinner5527 November 2005
Sailor on shore-leave meets and falls for a mysterious woman who works as a carnival mermaid on the California coast. Is she a neurotic or actually a descendant of the Sirens? Moody mystery isn't quite the thriller it was advertised as. It has a straightforward narrative and very few actual surprises, but there are surreal bits, a great beatnik party on the beach, terrific black-and-white cinematography, and handsome, pre-hippie Dennis Hopper at his most grounded and friendly (and polite!). The film hopes to absorb its audience by means of atmosphere and little red herrings, not big shocks. I admired the film, but it's not to every taste. **1/2 from ****
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7/10
A Man Needs a Murmaid
amosduncan_200011 April 2007
Oddball cheapie is a lot of atmospheric fun for about an hour or so, then kind of just peters out with a weak ending. Still, there is a nice tone to the off hand, low key acting, and it is wonderful for an L.A. Lover to see Santa Monica and Venice as they looked in this period. This film, along with Welles "Touch Of Evil" and John Parker's "Dementia" aka "Daughter of Horror", form a sort of dark trilogy of Venice Beach Noir. The unmistakable Bruno Ve Sota (the poor man's Orson Welles?) is in two of them. Anyway, it's a must for any fan of the "Pyschotronic" film underground, you'll be glad you checked it out. Love the scene with the Seagull.
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9/10
An all-time favorite of mine
nevfahs24 August 2009
Don't get me wrong... I don't think this is a great achievement in film making.

I stumbled across this movie on late night TV, back in the early days of UHF, when, at 13 or 14, it was very exciting to me to have new channels that were so low budget that they showed things that, in the light of mainstream, 3 channel, VHF programming, seemed very much like they were being beamed in from another galaxy.

Through the lens of adolescent angst that I saw it through, this is a movie about unbearable loneliness, brilliantly captured by Dennis Hopper, whose only way out of his loneliness is through a beautiful woman from another world that he can't fully understand.

Like Kabuki theater on Darvon, he moves through the shadows of this overfiltered dreamworld of seaside 1960. The real monster is loneliness, and unlike most horror movies, the monster wins this one.

The setting, the off season seaside resort (and it could have been any, not just Venice Beach) was perfect, being there by oneself is possibly the loneliest experience one could have, hinting at a livelier, fun=filled world that, because of time, is unattainable.

It represents to me, maybe the first "indie" film I saw and recognized as one, "indie" in the original sense of a movie that was not made to be a box office hit, but because someone HAD to make a movie about something they felt strongly about, or had an artistic vision that had to be shared. Many of the earlier examples of these movies found their way onto UHF, because they were cheap to rent. But they got me hooked, and as soon as I could drive, sought out the art theaters in nearby towns that showed what was then called "underground" cinema, Kenneth Anger, John Waters (pre-flamingoes) I am Curious (Yellow and Blue.) These films are not as enchanting to me now, but then, none of them ever lived up to Night Tide for me.

For sentimental reasons, this has always been, and will always be, one of my very favorite movies.
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6/10
Deliciously spooky
Leofwine_draca4 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
NIGHT TIDE is a low budget black and white horror of 1961, very low budget but delivering on the atmosphere in a similar way to other films like CARNIVAL OF SOULS, DEMENTIA 13 and CITY OF THE DEAD. Dennis Hopper is an interesting choice of lead, playing a sailor who falls in love with a girl who finds employment as a carnival exhibit; a mermaid, in fact. What follows is a story that draws in mystery, imagination, murder, and touches of the supernatural. The pace is subdued as are the performances, but there's something deliciously old-fashioned and spooky about the whole thing.
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4/10
There's something about Mora.
BA_Harrison31 July 2022
Lured by the sweet sweet sound of the jazz flute, sailor Johnny Drake (Dennis Hopper) enters the Blue Grotto bar at Venice Beach where he becomes captivated by a beautiful young woman called Mora (Linda Lawson). Despite her initial frostiness, Johnny wins Mora over with his affability and begins dating her, learning how she makes her living in a sideshow attraction as a mermaid. However, talking to other folk at the carnival, Johnny also learns that Mora believes herself to be a real mermaid, and that her previous two boyfriends drowned in suspicious circumstances. Could Johnny be next to meet a watery fate?

The first feature from director Curtis Harrington, Night Tide possesses an eerie and ethereal atmosphere not unlike the following year's over-rated cult classic Carnival of Souls; there's also more than a touch of Val Lewton about the film, with a splash of The Twilight Zone for good measure. Throughout the movie, Harrington plays with his audience, keeping them in the dark about whether Mora is merely a confused young woman with deep-seated emotional issues, or whether she really is a 'person of the sea'. Unfortunately, the novice director allows the pace to drag, doesn't generate much suspense and fails to pull all the strings together in a satisfactory manner for the somewhat muddled (some might say 'ambiguous') conclusion.

Thankfully, Mora's wild beach dance to groovy bongo beats and the octopus dream sequence help to prevent the film from being totally dullsville.
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10/10
Atmospheric gem of a time long past.
mandall21 April 2006
I have been obsessed with this movie for quite some time. It's setting in Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier in the early 1960's, captures an eerie, desolate, seediness that is disappearing faster than mold in the sunlight as our urban landscape becomes more homogeneous and bland. I love so many details of this movie such as the jazz combo in the Blue Grotto, the name "Blue Grotto", the carousel, the apartment over the carousel looking out over the water, the tacky carnival atmosphere, the beatnik bongo players on the beach, the mysterious incredible Cameron as the sea witch in flowing black veils, the strange, haunting score, Captian Murdock's home filled with oddities from his travels, the gloomy lighting and crumbling buildings with beautiful baroque detailing and a low, howling wind whistling though the canals. It all melds together in to a gem of a movie that I never get tired of watching. As for the acting, I found Dennis Hopper to be quite convincing and appealing as a nice lonely boy, so refreshingly different from his later roles. The result is a movie that is mysterious, haunting and beautiful which captures the sublime essence of a magical dream falling into decay.
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7/10
One seductive mermaid
210west2 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I first saw this movie many years ago and had happy memories of its moody seaside-carnival atmosphere, of Dennis Hopper's likably open youthful performance, and of Linda Lawson's enchanting mermaid, Mora -- all aspects much commented upon here at IMDb. I recently picked up a cheapie DVD version (its cover actually manages to misspell Lawson's name twice as "Larson") from a bin at a dollar store down at appropriately seedy Rockaway Beach; and though I can see why I fell in love with the sexy dark-haired Lawson, a real beauty, and still admire the film's haunting atmosphere and its excellent black-and-white photography, it is a bit more talky and slow-moving than I'd recalled, and owes a bit more to Val Lewton's "Cat People" than I'd first realized. (Perhaps I'd have been more patient with it if I'd been seeing it for the first time.) I'd also believed, all these years, that the story ended on a distinctly supernatural note, or at least one of ambiguity. The conclusion does retain, in truth, a hint of the supernatural, but it's outweighed by a long psychological explanation -- long and, for the Mora character, genuinely tragic -- which I'd conveniently blotted out of my memory. Still, Lawson does remain one seductive mermaid, and the sadness of her story -- of what is essentially her victimization -- makes her character all the more touching.
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5/10
Possibly justfiably forgotten
oshram-329 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This 1961 low key thriller is more low key than thriller, and likely would have been relegated to the dustbin of forgotten films had not Dennis Hopper starred in it. Hopper plays a Navy midshipman named Johnny who just happens to have the bad luck to fall for a mermaid (maybe) named Mora (Linda Lawson). It unspools not unlike Splash, save that there's precious little intentional comedy in here -- if anything, it takes itself a tad too seriously given the weak script and scattershot performances. But it's an effectively moody piece, much of it shot at night in and around the Santa Monica pier, which makes it a nice time capsule of certain parts of Southern California circa the very early 60s.

Hopper is his usual semi-wooden self, and Lawson, while a gorgeous creature, isn't that much better. A relatively weak ending helps sink the picture, unfortunately. Really this is a curio piece more than anything else; in the right hands it could have been a neat little movie, but as is, eh, not really worth your while unless you just love the period (like I do).
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Part of an American "New Wave"
dougdoepke27 June 2010
No need to repeat the plot or dwell on consensus points. A few remarks about the movie's significance might be helpful, however. Harrington's quirky little film was part of a larger independent effort in the early 1960's to break away from studio domination and commercial conformity. The movement came along in the wake of John Cassavetes' groundbreaking Shadows (1960), and also at a time when European films from Fellini, Bergman and the French New Wave, et al, were expanding audience perceptions. Shadows proved that audiences were ready for a more daring product than what Hollywood of the 50's was producing. Perhaps more importantly, Shadows showed that a quality feature-length film could be done on a small budget ($40,000), with a non-union crew, get commercially distributed, and be reviewed in major publications (Night Tide, I recall, managed a good review in mainstream Newsweek). One or more of these factors had long prevented emergence of an independent film movement outside studio bounds. But by the early 60's, times had changed.

Night Tide remains an oddity, sort of a blending of Shadows and Roger Corman with the ghost of Val Lewton hovering in the background. The ending is unfortunate, something of a loss of nerve given Harrington's overall imaginative approach. What impressed me then, and still does, is the director's visual style. Most every frame amounts to a well-composed visual treat, even when taking in the flat side of Santa Monica's ocean front. It's a measured, near- lyrical style, well suited at capturing the poetical side of horror a la Lewton—a dimension sorely missing from today's bloodfests. Anyway, the movie shows considerable promise; I'm just sorry Harrington slipped into obscurity, never developing into the career I think his talent deserved. Meanwhile, the movie furnishes a look-see into what was then a fresh movement in film-making.
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7/10
NIGHT TIDE (Curtis Harrington, 1961) ***
Bunuel197614 June 2007
I had long been interested in checking out this low-budget fantasy; as soon as I learned of writer/director Harrington’s passing, I ordered it and another horror title of his – RUBY (1977). I was afraid that the 1999 Image/Milestone DVD (in a snap case!) would have gone OOP by this time, but I got lucky. Anyway, I loved the film: it was Harrington’s first feature-length effort (and the best that I’ve watched from him); of his remaining work, I’m most interested in the psychological thriller GAMES (1967) – which has never been shown in my neck of the woods and, regrettably, is still M.I.A. on DVD – though I should be getting to his sci-fi concoction QUEEN OF BLOOD (1966) fairly soon.

While watching NIGHT TIDE, I was reminded of other arty (though small-scale and independently-produced) cult horror items from that creative era – such as DEMENTIA (1953), CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962) and INCUBUS (1965). Richard Valley perceptively remarks in the DVD liner notes that the film presents what is probably cinema’s only wicked mermaid: the aquatic legend at the core of the narrative – with the compulsion it places on the girl concerned to kill her current lover, and the intermittent appearance of a mysterious older member of the ‘species’ (who greets her in a foreign tongue) – is clearly influenced by CAT PEOPLE (1942), the Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur classic (incidentally, lead Dennis Hopper is seen here following the so-called ‘Water Witch’ played by Cameron, an eccentric figure with artistic and occult leanings popular around this time – could this be an inversion of the celebrated night-time stalking scene on New York streets from CAT PEOPLE?). However, the film can also be defined Hitchcockian – sharing its enigmatic female lead with VERTIGO (1958) and featuring a PSYCHO (1960)-ish explanatory ending.

The cast is interesting: it’s refreshing to see Hopper playing wholesome, rather than one of his trademark psychotics; Linda Lawson is quite striking as the mermaid girl; Gavin Muir is imposing in an ambiguous role (originally intended for Peter Lorre!); and Luana Anders likable in the small but touching part of ‘the other woman’. Thanks to its dreamy cinematography by Vilis Lapenieks (though an uncredited Floyd Crosby did the studio interiors), the evocative carnival/sea-side setting (partly filmed at Venice Beach, which I visited a number of times while in L.A. in late 2005) and a fine score by David Raksin, the film is turned into a hypnotic mood piece. Especially effective are the quirky scene early on in which seagulls are compulsively attracted to Lawson’s bizarrely-decorated apartment (thus anticipating Hitchcock’s own THE BIRDS [1963]!); the hero’s nightmares which see Lawson metamorphose first into an octopus and then into Cameron herself; the scene in which Hopper finds Lawson mysteriously tied to the pier; and the suspenseful climax (following the girl’s ‘inexplicable’ underwater attack on Hopper, the latter confronts Muir at his tent and is shown Lawson’s drowned body, while being threatened with a gun – then we cut away and, on resuming the scene, find that Muir has been disarmed).

A quotation from Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee”, in which the title is mentioned, concludes the film; incidentally, Roger Corman (director of several cinematic adaptations of the author’s work) helped raise finance for it – and Harrington himself twice filmed “The Fall Of The House Of Usher” as a short subject, made at a distance of some 60 years from one another! By the way, while NIGHT TIDE was first shown at the 1961 Venice Film Festival, it wasn’t officially released in the U.S. until 1963; as if to make up for this, Harrington proudly states that the film has often been revived over the years – chiefly through the copy he personally donated to Henri Langlois of the Cinematheque Francaise!

The accompanying Audio Commentary is something of a letdown, being a laidback conversation between star and director (who have remained friends): however, both tend to be sketchy about several of the details pertaining to the shooting – and, too often, lazily resort to merely pointing out the locations used for any given scene!

Finally, both the “DVD Drive-in” and “DVD Savant” reviews mention Harrington’s early short work as being in a similar vein to his debut feature; one wonders whether this will ever be more readily available, particularly now that the director’s gone.
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7/10
A chiller with a very effective low-key ambiance
Red-Barracuda16 March 2015
This is a real unheralded minor gem. It has a similar tone and atmosphere to Carnival of Souls (1962) yet is much less well known than that cult classic. Both films stories are based around carnivals, in Carnival of Souls it was an abandoned one whereas Night Tide is set in an off-season seaside resort. The melancholic, lonely ambiance given off by this setting is one of the chief strengths of the film. A sailor falls in love with a carnival girl who believes herself to be a mermaid, an underwater race who kill by the full moon. She says she has been responsible for the deaths of her previous two lovers.

In keeping with the haunting and dreamy atmosphere, the mermaid is portrayed as a doomed creature who takes no joy in her situation. The film displays the influence of the Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur films of the 40's and 50's in the way that it presents its chilling story in a highly subtle, sophisticated manner. I was especially brought to mind of Cat People (1942) with is cursed central female character. It also shares another detail from that film, with its mysterious woman in the periphery of events who interacts occasionally and appears to also be one of the mythical race. This latter aspect is very well integrated into the story and adds a nice bit of ambiguity to events. The haunting jazz score also perfectly captures the right ambiance of the events. Lastly, there is Dennis Hopper who has one of his early starring roles here, unusually he plays a gentle soul and he does it very convincingly; although, in fairness, the cast in general all put in fine performances. This low budget flick is one that remains very emotive and interesting. It takes a less obvious approach to its material and this pays off with a haunting, tragic tale that makes quite an impact.
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6/10
Dennis Hopper Makes a "Splash"... ;=8)
MooCowMo12 June 2000
Odd, cowpelling little film, very mooch in the vein of moovies like "Carnival of Souls", about a lonely, fresh-faced sailor(Dennis Hopper) who falls madly in love with a mysterious, siren-like woman(Linda Lawson) who may be a mermaid - and a monster. Pre-psycho Hopper("Blue Velvet", "Easy Rider", "Apocalypse Now")actually plays a straight, all-American nice guy (for a change!), who happens to fall for the wrong beautiful girl. Lawson("Lets Kill Uncle", "Apache Rifles") makes for one sexy sea nymph, although she does dance like Elaine Bettis with rickets. Rounding out the cast nicely is the always-snuggly Luana Anders("Dementia 13", "Reform School Girls('57)", "Easy Rider") as the sweetie next-door who has the hots for Hopper's peach-faced sailor. Shot on a low budget, to be sure, but capably acted & directed, with a pretty neat story. Editing problems abound, and the climax is a little hokey, but the MooCow says this is one forgotten flick that should be dug up from the rubbish pile of stinky 60's monster flicks. "Night Tide" was written and directed by Curtis Harrington, whose stinky directing resume includes such bombs as "Killer Bees", "Voyage to the Pre-Historic Planet", and "Devil Dog: Hound of Hell", as well as stinky 80's tv series "Dynasty" and "The Colbys". "Night Tide" is one of those few moovies that you actually want to thank American International Pictures for making, since they would have been the ONLY production company to touch a film like this. The MooCow says dive right into "Night Tide" - the water is fine!! ;=8)
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7/10
Curtis Harrington outfits Dennis Hopper
wes-connors9 April 2009
Lonely, young sailor Dennis Hopper (as Johnny Drake) enters a seaside California tavern and spies exotic, forlorn beauty Linda Lawson (as Mora). Smitten, Mr. Hopper walks her home, but receives only an invitation to breakfast, the next day. The next morning, Hopper shares a breakfast of mackerel with Ms. Lawson (and a seagull). Lawson explains she works as a mermaid for the local carnival. Hopper begins a relationship with the strange woman, who implies she may be descended from real mermaids. Then, he learns her previous boyfriends died mysteriously…

Curtis Harrington's "Night Tide" is absorbing, atmospheric, and hypnotic. Director Harrington and star Hopper are perfectly suited to each other, focusing on Hopper's achingly natural, and almost impossibly poignant, characterization. The photography (Vilis Lapenieks) and music (David Raksin) are also in tune. Lawson is magnetic and mysterious. Shakespearean reader Gavin Muir (as Samuel Murdock) and coffee-loving Luana Anders (as Ellen Sands) join in the struggle for Hopper's mind and body. If only there were a couple of re-takes, another edit, and a clearer resolution…

******* Night Tide (8/61) Curtis Harrington ~ Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir, Luana Anders
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9/10
Surreal and atmospheric gem!
The_Void21 August 2008
Night Tide is an effective low budget horror that works mainly thanks to the surreal and creepy atmosphere. The movie somewhat unique as it handles a subject rarely seen in horror movies; that being the legend of the mermaid (the only other one I've seen is 2001's She Creature). The film is directed by Curtis Harrington who directed a handful of low budget horror movies in the sixties and seventies and obviously has some talent; as the low budget of this one is excellently masked by his stylish direction and constantly fascinating plot line. The film focuses on a young navy man by the name of Johnny Drake. He spots the captivating Mora in a bar and gets chatting to her, eventually deciding he likes her and the feeling is mutual. Mora is a strange girl and this is highlighted by the fact that for a job, she wears a fake fish tail and sits in a tank that looks like it's filled with water to fool circus-goers into believing she is a mermaid. However, it's not long before Johnny comes to believe she could be a real mermaid...

One of the most notable things about this film is the early role for the great Dennis Hopper. It's somewhat different to the roles he would come to be known for; and while the performance is somewhat understated and the young man was not a master of his craft in 1961; it's still a very good role and the actor convinces excellently as the naive young seaman. Director Curtis Harrington slowly builds the plot line as the film goes along and constantly draws us into the mystery. The fact that the film is based on a mythology not often used ensures that the film is more interesting than it might have been otherwise, and some attempt is made to build this mythology via a conversation between two of the leading characters; although I would have preferred a little more on the interesting back-story. The film is very intriguing for the first hour and after that it does go off the boil a little and the final third is not so good. Still, the ending (while slightly disappointing), is well done and intriguing enough. Overall, this is a very good little horror film and is well worth seeing!
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7/10
Interesting movie
funkyfry1 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Well for whatever reason the first time I saw this movie I was extremely impressed with it, but this time around it seemed quite a bit rough around the edges. Still, I have to give this movie a lot of credit for originality in bringing a sort of fantasy sensibility into a "noir" kind of story. Also I think in some of the moments here when Dennis Hopper hits his stride, we're seeing basically "A Star is Born" situation going on and that makes the film precious in a whole other way.

The plot owes quite a lot to Jacques Tourneur's "The Cat People" -- this is the aquatic version of that film. There's even a mysterious woman who confronts the heroine in a restaurant in a scene lifted from Tourneur's film directly. What I enjoyed here that wasn't in Tourneur's film is the seedy carnival atmosphere. But in so many areas, particularly Luana Anders performance as the "good girl", the film fails to take advantage of interesting possibilities and instead presents clichés as if they were fully formed ideas.

The nightmare sequences are awkward but intriguing, the mood and tone of the film is pleasingly dark and empty. This film may have in turn influenced other films, particularly Herk Harvey's famous "Carnival of Souls" which features a similar scene underneath an amusement boardwalk and a similar quiet mood.
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4/10
Disappointing ending.
DanielWRichardson6 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This was the last film in the "AMC Monsterfest: Cult Classics- Collection 1" and I was coming off the high of watching "Carnival of Souls". The fact that this movie had Dennis Hopper in it also was a draw for me. Well starting off, it had a very slow pace. But I stuck with it. The only thing that peaked my interest was that witch lady who always seemed to be around. So at about the halfway mark the movie picks up and now I'm kinda curious. Is she really a mermaid? Is this all in his head? Is this all in her head? Is someone behind it all? Is the witch somehow involved? Etc, etc. Then the ending comes and I'm like "What the heck?" Just when the story starts getting good it ends, and ends in such a bizarre way. Not a good bizarre either. It wasn't like a David Lynch ending. This ending almost didn't make sense. Maybe if I watch it again I'd like it more. That happens sometimes. Some movies require two viewings.
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9/10
To complement the other excellent reviews
zeugitai16 April 2015
I read several of the other reviews and some of the highly rated reviews manage to describe the experience of viewing this film quite well. Several aspects of the film receive little or no mention. One of these is the excellent soundtrack, very early-sixties, jazzy, musically sophisticated, well orchestrated. I firmly believe that the soundtrack makes or breaks the illusion of any television show or film. The soundtrack creates and maintains the mood. It isn't overdone, isn't at all clichéd or predictable and it lifts this simple, moody, black and white film into the realm of effectiveness. All of the actors acquit themselves well enough to maintain the mood. People may be critical of the film for lacking high production values or brisk pacing. I rate it highly for hanging together as a cogent work of art, for carrying its story through to fruition, for managing to affect the viewer and for stimulating moods and feelings. It manages to synergize into something more than its parts and its flaws. It leaves the viewer with remembered images and the sense of having experienced something poignant. As another reviewer said, I have watched it several times and always manage to be moved by it. Having said all that, as another reviewer said, it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
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7/10
Horrified mermaid
Chase_Witherspoon25 May 2012
Naive young sailor Johnny (Hopper) lobs into a seaside town on shore leave and discovers the beguiling Mora (Lawson), dark, sensuous beauty who dons a fish tail to play a sideshow mermaid for a living. But her mysterious past and strange affinity with the sea and its inhabitants causes concern among the townsfolk who implore Johnny to walk away before he ends up dead. Moody, black and white bleached beatnik treatment with some funky jazz arrangements cloaks a clever thriller that might be regarded as laboured to some, but there's a satisfying climax for those who can hang in till the end.

Hopper is simple and understated, never intellectualising his small-town character who's just in uniform to see the world, without appreciating what's beneath the surface (there's a critical scene where Hopper thinks he's going to set Lawson straight on her mermaid fantasy, but Lawson's wisdom as she calmly emasculates his blind, patriotic ignorance is a poignant observation). Lawson is sultry and seductive, burdened by the sinister secret of the sea, her adopted guardian played by Gavin Muir as the lonely sea captain is another tortured soul, for whom there must be some sympathy. Luana Anders has a minor supporting role for those familiar with her pert, Cheshire grin and hometown girl appeal. She has little to contribute but her coffee, nevertheless, she's a scene stealer all the same.

Well photographed and scripted, the dialogue is tightly focused and delivered with precision - Harrington has crafted a compelling pocket-sized thriller that culminates in a climax that's sudden, shocking and sure to please. There might be a snag or two with the convenience of the conclusion and a seemingly unresolved sub-plot, but they're not deal breakers.
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5/10
Hmm
artpf16 November 2013
On leave in a shore side town, Johnny becomes interested in a young dark haired woman.

They meet and he learns that she plays a mermaid in the local carnival.

After strange occurrences, Johnny begins to believe that she may actually be a real mermaid that habitually kills during the cycle of the full moon.

Low budget Roger Corman-ish budget.

Very 60s.

Almost filmed like an extended Twilight Zone episode.Man meets girl. Girl eats men.

It's an interesting period place positioned right smack in the beat generation.

It's worth a watch, but don't expect to be moved all that much. It's really a short story expanded to 90 minutes.
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