Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Released to TV and video in 2001, "Sea Creature" is about a couple of carnies (Rufus Sewell & Carla Gugino) in the early 20th century who come across a real mermaid in Ireland (Rya Kihlstedt), which they apprehend and intend to transport to America as a freakshow attraction. Horror ensues. Reno Wilson and Gil Bellows are also on hand.Originally called simply "Sea Creature" the movie was unnecessarily burdened with the overlong title of "Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature," which doesn't make sense since there's no "Part 2," although the ending leaves room for that possibility.The movie plays like a modern-day Hammer flick with elements of "Bram Stoker's Dracula," "Species" and "Alien/Aliens." While it lacks the budget of those three films, the production is comparable to those Hammer horror movies that take place during the Victorian era. "Sea Creature" also shares similarities to 1961's haunting "Night Tide" with Dennis Hopper, which also was about a (possible) mermaid. There are three basic settings in the movie: The opening carnival sequence that segues into a (sorta) castle sequence and, lastly, the long ship sequence that takes up the bulk of the story. The last one reveals the greatest weakness of the movie in that sailing on a ship is a limited setting, which makes for a little dullness here and there, but the flick makes up for it with an over-the-top horrific last act. The renowned Stan Winston was on hand as producer and you can tell with the excellent F/X of something revealed at the end, which is on par with the Aliens, Predator, and Pumpkinhead movies. No kidding.While a TV movie, "Sea Creature" is adult-oriented in that the mermaid is top-nude the entire movie (the horror, the horror!) and there's at least one overt simulated sex scene. Keep in mind, however, that the movie was shooting for realism and not raunch; not to mention that redemption and comeuppance factor into the equation.BOTTOM LINE: Despite a couple of dull or dubious scenes, "Sea Creature" delivers the goods for those who appreciate Hammer's haunting Victorian-era films, as well as movies like "Bram Stoker's Dracula," albeit understandably no where near as lavish as Coppola's film. Carla shines in both beauty and acting chops, as does Rya (who's been married to Bellows since 1994); and Sewell plays a superlative protagonist. "Sea Creature" shows that a quality product can be made on a TV budget.The film runs 91 minutes and was shot in California.GRADE: B+

She Creature is a period piece, set around the turn of the century in Ireland. A sideshow couple somehow steal a mermaid and get it onto a ship heading for America. They plan to make money off of it, but things go wrong.The best thing about this movie was how well Carla Guigino was filmed. They made her look great in every scene. The mermaid was kind of cool looking in her antique tank, and there was a pretty nice atmosphere of menace built up.I didn't really like how it resolved. The mermaid started eating the crew, and eventually turned into a spiky creature that killed everyone except the pregnant Carla. She brought the ship to some hidden land where the rest of the mermaids were waiting to eat the remaining bodies.There were some memorable visuals, and the fact that the title suggests there are other installments gives it an air of mystery, but I think that is really all there is to it. Fun to watch, but not much payoff.

Angus, an Irish showman (Rufus Sewell), and his gang of carnival pals steal a mermaid and set sail for America to try and make their fortune. The mermaid, however, is not as innocent as she looks and has her own plans for the crew and passengers of the ship.For a made for TV feature, She Creature is a surprisingly effective little movie with good production values and a pretty decent cast. Produced by Special FX wizard Stan Winston, the movie is worth watching if only for the fact that it features one of the creepiest mermaids in movie history (Ariel she is not!).Things go awry when the fishy female starts to show her true colours by developing psychic contact with Angus's girlfriend Lily (Carla Gugino), scaring her senseless with nightmarish visions and dreams. As the journey progresses, people mysteriously vanish, and Lily suspects that the mermaid is responsible. By the time Lily discovers the dreadful reality of the situation—the mermaid is leading the hapless seafarers to her home island in order to feed them to her piscine pals—it is too late: they are destined to become fish-food! With a nicely realised mermaid which transforms into a vicious monster towards the end, lovely Gugino getting jiggy (surprisingly hot, despite her remaining fully clothed), and a smattering of gore, the film delivers enough chills to keep on entertaining until the end.

I saw this movie on TV a few months ago, and I liked it. With a small budget, Sebastian Gutierrez managed to deliver a more than satisfying film.The acting is pretty good! Certainly Rya Kihlstedt is really haunting as the mermaid! But also Carla Gugino, Rufus Sewell and Reno Wilson do well! The special effects are (for a low budget production) good. The movie is also (to my surprise) quite intelligent and sometimes it's even psychological.The last scene makes me want to see The Mermaid Chronicles, Part 2!