Chupacabra: Dark Seas
3.4 /10 1 Votes
Director John Shepphird Language English Duration Language English | 3.2/10 IMDb Genre Fantasy, Horror Country US | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date January 29, 2005 Writer Steve Jankowski, John Shepphird Cast (Captain Randolph), (Lance), (Dr. Peña), David Millbern (Rick McGraw), Mark Viniello (Chupacabra), Joel McKinnon Miller (Officer Hamilton)Similar movies Silent Hill , Bone Tomahawk , The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , Halloween , I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance is Mine , The Collector | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A scheme would smuggle a legendary creature into the United States on a cruise ship, but things go horribly awry.
Contents
Chupacabra: Dark Seas (released on DVD as Chupacabra Terror) is a 2005 Syfy channel original film directed by John Shepphird and starring John Rhys-Davies, Giancarlo Esposito, Dylan Neal, and Chelan Simmons. It was filmed on location in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Cryptozoologist Doctor Peña traps the legendary Chupacabra on a remote Caribbean Island to make his name in the scientific community. When he smuggles it aboard the cruise ship Regent Queen, commanded by Captain Randolph, the monster breaks out of the cargo hold and makes a smorgasbord out of the passengers and crew.
Plot
Dr. Pena (Esposito), a cryptozoologist, manages to capture El Chupacabra on a remote Caribbean island and smuggles it aboard the cruise ship Regent Queen, commanded by Captain Randolph (Rhys-Davies) with the assistance of his young daughter, and ship fitness instructor, Jenny (Simmons). The Regent Queen has been experiencing a rash of burglaries, and Federal Marshal Lance Thompson (Neal) is brought on board to investigate.
Unfortunately, crew members sneak into the cargo hold on their break; their curiosity getting the better of them, they accidentally unlock the contained holding the creature. It kills them and escapes into the ship. When bodies start turning up, all passengers are ordered back to their cabins. However, an old woman is trying to catch her Shih Tzu; she follows it into the casino, where she finds, to her horror, El Chupacabra devouring her dog. Seeing the woman a better meal, the beast attacks and eats her.
U.S. Navy Seals are called in to help stop the creature, but their efforts are hindered by Dr. Pena, who believes the creatures life is more valuable than the lives of those aboard. The Navy Seals are killed off one by one by the beast and Dr. Pena resorts to using Jenny as live bait to recapture El Chupacabra. However, he is foiled when the beast outsmarts and fatally wounds him. Jenny is saved by Lance and they meet up with her father, who has set the engines to explode as all the other passengers have been evacuated. They flee on a lifeboat moments before the ship blows up and sinks the ship, taking the beast with it. As the group watches the ship sink, Captain Randolph tells Jenny and Lance that he has decided to retire and write his memoirs.
Cast
Home media
The film was released on DVD by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on May 3, 2005.
Similar Movies
David Millbern appears in Chupacabra: Dark Seas and Ice Spiders. Mosquito Man (2005). John Rhys-Davies appears in Chupacabra: Dark Seas and Anaconda 3: Offspring. Maneater (2009). John Rhys-Davies appears in Chupacabra: Dark Seas and Anacondas: Trail of Blood.
Reception
Critical reception for the film has been mostly negative, with critics criticizing the films monster design, and over-reliance on cheap thrills.
TV Guide panned the film, awarding it 1 out of four stars criticizing the films reliance on cheep thrills and parodistic laughs stating, "[though] the gore may satisfy die-hard monster mashers, but the cheesy-looking creature isn’t fit to touch the gills of the Creature from the Black Lagoon".
References
Chupacabra: Dark Seas WikipediaChupacabra: Dark Seas IMDb Chupacabra: Dark Seas themoviedb.org