Night Tide (1961)

Night Tide (1961) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Johnny (Dennis Hopper) is a sailor on leave who is walking around without too much care in the world. The loneliness is certainly creeping in when he meets a young woman named Mora (Linda Lawson). The two quickly strike up a relationship but Johnny feels there's something not quite right and even after being warned that she might have killed a couple men he still can't leave her.Curtin Harrington's NIGHT TIDE is without question one of the most experimental horror films ever made.When you take a look at the type of films that were being released around this time you've got Dracula and Frankenstein and monsters from outer space. You've also got the Corman-Price-Poe pictures and even the shockers steaming from PSYCHO were gaining popularity. No one cared for this film when it was released and it's easy to see why but at the same time this tale of a mermaid eventually found a cult audience.If you're looking for something different then you'll certainly find it here because there really aren't too many movies like this one. The entire point of the film is the fact that this sailor falls in love with a woman he can't quite understand. Is she a mermaid? Is it just in his mind? Director Harrington really leaves it up to the viewer to draw their own conclusions as to what's going on and the film keeps you guessing all the way to the end. The film has a European feel to it and there's no question that the director was going for mood more than anything.The very young looking Hopper offers up a nice performance here and he's certainly believable in the role of this rather confused young man who isn't quite sure what's going on. Lawson is also extremely good in her role as is Gavin Muir and Luana Anders. One wishes that the film had a bit more flair or at least a little more energy because it's slow pace can drag a bit at times. Still, Harrington's NIGHT TIDE is an original and unique movie that is worth watching.

This Cult Movie has a Rich Pedigree. It is the Debut for Director Curtis Harrington and Despite obvious Talent and a Love for His Art, Never really Managed to Hit Pay-Dirt and the Big Time. But like Many Artist with Creative Abilities that Escape the Attention of Contemporaries, Harrington's Work has found New Respect and AdmirersIt is also the Debut Film for Dennis Hopper who had a Long and Varied Career and managed Virtual Super-Star Status, First as an Iconic Counter Culture Figure, after Directing and Starring in "Easy Rider" (1969), and then Playing Psychos in a Number of Well Received Box Office and Artistic Hits like "Apocalypse Now" (1979), "Blue Velvet" (1986), and "Speed" (1994).But although Hopper is OK as an Atypical Sailor Traveling Alone, it is Harrington's Film. Combining Eerie, Surreal Images with a Tone of a Daydream/Nightmare, the Director Rings His very Low Budget Dry with a Number of Odd Inclusions.The Jazzy Beatnik Score, the Carnival Atmosphere, the Mythic Story, and some very Off Beat Characters, Tell the Story of a Mermaid (Or is she?), who May or may Not be a "Siren" that Lures Men to Their Watery Grave. A Strong Performance from Linda Lawson and all the Cast Help make this much More than just Drive-In Filler.This Ambiguous and Beautiful Film also has Ties to Aleister Crowley, Jack Parsons, L. Ron Hubbard, The Church of Satan, Kenneth Anger, and Roger Corman. Its Influences include Edgar Allan Poe, The French New Wave, and Val Lewton.So You See, this is a Must-See Movie for Fans of the Offbeat, the Occult, B-Movies, Horror and Fantasy Buffs, and Anyone Who Appreciates Film as Art.Note...Stay far away from the Public Domain tapes and DVDs. The Film now has a Blu-ray release and that's the only voyage to take.

I interpreted Curtis Harrington's "Night Tide" as a parable of lost love. Dennis Hopper's sailor falls for a woman who may or may not be a murderous mermaid, casting his future into doubt either way. It's usually called a horror movie, but I would say that it's more personal horror than spooky horror. Hopper's role will probably be a surprise to people who recognize his hippies from "Easy Rider" and "Apocalypse Now", and his crazy characters from "Blue Velvet" and "Speed". His navy member is a morose man with not much in his future except a relationship with this woman.I wouldn't go so far as to call this a philosophical movie. It's pretty low-context and has an ending that weakens it. But other than that I was impressed, so I recommend it.

No need to repeat the plot or dwell on consensus points. A few remarks about the movie's significance might be helpful, however. Harrington's quirky little film was part of a larger independent effort in the early 1960's to break away from studio domination and commercial conformity. The movement came along in the wake of John Cassavetes' groundbreaking Shadows (1960), and also at a time when European films from Fellini, Bergman and the French New Wave, et al, were expanding audience perceptions. Shadows proved that audiences were ready for a more daring product than what Hollywood of the 50's was producing. Perhaps more importantly, Shadows showed that a quality feature-length film could be done on a small budget ($40,000), with a non-union crew, get commercially distributed, and be reviewed in major publications (Night Tide, I recall, managed a good review in mainstream Newsweek). One or more of these factors had long prevented emergence of an independent film movement outside studio bounds. But by the early 60's, times had changed. Night Tide remains an oddity, sort of a blending of Shadows and Roger Corman with the ghost of Val Lewton hovering in the background. The ending is unfortunate, something of a loss of nerve given Harrington's overall imaginative approach. What impressed me then, and still does, is the director's visual style. Most every frame amounts to a well-composed visual treat, even when taking in the flat side of Santa Monica's ocean front. It's a measured, near- lyrical style, well suited at capturing the poetical side of horror a la Lewton—a dimension sorely missing from today's bloodfests. Anyway, the movie shows considerable promise; I'm just sorry Harrington slipped into obscurity, never developing into the career I think his talent deserved. Meanwhile, the movie furnishes a look-see into what was then a fresh movement in film-making.