Killer Countdown - 6-Headed Shark Attack (2018)

 

 

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime Video

Movie Name/Year: 6-Headed Shark Attack (2018)

Genre: Action, Horror, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Length: 1h 26min

Rating: TV-14

Director: Mark Atkins

Writers: Koichi Petetsky, Mark Atkins

Actors: Brandon Auret, Thandi Sebe, Cord Newman, Naima Sebe, Tapiwa Musvosvi, Chris Fisher, Meghan Oberholzer, Jonathan Pienaar, Nikita Faber, Caitlin Harty, Charlie Keegan, Jessica Cloete, Marie Cavanna, Paul Gardyne, Wilco Wilkens

 

IMDb Blurb: Attendees of a marriage boot camp on a remote island have to fight a 6-headed shark that attacks the beach.

 

 

Selina’s Point of View:

First of all, Amazon Prime Video made me watch SEVEN ads before starting 6-Headed Shark Attack. SEVEN. That is excessive. Also, the movie is definitely not worth that many. I wouldn’t even watch that many in a row for most of my favorite films. 

That’s all besides the point, and more my review of Amazon Prime Video. Now, on to 6-Headed Shark Attack.

Honestly, I didn’t hate the start of it. At least the start of the part with the main cast. We see the couples starting a marriage-strengthening activity and some tension building. In that moment it seemed like the acting might not be all that rough. It wasn’t the most amazing story start, but it was certainly better than I expected from the many-headed shark attack series. I even wrote in my notes: “ok acting?” 

 

That feeling didn’t last long, though. Soon enough, it devolved into exactly what I thought I’d be getting.

The story took a couple of minor interesting turns, but most of it was about as formulaic as it could get, and everyone involved took the whole movie so seriously. 

Movies that get the “so bad, it’s good” label get it because the people involved know exactly what they’re part of and have fun with it. The people involved in 6-Headed Shark Attack seemed to think they were making the next Jaws (1975). 

All that said, it wasn’t the worst of the series. I wouldn’t immediately run to shut it off if someone threw it on during Shark Week or Halloween, it just wouldn’t be me throwing it on. 

 

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

I will admit that when we landed on 6-Headed Shark Attack as our #6 in this month's Killer Countdown, I groaned a bit... okay, a lot. I might have grumbled, even. I instantly had a reasonable expectation for this movie that I wasn't entirely thrilled about. I knew right away that this was going to either be a golden “so bad, it's good” moment for B-movies or it was going to be a cringeworthy shipwreck of sharksploitation. We've seen the multi-headed shark flicks before, but this one has more than the others. I don't remember being all that impressed with this film's predecessors.

 

Another major factor on my internal balance sheet for my anticipation of 6-Headed Shark Attack was that The Asylum made this movie. We have a bit of a love/loathe relationship with that particular production company. On the one hand, they've delivered B-movie golden classics like the Sharknado (2013) franchise. They've also produced well-received series' such as Black Summer (2019-2021). Unfortunately, they're most well-known for offerings such as Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark (2014) and Attack of the Meth Gator (2023).

 

The Sharknado movies captured a bit of that proverbial lightning in a bottle, though. Anything that crazy and cobbled together doesn't work without the iconic nostalgia-driven cast and epic cameos. Unfortunately, for 6-Headed Shark Attack, lightning didn't strike twice... for the 6^th time.

 

I promise that I really did try to give this movie a fair chance. I always go in with my optimism on high and as blank a slate as I can when I watch a film for review. Many people worked really hard to put each production together, after all. It feels disrespectful to instantly write something off or outright trash it, even if it falls short of basic expectations.

 

 

What's the verdict on the movie with the slogan “Don't Mix with the Six!” on its poster? It was better than I originally feared.

 

The premise of this star-shaped monstrosity with fins and teeth was just bonkers. There was very little character development, yet they were each well enough within their cliché archetypes that it wasn't entirely necessary for the purposes of this movie. The setting was well-used and generally added to the production value. They found an interesting location for this one, landscape-wise. The special effects were a mixed bag of surprisingly decent and laughably bad. The comedic elements were groan-worthy, and the plot was generally predictable.

 

What surprised me was that the cast actually... well, for the most part... pulled this off without adding the acting to the list of things that needed to be corrected. Honestly, 6-Headed Shark Attack struck gold when they brought Brandon Auret (Tremors 5: Bloodlines, Rogue, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire) on board. He's been in supporting roles and background characters in enough reasonably known movies that he's got a subtle recognizable factor – but Auret also sold his character. I went on a little emotional journey with him.

 

I didn't hate it.

 

6-Headed Shark Attack was a TV movie made for the Syfy Channel, and it plays out exactly how their schlocky B-movies generally do. This isn't one to take seriously at all – however, if you're looking for something fun in the background to turn into a drinking game or something like that (take a shot for every Sharksploitation film trope), this might be a great candidate. (Just maybe set yourself some limits so you don't end up with alcohol poisoning, and please have a designated driver on hand.)

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –30%

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – None

IMDB Score – 2.8/10

 

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5

 

Movie Trailer:

Killer Countdown - Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)

Streaming Service: Hoopla
Movie Name/Year: Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 1h 32min
Rating: R
Director: Brad Anderson
Writer: Anthony Jaswinski
Actors: Hayden Christensen, John Leguizamo, Thandiwe Newton, Jacob Latimore, Taylor Groothuis, Jordan Trovillion, Larry Fessenden

IMDb Blurb: The population of Detroit has almost completely disappeared, but a few remain. As daylight disappears they realize that the Dark is coming for them.

Cat’s Point of View:
I don't remember anything about Vanishing on 7^th Street from the time-period it was released. On paper, the premise and cast would promise an amazing and thrilling experience. I am not sure that what I watched lived up to those expectations entirely, but it was interesting.

There were definitely moments that got me, though. Vanishing on 7^th Street had an eerie vibe and kept me on the edge of my seat for the most part as the shadows closed in. We're hard-wired to have this primordial unease about the dark. It's instinctive, and this movie definitely plays on that. I read something recently that I found profound in its simplicity – we're not actually afraid of the dark, but what might be IN the dark. When you add people just going poof to that, it's unnerving.

The characters in this film are clearly going through some serious trauma. Thankfully, the production team put a cast together that really sold it well. The combination of Hayden Christensen (Takers, First Kill, Ahsoka), John Leguizamo (Encanto, The Menu, Violent Night), and Thandiwe Newton (Gringo, All the Old Knives, Westworld) really sold this movie when we were looking for a #7 for our Killer Countdown. I adore all of them, and they did the best they could here with what they had to work with. I could feel their despair, fear, and desperation. This was also the film debut for Jacob Latimore (Detroit, House Party, The Chi) and he has gone on to do some really great stuff. I was really impressed with him at his age when this was filmed.

In retrospect, Larry Fessenden (The Dead Don't Die, What Doesn't Float, MaXXXine) was wasted in the bit part he had here that I don't even think had lines. But this was over a decade ago, afterall, and before he made a name for himself – especially in the horror genre. 

Brad Anderson (The Call, Stonehearst Asylum, The Silent Hour) has some really solid films under his proverbial directorial belt. I did appreciate the storytelling here, though there were some kinks that just didn't quite get worked out before the final production was released. The character development was a little lopsided, but I can't tell if that was entirely intentional. We got a lot of subtle cues about Christensen's character and even a bit of a story arc of growth for him. We have very little regarding the other primary characters besides their occupations and what they were doing immediately before the “vanishing” happened. There are so many unanswered questions – but sometimes things are just like that in life. We don't get all the answers we want, and crazy unhinged stuff happens in the world every day that defies explanation. Perhaps the point was to leave the film even more unnerving because we don't get to learn exactly what the hell was going on. It's just a bleak story.

I did have a giggle regarding Leguizamo's character's job as a projectionist at an AMC theater. That was a wonderful little nugget of nostalgia for me, hearing the film reels whir. My first real job when I was in high school and college was at my local AMC theater. I digress...

Vanishing on 7^th Street isn't going to be for everyone. If you are the type that needs some clear resolution with your stories, this movie isn't going to be satisfying for you. The ending is even more perplexing than everything else that came before it and laden with heavy symbolism. Though, if you're open to just riding along for the experience, this film does provide the prerequisite mood, ambiance, and general creepy atmosphere for a few thrills.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 48%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 21%
Metascore – 50%
Metacritic User Score – 4.8/10
IMDB Score – 4.9/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Movie Trailer: