Bloody Moon (1981)Movie Review

Trailer here.

Bloody Moon is a 1981 horror movie directed by Jesus Franco and starring Olivia Pascal.

The movie begins with a man called Miguel who is disfigured. He is at a party and he sees others having fun. He puts on a Mickey Mouse mask and pretends to be someone else.He murders a girl. He is put into a psychiatric hospital for a few years. Miguel is finally released into the care of his sister, Manuela(Nadja Geganoff). She is responsible for him. She has a language school in Spain along with Countess Maria Gonzales(Maria Rubio). A professor Alvaro arrives at the school. He is teaching Spanish there. Manuela and the Countess don't like each other. She accuses Manuela of trying to get her money. She gets burned to death in her bed.

A girl called Angela(Pascal) arrives at the school. Miguel sees her and watches her. The tennis coach, Antonio has spotted Angel and he likes her. He is a ladies man. We find out that Miguel and Manuela are in a sexual relationship. Manuela thinks that they could get together if things were different. A friend of Angela's goes to her room to borrow a jumper when she is murdered by a masked man. Angela discovers her friend and runs to tell Antonio. Alvaro shows up and she tells him but he doesn't believe it. Angela searches for her pal but cannot find her.

Angela sees Manuela and Antonio arguing. She asks him about it and he dismisses it. Another girl dies. Angela wants to leave the school. Miguel is creeping around looking at her. She barricades herself into a bungalow. Her friend Laura shows up and gets killed. Angela gets a creepy call from the killer. She finds a severed head in her bed.Her friend's body shows up and Laura's corpse hangs from the ceiling. The killer shows up to get her. Miguel tries to stop him.Angela runs.

Manuela and Alvaro are plotting to set up Miguel for the murders. Alvaro is the real culprit on Manuela's orders. She wanted the family money. Miguel hears this. He tries to kill Angela thinking that she is Manuela. Angela stabs him. Manuela kills Alvaro and saves Angela. She and Angela have an understanding. Somehow Miguel survives and kills his sister. The movie ends with Angela and Antonio together while the police arrive.

This film has so much happening in it that it is confusing at times. There are some good kills in it though. There is a scene with a saw that is gruesome! I liked this and I recommend it for fans of euro slashers. I will give it a 5/10.

Fear Below(2025) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Fear Below is a 2025 Australian thriller movie directed by Matthew Holmes and starring Hermione Corfield, Jake Ryan and Arthur Angel.

A van carrying gold drops its load on the road. A criminal called Bull(Ryan) is the leader of a criminal gang who have stolen it. His lackeys put the gold back into their truck but they end up crashing and the gold ends up in a river. They need divers to retrieve it. They go to a struggling diving company called Sea Dog Diving Company run by Ernie(Angel) and he has two partners-Clara(Corfield) and Jimmy(Jacob Junior Nayinggul). Bull offers them money to get the gold from the bottom of the river. They agree. Bull tells them to ask no questions. The divers meet Bull and his pals at the river. Unfortunately there is something in the river with them.

Clara and Jimmy find the van but can't open the door. Clara gets knocked over by a shark. She passes out when her air supply is cut off. They pull her out and realize it is a bull shark. Ernie tells Bull that he won't send his two divers in there until the shark is dead. Clara wants to leave the job. She doesn't trust Bull. A man called Bob Drummond is called in to get the shark. He goes out in a boat and tries to draw it out. It is too clever. It knocks the boat and Bob gets eaten by the shark.  Ernie tells Bull that he is not going to do the job but Bull threatens him. Ernie and Jimmy decide to go down and get the gold while Clara is on the shore. They lure the shark by putting meat into the water. They find it and try to bring it up but the shark sees them.

It attacks Ernie. Jimmy harpoons it. It goes after Ernie again and he stabs it with a knife. He dies. Jimmy is furious about it. He attacks one of Bull's lackies. Clara is going to go and retrieve the loot. She dives and loads up some of the gold. The shark is lurking. She hides from it and she finds a gun in the sunken van. The shark gets itself stuck inside the van after going to get her. The gold is brought to the surface. A cop shows up and confronts the group.  He shoots one of the gang and this makes Bull shoot him. There is a big fight between Jimmy and one of the gang. Clara ends up shooting him. Bull gets his machine gun out and he tries to kill Jimmy and Clara. They dive into the water. He gets into a boat and he follows them. He shoots into the water. Clara shakes the boat and it knocks him into the water.

Jimmy escapes. Clara pulls Bull down into the water. The shark is approaching. Clara gets into the boat and she gets the gun and shoots at him. The shark does the job for her. Bull becomes shark food. Jimmy and Clara survive. Cut to some time later and Jimmy and Clara are still working at the diving company. Ernie had a will and he left the company to Jimmy. The bank gives them a reward and they intend to buy a boat with it.  This was an unusual shark story. It is a mixture of thriller and monster movie. It was set in the 1940's also which made it different. I liked it though. The shark scenes were not bad and the cast did their job well.There was a familiar face in this. Jake Ryan played Robbo in Home and Away for a few years. I recommend this and give it a 5/10.