It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The Loch Ness Horror is the first film I've encountered so far from Larry Buchanan. Taking one of the oddly underused icons of cryptozoology, a clearly non Scottish setting and some extravagant acting, Buchanan crafts an almost but not quite there work of occasionally inspired b grade junk. The titular beast has a decent enough look to it, it's a big plesiosaur looking beast that likes to nosh on people, though its non jointed jaws mean that it tends more to sort of drape its mouth over people and let them do the work of appearing to be eaten. Its pretty rubbery and not much better than the sort of thing some particularly determined students might botch up over a weekend with some latex, but it has charm. A shame that it doesn't appear more often and doesn't off many people. The film seems more concerned with things like plot and character but lacks the talent or interest for the more cerebral approach. Still, the actors seem to be having fun, often broad to the point of hilarity, between them they conjure a bubbling brew of shonky goodness. The biggest name is b cinema notable Stuart Lancaster, of various Russ Meyer and other Buchanan films fame. He plays a slightly mad scientist, thus gets some fun scenery chewing time, and comically daft motivation. He enters into the spirit of things well, though is slightly restrained for the role. Love interest Miki McKenzie is occasionally incomprehensible, probably best for her as she grapples with her off written character and stiff conversations with hero with the piece, the strapping young Barry Buchanan. Not exactly a thespian is Barry, but he still carries the film well enough, that is to say he stoically hefts his scenes along, handles his dialogue like timber but at least he keeps it moving. Sandy Kenyon is slightly left out by the fact that he appears near competent and so doesn't make as much of an impression. Main plaudits go to Doc Livingston with a fiercely exaggerated Scots accent, his r rolling grizzled old timer is a total hoot. Its lucky that the acting is of interest, since there's a good deal of talk here, (biology, romance, conspiracies, that sort of thing) and the film is a bit slow, there are also padding shots a-plenty to keep things going. The pleasing location means that these shots are generally attractive, but Buchanan rarely puts them to suspenseful use and the film too often slides towards the dull. Still some interesting moments (and one bit that I actually found pretty creepy) but mostly this is skippable for all but bad movie connoisseurs.

I think this is one of those few movies that I want to rate it as low as possible just to pay it a compliment.I haven't seen this movie in about 25 years, so I really can't say that much about it. It still seems to be very hard to find on video. But I remember my brother and I stumbled upon it somewhere in the toxic brew of late night UHF channel television of the mid 1980s when I was about 10 years old. So I've never actually seen the beginning of the movie, but I saw most of it. The first thing I remember is this couple is sneaking out of a campsite and they're rowing to an island to make out, and then they get attacked by an insane Scotsman in a kilt with an axe! They manage to escape from him but get attacked by the Loch Ness Monster, which in this movie is just a head and a neck with no body. The eyes and the mouth of the monster don't even move, it looks like a piñata.I mean I had just literally never seen anything on this magnitude before and it totally blew my mind. I had seen some bad movies on TV in the early 80s but I had never seen something so totally inept and so casually and thoughtlessly constructed that it seemed like the people who made it spent less time and effort on it than we did watching it. I had already seen some of the Troma films and that type of thing that tries to deliberately be "campy", but this was the pure and real stuff and it was my first encounter with truly great bad film-making. This movie was like the last gasp of the drive-in era and I caught a whiff of it just in time. Actually when we were watching it, we couldn't figure out if it was made in the 50s or the 70s. Turns out it came out just a few years before I saw it.Later I came into contact with Mystery Science Theater and found out about a lot of the old B movies and serials, but I had already seen it in this movie. The movie is so funny that I had never even laughed that hard at the Monty Python crew or Bill Murray or any comedian. After seeing this movie I was always trying to search for the "good bad" movies and I got a lot of my friends into it. But this movie was and basically is an impossible one to find. I never really found out what it even was or who Larry Buchanan was until the 1990s when IMDb took off and the internet took off and information started getting passed around. But this movie still needs to be discovered by a lot of others who might appreciate its transcendentally bad qualities. Look for it.

I loved every minute of this film obviously i'm a B-Grade & Z-Grade Sci-Fi, Horror & Fantasy Movie Buff. I got the Pan Canadian VHS in Clamshell Case with Hi-Fi Stereo Sound I recently transferred it to DVD+R. Got the VHS on ebay which I had to go up to thirty something & outbid some ppl. It gave me everything I expected to get from a Z or B Grade movie not sure of the budget on this one will have to find out & update this comment again. Even though Larry Buchanan is the director & producer that brought us his so bad they were good memorable Made For T.V. Z-Grade Originals & Remakes of Sci-Fi & Horror Cult Classics from the 60's such as The Eye Creatures '65, Mars Needs Women '66, In The Year 2889 '66, Zontar, The Thing From Venus '66, Curse Of The Swamp Creature '66, Creature Of Destruction '67 & It's Alive! '69. Which were all Z-Grade & 4 out of the 7 were remakes of earlier AIP 50's B-Grade Sci-Fi & Horror Flicks. Only three were Buchanan's own. Mars Needs Women, Curse Of The Swamp Creature & It's Alive!. Nessie looks pretty realistic I'd say considering it is B-Grade or Z-Grade. Even for it's time. Although I expected a little more violence like when the monster attacks the guy with the pistol on the road, you know the J.O. trying to escape with Nessie's egg trying to make a fortune, he got what he deserved. Although she was friendly towards the girl at least she killed in this one unlike "Loch Ness" from '96 with Ted Danson. The scene with that jerk's head was crushed that scene could of been done better. Buchanan is into all that gore though so. The story made sense & Nessie wasn't just attacking for no reason. so. The best Nessie flick i'd say. I also have seen "The Secret Of The Loch" from 1934 which was very disappointing to see Nessie as a magnified Iguanna Lizard. I was expecting to see the traditional stop-motion animation creature Willis O'Brien should of did that film after all he did Kong the year before. The Loch Ness Horror (1982) this site has 1981 for the release year this is incorrect it was filmed in 1981 but released into theaters in 1982. http://www.allmovie.com/ has 1982 listed as it's release year which is correct. Yes Nessie's roar does sound like a Tie Fighter & that is cool makes it unique I think which another user on here stated that in a comment. The Crater Lake Monster (1977) is the best Lake Monster Flick obviously cause of the great David Allen's Stop-Motion Animation work done on that film. And the whole Pleasiosaurus is shown in The Crater Lake Monster. But not in The Loch Ness Horror Anyway I am a Buchanan Fan & The Loch Ness Horror is the second best Lake Monster Flick it gets a 5. The Loch Ness Horror still hasn't turned up on DVD yet it would be nice to see a DVD Buchanan has passed on nice to see more of his stuff come out on DVD like this. I have 2 different DVDR's of this one is of The U.S. Monterey Home Video VHS came in an over-sized cardboard video box "Midnight Madness" is at the top of the box. Really good film print on that VHS. The other is the Pan Candian VHS Release which the print isn't as good has faded color with specs of dirt & some scratches. I have both on DVDR. Would be nice to see a real DVD of this released in the near future with extras including the trailer which I have seen online before great Trailer.

What can I say about a movie as bad as this? The people who made this movie, didn't even try to make the monster in it look realistic. You never see more than its head, and the head is just a giant puppet that has little movement except for when it opens it mouth to roar. And the sound they used for the roaring is the best part. At many points in the movie it sounds exactly like a TIE fighter flying over! I couldn't believe that when I first heard it and had to rewind several times to make it sink in. Other than the terrible looking monster and the noises it makes, there isn't much more to this film except for a few corny attack scenes and the crazy Scotsman attacking the kids trying to have an intimate moment in his castle. Still, it's watchable if you like this sort of trash. I know I do....