Blood Hook

"Fishing was never like this!"

1987 1h 32m EN

💀

4.6

SKIP

★4.6TMDB · 55

HorrorComedyThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During a local fishing contest, people are being mysteriously dragged into the lake and killed by a giant fish hook. After a sufficient number of deaths, the killer is finally revealed.

“Fishing was never like this!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Mark Jacobs
Peter van Clease
Lisa Jane Todd
Ann
Patrick Danz
Rodney
Sara Hauser
Kiersten
Christopher Whiting
Finner
Don Winters
Leroy Leudke
Paul Drake
Wayne Duerst
Bill Lowrie
Evelyn Duerst

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jim Mallon
Writers: Larry Edgerton, John Galligan, David Herbert
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

39 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jim Mallon, shot by Marsha Kahm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Thomas A. Naunas. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marsha Kahm shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mark Jacobs and Lisa Jane Todd and Patrick Danz carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Fishing was never like this!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0090750 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jim Mallon directs. Marsha Kahm behind the camera. Thomas A. Naunas scores. Marsha Kahm cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
239 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Jim Mallon, shot by Marsha Kahm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Thomas A. Naunas. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Marsha Kahm shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Mark Jacobs and Lisa Jane Todd and Patrick Danz carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Fishing was never like this!".
8IMDB entry: tt0090750 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 55 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Marsha Kahm
Original score: Thomas A. Naunas
Editing: Marsha Kahm
Makeup / hair: Darcy Knight
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $200,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Blood Hook (1987)

Also by

Jim Mallon

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2022-06-25
★ 6/10
What if a killer hunts people like he’s gone fishin’? A 21 year-old youth (Mark Jacobs) inherits his family’s cabin in remote northwestern Wisconsin and promptly brings four friends to check it out and have some vacation fun at the lake during an annual fishing contest. Unfortunately, the cicadas are out and someone has a mad habit of literally fishing for people! "Blood Hook" (1987) was shot in ’86 and only cost $200,000 by a director that went on to work for Mystery Science Theater 3000. As such, this is low-budget slasher with camp and a wink of humor. It comes across as a mixture of Tobe Hooper’s “Eaten Alive” (1976) and the forthcoming "State Park" (1988), aka "Heavy Metal Summer." While it’s better than Hooper’s flick in some ways, it’s not quite as entertaining as the latter. It’s like a tale from Steve Gerber’s Man-Thing comics of the 70s, just without a swamp monster Sara Hauser (Kiersten) stands out on the feminine front, although Sandy Meuwissen (Bev) is worth a mention. Meanwhile Lisa Jane Todd (Ann) is an interesting character. To appreciate this movie you have to be willing to give it a chance. If you do, there are quite a few rewarding bits despite its comic book tone and lack of funds, especially in the second half. For instance, some of the humor is genuinely amusing in a low-key way; plus you get to know the characters, like the half-crazed Vietnam vet (Bill Lowrie as Evelyn), the psychology major (Ann) and the main protagonist (who looks like Nicolas Cage in the mid-80s). What sets off the killer is actually quite creative, tying into diabolus in musica, aka "the devil in music,” which refers to the so-called devil’s chord or devil’s tritone. Meanwhile the gore effects are good all things considered. The film runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, but there’s a 92-minute version by Troma on disc (Blu-ray). It is true that the original version is too long by about 20 minutes, but I prefer it to the short rendition due to the character development. It was shot at Hayward & Hayward Lake, Wisconsin, which is located in the northwestern part of the state, about 40 miles south of western Lake Superior and 30 miles east of the border of Minnesota. GRADE: B-/C+

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