Barracuda is a 1977 American horror/thriller film about a small Florida coastal town that is menaced by chemically induced and highly aggressive barracuda fish. The cast included Wayne Crawford, Jason Evers, Roberta Leighton, Cliff Emmich, William Kerwin and Bert Freed. It was directed by Harry Kerwin, with the underwater sequences handled by Wayne Crawford.
Contents
Plot
A top secret government experiment leads to fatal barracuda attacks on the beaches of a small coastal town formerly renowned for its lobster. A marine biologist (Wayne Crawford) and sheriff (William Kerwin) uncover a plot involving a mentally unstable former war-medic (Evers) pioneering research into hypoglycemia and its effects on human behavior.
Cast
Wayne Crawford – Mike Canfield (credited as Wayne David Crawford)
Jason Evers – Dr. Elliot Snow
Roberta Leighton – Liza Williams
Cliff Emmich – Deputy Lester
William Kerwin – Sheriff Ben Williams
Bert Freed – Papa Jack
Harry Kerwin – Government Agent #1
Rick Rhodes – Government Agent #2
Matt King – Agent Leaving
Barbara Keegan – Maggie Snow (credited as Bobbie Ellyne Kosstrin)
Edmund Lupinski – Boy on Beach (credited as Ed Lupinski)
Kim Nichols – Girl on Beach
Frank Logan – Sam
Daniel L. Fitzgerald – Cook
Will Knickerbocker – Bill (credited as Willis Knickerbocker)
Ruth Miller – Edna
Scott Avery – Toby
Bob J. Shields – Floyd
Release
Home media
Barracuda was released on VHS by UAV Corporation on December 7, 1989. The film was released on DVD by Dark Sky Films on September 30, 2008.
Reception
Cavett Binion from Allmovie gave the film a negative review, called it "[a] muddled attempt at ecological horror". Andrew Smith from Popcorn Pictures awarded the film a score of 2/10, calling it "a cheap cash-in", and criticized the film's plot, phony special effects, and lack of focus on the film's title monsters.