JAWS CLONE IN THE SAND ALA BLOOD BEACH

1981 rating: ***

This beach-set horror/suspense is yet another JAWS clone in the spirit of ALLIGATOR and PIRANHA, and has all the elements including the Sheriff, his trusty gal, and an airhead deputy.

Throw in some established character-actors like Burt Young, Otis Young, and John Saxon as politically-strapped law officials and you have yourself a low-budget thriller that works despite itself.

The random sand-slurping deaths are entertaining as hell, and there's a semi intriguing mystery involving what exactly is underneath. Marianna Hill, Fredo's trophy wife from THE GODFATHER, makes for a terrific screeching ingenue, and BIG WEDNESDAY alumni Darrell Fetty's unexpected death scene (pictured) is one of the best in low-low budget cinema.