I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
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... View MoreThe plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
... View MoreThe movie really just wants to entertain people.
... View MoreNeil and Arlene Glynn (Dennis Weaver and Estelle Parsons) and the kids, Deedee and Steve (Susan Dey and Kristoffer Tabori) are en route to the beach for a camping weekend. Oh no! A group of hellish hippies runs them off the road! It doesn't end there, as these hairy hellions are persistent. Neil is a bit of a milquetoast, wanting to just let it go, while his son seems to see trouble brewing. We also learn that the Glynn family is under some strain of their own. They're busy trying to come to grips w/ growing up / older. Once at the beach, all seems well, but the hipsters are nearby! Soon, the true mayhem begins. How will the Glynns cope w/ this danger? TERROR ON THE BEACH is a made-for-TV movie that plays on the fear of young, crazed, cult-types, in the wake of such things as the Manson Family murders. It tackles the generation gap as well, w/ the discourse between the parents and offspring representing what was happening then (1973). As for the ne'er do wells, they're fairly intimidating, though their eeevil hi jinks seem mostly sophomoric and absurd. Still, they have their moments. It's almost like watching a strange hybrid of THE HILLS HAVE EYES and any juvenile delinquent film from the 50's / early 60's- w/ dune buggies! I do admit to enjoying the way the Glynns -finally- fight back! A fun, silly romp through the sand...
... View MoreRELEASED TO TV IN 1973 and directed by Paul Wendkos, "Terror on the Beach" stars Dennis Weaver & Estelle Parsons as a couple and their two college-age kids (Susan Dey and Kristoffer Tabori) who take a camping trip to a beach a few hours north of Los Angeles where they're terrorized by a group of hippies (Scott Hylands, Michael Christian, Henry Olek, etc.). Will they make it out?This movie effectively takes advantage of the subdued paranoia traditional folks developed toward hippies after the Manson murders put the kibosh on the 'peace & love' counter-culture movement. Hippies were never viewed the same after the horrific Tate murders of August 8, 1969. The drug-addled Woodstock took place just days later and it was indeed 'three days of peace & music,' but The Altamont Speedway Free Festival in early December (less than four months later) put the kibosh on the hippies' idealism forever. It's a shame too, as they had a hold of something real underneath their drug-obsessed fog (not that all hippies were druggies, not at all, but it seemed to be the norm).Despite being a TV production, "Terror on the Beach" is a serious look at the average nuclear family of 1972 (when the picture was shot) pitted against a small group of hippies on the beaches of Central California. The score is cogently eerie and off-kilter and the hippies are portrayed in a questionable light with a mocking, mischievous manner, but not over-the-top.This is a limited-environment flick, akin to "Prey" (2007) and "Wind Chill" (2007), where the events take place in a fairly one-dimensional setting. The main downside is the stupid reactions of the family in response to the malevolent shenanigans of the hippies. For instance, after the hippies harass the family by yelling out from the dunes at night, they obviously needed to take turns standing guard. But, no, they all just go to sleep. Seriously? If you can roll with this flaw (which can be defended on the grounds of the family' naïveté) it's a worthwhile TV movie similar to the Outlaw biker films that were popular from 1966-1973 and on par or superior to most.THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour, 13.5 minutes and was shot at Pismo Beach, a 3-hour drive north of Los Angeles. WRITER: Bill Svanoe.GRADE: B-/C+INSIGHTS ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read further until you see the movie).It has been criticized that it was unlikely that the other hippies would just stand around watching the fight between the father and the lead hippie at the end. But I found it believable because they were all still young and were disillusioned with the direction their leader, Jerry, was taking them. Frank, the captured hippie, said they were supposed to be an alternative family, but Jerry basically ruined it with his dubious Manson-ish leadership wherein he was increasingly turning the group into thugs to survive without getting a job. Plus, with the possible exception of David, I think they all felt bad about how they were treating an innocent and loving family. This can be observed in Frank after DeeDee (Dey) selflessly tends to his forehead wound.
... View MoreHippie band menaces suburban family camping at the beach.A made for TV quickie— it's not even hard to spot the commercial pauses. Probably took them no more than 5 days to shoot. One thing for sure-- they didn't have to build any sets. No sir, no phony surf or projection screens here; it's all genuine SoCal coastline.However, the storyline is something else, more like a respectable person's bad dream about stereotyped hippies. So why does the Manson-like band harass good citizen Weaver and his family. Unless I missed something, we're never told, which sort of blows a hole through the middle of the plot. I guess we're to assume it's a culture clash with hippies as the inexplicable bad guys. My guess is the script was a rush job without time to plug the holes.In fact, just what the band is trying to do remains murky throughout. They taunt and leer, drive recklessly, trash the campsite, and even tip over the camper. But who knows why—just hippie fun, I guess. Meanwhile, citizen Weaver finally goes from suburban Milktoast to enraged righteousness, and we wonder what took him so long. I'm sensing a parable here that sort of fits in with the Charles Bronson vigilante movies of the time-- Death Wish (1974)-- where low-life's rape and murder Bronson's family triggering his own murderous rage. But of course, that's much too brutal for a TV movie. So we get low-life vandals, instead.Anyway, the narrative manages some tension as the provocations mount; the acting is good; and I almost got a sunburn from watching. Then too, the bickering father-son, mother- daughter, amount to a realistic touch. But unless you want a time-passer or just don't like hippies, skip it.
... View MoreI wouldn't say this is even remotely in the league of really great '70s TV movies like "Duel," "Bad Ronald," "Dying Room Only," "Savages," "The Girl Most Likely To...." et al, BUT, that said, it's still a bit more original than the usual made for TV pablum.There are a lot of movies that features gangs of unruly punks waging war on middle-class values but most of them have somewhat of a plot that buoys the movie along. This one doesn't...the hoods harass, annoy, and generally terrorize the family for absolutely no reason all the way through. I think it adds to the tension.When this was released, I guess I was about 10, and at that time, I found it pretty disturbing. Years later, it's a bit dumb, but the weird blow-up doll on the beach, and the animal noises emanating from speakers hidden deep within the family's RV had a perverse touch of sadism that was creative and a bit chilling.Unfortunately, the evil-hippie gimmick, replete with dune buggies, completely diffuses any tension that's been stored...I think I even found it retarded back then.This one's strictly a curiosity, for those who remember when TV movies had some originality and substance.
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