Ghost Shark
One of our other favorite “so bad it’s good” movies is 2013’s Ghost Shark. I have to admit that it’s one of my favorite shark movies. A bunch of Rednecks kill a shark to win a contest. Somehow its ghost comes back for revenge. A group of teenagers gets together with an old lighthouse keeper (Richard Moll) to try and stop it. There’s just one catch – if there’s any water around you, the ghost can get you.
Ghost Shark is another one of SyFy’s creations. The plot is absolutely ridiculous. It’s not a good movie, but it’s so much fun to watch! The teenagers were the first people to see the ghost, but they can’t get any adults to believe them. (Try not to be too shocked). It really is kind of a stupid movie, but I mean that in an excellent way.
This is one of my favorite bad shark movies. Trying to stop a killer ghost shark is such a ridiculous premise. The fact that it can get you by manifesting anywhere there is water is definitely inventive. Whenever I saw even a drop of water I waited for the shark. Writer/Director Griff Furst used the water aspect very creatively. There is one particular scene that literally made me laugh my ass off when I saw it. You’ll just have to watch it and figure it out for yourself.
The cast is straight out of a cheesy movie playbook – crazy lighthouse keeper, a greedy beach town mayor determined to keep bad news under wraps, an “I don’t listen to kids” sheriff, a bunch of stupid locals, and teenagers out to save the day. Then just for fun let’s throw in some hot sauce, a spooky cave, a little magic, and a pissed-off shark ghost. No, I’m not kidding!
Richard Moll (House) is perfect as Finch, the grumpy and menacing lighthouse keeper. He’s a giant, unshaven guy that yells a lot and drinks too much. But he wants to get rid of the ghost shark and reluctantly teams up with the girls. He’s a Scooby-Doo villain that came to life. He has a backstory that kind of fits in but is totally unnecessary.
As far as special effects go, it could be better, it could be worse. The CGI in SyFy movies is always questionable, but I’ve definitely seen worse! Since the shark is a ghost and not confined to the ocean, the writers had a lot of leeway in ways for it to kill its victims. This gives us an entirely different bunch of shark attacks than we’re used to. And there’s no shortage of blood and severed limbs.
If you’re going into this looking for a Jaws quality movie you’re going to be quite disappointed. (Although there are several nods to Jaws in the movie). I mean let’s face it, the best thing about Shark Week is the shitty shark movies! And when have you ever seen shark attacks that happen AFTER the shark was killed?
This is another one of those movies that you have to watch with friends. It’s perfect for a lazy summer night. Just don’t do it near water!!