Frankenfish

Plot synopsis:
Medical examiner Sam Rivers and biologist Mary Callahan travel into the bayou to investigate the mysterious death of a fisherman. Having grown up in the area, Sam is comfortable in his surroundings while Mary is not. They find Elmer noodling for catfish in the swamp canals. With Elmer, Sam and Mary travel up river to the fishing community. They meet Gloria, the wife of the deceased fisherman. Gloria's daughter Eliza and her semi-boyfriend Dan also live in the house. Gloria explains that a boat washed up river a few months ago and strange things have happened since.
Sam and Mary find the boat along the bank of a canal. They explore the interior while Elmer waits in the canoe outside. They discover the remains of the crew in the hold. Upset, Mary clumsily knocks Elmer from the canoe and something drags him down. Sam and Mary flee in the canoe, unaware that they have triggered a homing signal on the ship. On the mainland a team relays the information to their employer a wealthy bounty hunter.
One of the villagers heard noises while on his porch. He leans over the edge and a frankenfish leaps up and decapitates him. His girlfriend attempts to escape the houseboat on a canoe but the fish flips her out and kills her. Frightened, the group tries to flee in boats but the fish destroys them. On a neighboring stilt house, Ricardo baits a large hook using an entire catfish and manages to land one of the frankenfish. Nearly as big as a full-grown man, the fish can breathe air and hops forward biting at Ricardo's legs. Ricardo manages to kill it with a shotgun blast to the head. In vengeance he tears out its heart and barbecues it. As he takes his first bite a second frankenfish leaps from the water and devours him.
While everyone panics, Mary declares she has an idea on how to get off the boathouse. Before she can explain, she is shot by the house. A fire propels a propane tank into the boathouse causing an explosion that sends Eliza into the water. Sam dives in and rescues her at the same time a frankenfish leaps from the water and bites off Gloria's legs. The fish have begun attacking the boathouses, punching holes in them to make them sink.
The bounty hunter and his crew arrive and the fish attack them too. Knocked out of the boat, they swim quickly to the safety of the sinking stilt houses. The hunter explains that the fish are genetically engineered snakeheads. Sam, Eliza and Dan have no choice but to join the hunter in pursuing the fish.
The crew follows a trail of blood back to the fish's den. The hunter forces Sam at gunpoint to enter first. Sam flees the den as behind him a frankenfish kills two hunters. Dan, Sam and Eliza quickly leave on the fan boat, chased by the frankenfish. Dan falls from the boat during the chase but scrambles up a mudbank. Realizing they cannot outrace the monster, Sam drives the fanboat up a stand of tree stumps and knocks off the protective lining of the fan. Unable to slow its momentum, the frankenfish launches into the whirling blades to its death. Sam and Eliza kiss and go back the way they came to get Dan. However, Dan is trapped in the mud as dozens of baby frankenfish attack him.

Tags: suspenseful, violence

Review:
You know you have a great film when there are giant, mutant fish beasts, naked people, house boat tailer parks, turtle soup, biologists, lesbians, Chinese Mofia, bloody gore, propeller boats, shotguns, and lines like, "I'm gonna git you, you dumb motherf*cker!" At a breezy 80 minutes in length, this film will have you crying for the must anticipated sequel.
There were several of them, pretty good-sized and pretty tough to stop.This also was like those sci-fi films of the '50s with the genetically-altered spiders or ants or whatever, making something many times larger and deadly.
Fun low budget creature-in-the-water flick with lots of kills, some good gore, and nudity....
As I've already mentioned, Frankenfish has lots of kills and some good gore peppered throughout the quick 84 minute feature, as well as nudity (I never mind seeing pretty naked ladies with my B movies).
That's pretty much the plot, but the script is fun and the movie speeds along, I never checked my watch, err- cell phone once.If you are reading this review looking for a fun creature feature with bodies being bitten in half and heads being bitten off by giant carnivorous fish in a swamp...then Frankenfish is for you!!!.
I'm not even going to write "they're going to need a bigger boat".) Despite this film being incredibly cheesy (and this cheesiness leading to my lower rating), it was also really fun in the sense of a 1950s b-movie where things always had to be bigger.
You'd be deranged, too, if your idea of a good time was staying up all night watching "Frankenfish" and "The XXXorcist".I also wanted to say that this film stood out in my mind as a film with a strong black lead.
(It's actually sad I feel the need to point such things as this out, but horror films are one of the last genres to enter the modern world.) Anyway, you're going to find cheesy effects and cheesy acting if you watch this movie.
The action is quick, however, and that's good so there's never an extreme lull.Some of the characters seem to die just for shock value, which works, but beware not to invest value in too many or develop a favorite...it's anyone's food for fish in this TV movie.I watched this on a Saturday night when I had nothing to do and it was definitely entertaining.
If you're looking for a good popcorn movie to watch with friends and enjoy some decent CG, Frankenfish just might be the right movie for you.Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the...swamp?
Decent Fun. Frankenfish (2004) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Mildly entertaining horror film takes place in the swamps of Louisiana where dead bodies are beginning to pile up.
The low budget nature of the film is actually a good thing as it makes the settings feel all the more real and it also builds up some nice atmosphere.
The CGI fish is pretty fake looking but it's not too bad and it's certainly far from the worst thing I've seen in these types of movies.
This has got to be one of the five worst movies I've seen this year, and I've seen about 100 already.I only watched this film because it had Richard Edson, Raoul Trujillo and Mark Boone Jr. in it, and they all had very small roles, which mostly were all wasted, except Trujillo, who I thought was the best character in the whole damn movie.
There is enough suspense and tense fun to make up for the ridiculousness of the story, the fish although not great in design(though I have seen far worse) are menacing and great to watch and while the lead is uncharismatic the acting is reasonably good.
Initially thought to be either a rogue alligator or bull shark, it soon emerges that something even more ravenous is feeding on the local inhabitants of the bayou community, leaving a trail of assorted body parts and carnage in its wake.Fast-paced with realistic set design and a high, graphic attrition rate, "Frankenfish" is somewhat better than the unfortunate choice of title might mislead.
With all the mystery developed to that point, the explanation is weak and unconvincing, and introduces a number of one-dimensional characters who contribute little to maintaining the picture's standard.Ultimately, what promised much, briskly capitulates to a disappointing conclusion in which the bad guys force the beleaguered survivors to help hunt down the rabid fish, with predictable results for all concerned.
It is very very poor movie.Badly written,amateur acting,badly directed,with poor CGI,but with some funny jokes.IT has some funny end entertaining moments.The actors are unknown and they aren't good at all.Some people like this trashy C movies and i would recommend this movie to them.I like horror movies,but THIS IS NOT a horror movie.It is is SCI-FI/ACTION/comedy movie.I haven't seen a funny film like this for a long,long time.It was not a complete waste of time because it was funny and occasionally entertainment.But if you are looking for a good movie don't watch this at any cost,because this is a very bad movie with very bad actors and a small budget.
If one takes it for what it really is, one gets a hour and a half of very decent entertainment.So instead of stating the obvious (cheesy script, second-rate acting, low budget sfx, etc), I'll try to summarize what made this flick worth watching IMHO:a bunch of picturesque bayou weirdos (especially the white rasta crack-head and shell-shocked viet vet) pretty good creature design and animation a couple of imaginative death scenes amusing means of getting rid of the nasty critters as it has been already pointed out, black heroes a pace that (barely, but still) allows the action to stay ahead of plot inconsistencies decent comic relief character good lighting and general image qualityAll in all, a very decent B movie..
You know, I'm all for a monster movie like "Eight Legged Freaks", "AVP", or "Godzilla" but it needs to be a good one.As you suspected, the monster wasn't shown as clear since it moves in a fast pace or that the lighting is dark.
Okay, there is also one other good thing I would like to point out in this film: One scene in this film isn't clichéd and will surprise you a lot but one the bad side of that, you don't even care what just happened in that scene.So, you want a good monster movie?
B movie horror fun.My only real complaint would be some of the characters weren't as developed as I would've liked them to be.
These big fish creature made Sifi a big hit for the most imaginative place that genetically creatures turn bigger and creepier like Frankenfish.All of this movie was perfect,lots of blood,disgusting figures to see,and more terror on my break.I just watched it and boy only two words,Very Good,I loved this film of another great picture they did in 44.People watch this movie and own it right now and don't let anyone stop you from buying it.Many people died in horrible ways they didn't thought for this horror movie.Everyone did a good job in making the movie and big thanks to the director who made it possible for all to see.This is suck a wonderful horror movie and put it with fishing so we can be scared and was I.I hope they make the sequel to Frankenfish,it's fun for the whole family to see and vomit..
When the scaly terrors attack the boats and scupper the floating houses, the survivors think they are fish food; but help is at hand when the hunters arrive, armed to the teeth and hoping to bag a trophy or two...Had the makers of Frankenfish planted their tongues much further into their cheeks and not taken proceedings quite so seriously, this movie may have been a fantastic addition to the monster genre; unfortunately, they refuse to accept the complete preposterousness of the premise and deliver an average movie when the result should have been so much more fun.
Loads of nifty gore and a few tasty babes (China Chow and K.D. Aubert provide the main eye candy for the blokes) help to compensate somewhat, but Frankenfish ultimately fails to match the genius of its wonderfully camp title.I give this film 5 out of 10, plus a bonus point for the impressive amount of blood and guts on display..
The film is about genetically enhanced Snakeheads who attack houseboats in a swamp in Louisiana, and its up to medical investigator Sam Rivers and the residents to kill these creatures before they become fish food.
It's simply another terrible failed Sci-fi Channel attempt to make an actual, "movie" yet they failed, making a terrible b-flick like this which aired on TV and then straight to VIDEO, which everyone knows, sucks.
With a title like "Frankenfish" and a striking DVD-cover that proudly shows a monstrous cross-breeding between a catfish and a piranha, the least I expected was a more over-the-top and completely absurd homage to old B-movies and/or low budget creature features.
The problem is that in an effort to avoid being as bad as humanly possible, the movie never lets itself achieve the level of cheese it could and should have.For example, when I hear the term "Frankenfish" I want a fish that's been pieced together from several different species.
Just check out some of this stellar dialogue:"I should've never dated swamp girl." "His head is missing!" "So I guess we're having filet-of-swamp monster." "You look good for a girl covered in fish brains." My guess is they visited local elementary schools and let 5th graders submit lines they thought would be cool to use in a "stupid fish movie."Basically, this is another "creature feature" with production values resembling that of a home video, hot chicks as scientists (I'm not complaining), characters acting nonchalant over other characters being killed, and characters just generally acting stupid.For example, these morons are stuck on a houseboat.
After all the Frankenfish are killed (oh, I'm sorry, I hope I didn't spoil the movie for you), they decide to go check on their friend who fell off the boat during the totally unexciting chase scene where the fish was hunting them.
THE GISTFrankenfish is one of those movies that can only be recommended to people who like to get together with friends and watch really bad, low-budget films just so they can make fun of them.
Many people will avoid this based on that alone, which is isn't at all fair as this is actually a very competent, if uninspired, monster movie.A body turns up in the bayou and a medical examiner is sent to investigate.
The special effects in this movie are not bad at all, the fish look believable and the gore looks real enough.This movie is far from being a classic but if you like horror movies and don't expect to much of it you should have a good time watching it.
Frankenfish, that was meant to be taken seriously.The plot of course is your standard "something in the swamp, people have to kill it." type thing while also hunters are going around trying to hunt whatever is in the water.
So all this build-up is for nothing other than time filler.The only thing I kind of liked in this movie is the odd funny attack/death scenes.
So if you want to see a movie with a title as stupid as Frankenfish for a laugh then this probably isn't for you but if you just have 80 minutes to pass over with this as your only DVD option, then this could be worth a look..
So I wasn't hoping for a great movie  just something that would be a schlocky horror film and a bit of fun.
As Dan says during the film, it is "ridiculous" and the plot is just a twist on the usual monster movie idea of one small group being picked off one at a time.
It does a bit of both but never excels at either even if it gets it more or less right for genre fans scouring the sci-fi channel for something they like.The effects are generally reasonably prosthetics or poor CGI  again par for the genre course but the film is best when the fish is kept out of sight as the tension plays better than the delivery.
You can't go into a movie called 'Frankenfish' and expect a good film, but even so; I really thought that this would be (albeit slightly) better.
The plot was very predictable, and you know from the beginning who's going to be killed and who will survive.I had some expectations that the movie would be bad, but still a nice monster-flick.
Even if this is not a Box Office movie you could say it makes a great impact and it should have been more than just TV & VHS.MAybe there were scenes inappropriate in here but as a whole this movie makes great fun and makes you wonder at each turn..how will it be..on the next turn..and of course...little to nothing it has a great ending..making it more likable.I haven't seen a B movie so good in a long time..and i've watched a lot of them just to find out a gem like this one.I do hope it will have a sequel because i liked the main actors too..specially K.D. Aubert..very exotic and appealing girl.Watch this without thinking.."oh..who is this and who is that.." it will have a great impact.
They have either scared off or eaten all the 'gators in the area and the few people living up-river in their shanty boats are scared to stay and scared to try and leave.Into this scary situation come a medical examiner (Tory Kittles) and a biologist (China Chow) but they soon find out they are way out of their depth (pun intended) when the fish start chowing down on people right in front of them.
The fish monster is on the box and in the movie."Frankenfish" also gives us the return of China Chow.
For the most part though, Frankenfish is Tremors on the bayou with big, smart, genetically engineered man-eating Snakehead fish in place of the Graboids and with people trapped on backwater houseboats instead of creaky homes out in the desert.
It doesn't quite succeed to that degree; but as far as low budget, made-for-video monster movies that are forced to premiere on a channel that seems hell bent on giving its namesake as bad a reputation as humanly possible, this one is surprisingly fun.This isn't to say that the film is a complete success.
'Frankenfish' is one of the Sci-Fi Channel's better killer-monster movies, along with 'The Snakehead Terror' and 'Dinocroc.'**SPOILERS**Bayou police are baffled at a series of murders done in the local waters.
From its first-rate exploitation title (although it could have used an hysterical exclamation mark) through to cookie-cutter characters, copious gore and gratuitous flashes of nudity, Frankenfish is a consummate B-movie.Director Mark Dippé's still no better at telling a story than he was in 1997's dire Spawn but here in the cultural bargain basement that's more of a strength.Down in the bayou, something big, mean and toothy is wolfing down fishermen and 'gators alike and the small party sent to investigate soon finds itself and a handful of oddball locals on the menu of a shoal of mutant amphibious mudskippers.Like any good B-movie, it's awash in corny dialogue, thieves most of its ideas from better movies, has an unlikely serious subtext (genetic engineering's bad, m'kay?) and a cast of unknowns meaning anyone can (and does) get chomped.It's also hilarious (both intentionally and not), has good creature effects and jams enough gung-ho popcorn entertainment into its lean 81 minutes to bear comparison with Joe Dante's 1978 Piranha..
Frankenfish is probably one of syfy's worst movies to date.There is absolutely no plot what so ever, except for the "mutant fish killing people" if that can be considered a plot.
Hmmm well yes i thought Frankenfish was a fascinating film in which many mutated fish eat people.
There they talk with Crankton's wife Gloria (Donna Biscoe) who says that a curse is destroying the swamp however Sam & Mary quickly discover that giant, genetically created mutant Snakehead fish have been killing & eating anything that moves & our heroes find themselves on the menu...This made-for-TV creature feature was directed by Mark Dippe & having heard pretty good things about it I expected a decent monster flick & it's certainly good but it's not great.
It moves along at a nice enough pace although the first half does drag a little at times, there are some silly moments with various character's doing stupid things but if you just take Frankenfish for what it is, a fun creature feature, then I think it will keep you entertained for 80 odd minutes if not much else.Director Dippe does alright here, despite what was probably a low budget & being made-for-TV Frankenfish is surprisingly well made & looks like a proper theatrical release.
Even the fish look like they are enjoying themselves.There is the odd witty line, some great low-key action sequences and the Frankenfish themselves are great - chewing up most of the cast with great gusto and not without some excellent black humour.There are some genuine surprises and a couple of unexpected deaths amid the usual B-Movie clichés.
Even the fish look like they are enjoying themselves.There is the odd witty line, some great low-key action sequences and the Frankenfish themselves are great - chewing up most of the cast with great gusto and not without some excellent black humour.There are some genuine surprises and a couple of unexpected deaths amid the usual B-Movie clichés.
The most hilarious worst line ever delivered in a film goes to this movie and I quote..."You look great for a girl covered in giant fish brains." UGH!!