Rent She Creature (2001)

Spoilers follow ... - She Creature review by NP

Otherwise known as ‘The Mermaid Chronicles 1: She Creature’, this enjoyable TV movie has credited, as executive producer, the mighty Samuel Z. Arkoff, who has enjoyed a similar role on a huge volume of films with sci-fi/horror connotations. Sadly, he was to die shortly after completion of this.

The rich, plummy voiced Aubrey Morris, whose career is made with playing eccentrics, played Mr. Woolrich who has imprisoned in his dark and gloomy castle, a mermaid (Rya Kihlstedt) in a water-tight cage. Showman Angus (Rufus Sewell) sees the business opportunities available in owning such a creature himself and shortly, she is part of his exhibition. Angus’s partner who gets closer to the She-Creature than she might like, Lily is played by Carla Gugino. All four are excellent in their respective roles, and are aided by a terrific supporting cast.

SPOILER – the fully manifested creature is pleasingly CGI-free and only occasionally betrays the project’s modest budget. There are some well-conveyed gory moments too, but this is in the main a psychological horror which, although talky in parts, is highly enjoyable. The ending may not be totally surprising, but it is pretty satisfying.