Blood Hook (1987)

A troubled young man named Peter Van Cleese (Mark Jacobs) returns to a "Muskie Madness" fishing competition where his grandfather fell into a lake after playing some high pitched music which he was apparently attacked by a hook from a fishing rod and fell into the lake. He goes along with his girlfriend Ann (Lisa Todd) and his friends for this event but yet tries to find out who killed his grandfather.
One of Peter's wild friends named Rodney (Patrick Danz) decides to cruise around in his motor boat as well as going swimming but when he plays some rock music he is caught by a hook and reeled in. After he doesn't return Peter and his friends think he's dead but the local sheriff doesn't do anything about it since there's no proof or evidence that he's been killed.
Suddenly more and more people are attacked by this fishing hook with loud music or noise and end up missing themselves.
Some people are suspects around the area including two people who are running a resort named Wayne Duerst (Paul Drake) and his hyper son Evelyn (Bill Lowrie) in which they behave strange around the people that resides there.

Low budget and trashy but it was a fun average Troma Team flick as I am not a fan of their films.
The film was both goofy and scary and a nice look at the great outdoors which they found a perfect lake to film it at showing what seems to be a peaceful area can be a deadly killing ground for a demented fisherman.
There's lots of bad one liners in the film with plenty of crummy writing plus some of the dialogues you can tell was overdubbed at times probably due to poor sound while filming this but yet the story is very mysterious wondering who this killer is reeling anyone who plays music or is very noisy with an object.
The makers tried to make the film imaginative as to how painful it would be at a fishing tournament to accidentally get hit by a fishing hook when someone reels out their rod to catch fish buit yet a serial killer uses it to bring in their victims which delivers alot of shocks and how painful it is where this hook lands on a person while getting lured in which leaves a painful impression on anyone who was watching this. Plus the film tried so hard to be funny with the black comedy but it misses big time but the frightening moments are sure there which makes up for this flick from going below average or bombing even if this one has bobmed in movie guides (Not every movie guide reviewed this one since it's become pretty much an obscure flick and only rented in certain video stores due to the fact that this film was very cult oriented.
There are many different takes on the characters either going into the lake with their boat or getting off while the killings happen with the fishing hook attacking which draws a great mystery wondering if it can be any of thse people. It is a disapponintment when the killer is revealed since I was hoping it would be a killer that no one knew in something like Friday the 13th.
There's some very strange characters in the film which draws attention to wondering more who could be the killer especially by a married couple as the husband acts crazy and juveline like he's not mentally stabeled and his wife seems like a descent and mature woman confused about her marriage in which you wonder how these two were attracted and what's more scary is they have a toddler running around who got hit by the hook too which I found unncessary but yet the toddler survives.
However, the film may be a bit of a bore, made on quite a Z-grade budget by the same makers of the hit cult TV series Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
Bottom line is this is a movie so bad it's good if you're in the mood for something cheesy and it may be for people who aren't a fan of Troma Team movies alltogether since this one has nothing on the others. Some scene's are fun horror to watch and some of it really drags with the dull dialogues and bad performances too.

The acting is bad but what do you expect from a Troma Team film? Most of these actors remained virtual unknowns doing nothing else.
Former daytime soap actor Mark Jacobs tried his best with his lead role as the now adult Peter Van Cleese who is disturbed by what he saw and trying to find out the death of his grandfather but he does lack a bit in his part and overly does it. He shows some okay energy though but is too forceful with his lines.
Lisa Todd (Not the same actress from TV's Hee Haw) as his girlfriend Ann seemed to do not too bad for her part in the film since she seemed like a natural at what she did in the flick and proving to be passable as a character actress along with her pretty looks but to my knowledge never carried on with an acting career like most of the cast members listed in this film.
Sara Hauser has the nice beautiful looks in the film and seems to come across well onto the camera as one of the young friends on the trip. Can she act? Well so so but nothing too special. She tries to cry on set during some devastating moments and can do okay but sometimes she's over the top.
Paul Drake seems to be another line reader but he does come across well as someone who behaves disturbed along with paranoid expressions. He had the right looks too as a possible suspect for being the killer fisherman. He almost seemed like he was borrowing his charactersitics from someo b-horror celebrity like John Carradine.
Bill Lowrie with his eccentric character as someone who is bipolar is way too melodramatic and does not know how to portray a part for this. He just seems to say his lines in excitement but not getting into much character at all and when he tries to he's way over the top. He looks husky and freaky which seems to work for his character though.
Don Winters looked not too bad to play someone who was disturbed by noise that would make him kill with his mean eyed and rough faced looks but not you would see in demented type characters in such films as Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Hills Have Eyes.
Christopher Whiting as one of the fit one's trying out the fishing tournament tried his hardest to pull off a character but doesn't seem to have what it took to be an actor sadly as he did try to have an aggressive attitude when he was upset but was very rusty by doing so.
Patrick Danz seemed to stand out fairly well as a wild rocker type of person who likes to goof around and acting young and dumb not taking anything seriously as well as causing the odd trouble in which he brought most of this together quite well. He had the right looks too which helped and came across well as one of those types who will be one of the victims in a slasher flick.
Don Cosgrove who played a family man and fascinated in fishing is another over the top person who seems like his voice was overdubbed his acting was that phony. He seems to pull it off griping and being annoying too by portraying those types you can't stand.
Dale Dunham however seemed quite witty in his supporting role as a cocky fisherman who does offer some laughs with his lines expecially talking to his fish he caught. He seems passable as a character actor for a comedy and one of the only one's who can do so.

There is some brief nudity by Lisa Todd in which she is topless making out with someone but mainly her back is revealed.

Lots of blood when the hook attacks the victims.
There are buckets of body pieces in a fridge.
Also, the killer fisherman cuts open a young mans neck as well as corpses are tied underneath his pier.
A hand is cut off and grinded into meat.

The directing by Jim Mallon is nothing special as he was better off in his work with the TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000.
He can make the film look creepy though but the dialogue is extremely cheesy. There's a nice shot on bit part child actor Ryan Franke going down an passage transport device towards the lake with an interesting brief dialogue between him and bit part actor Donald Franke as his grandfather showing him an old fashioned tape machine and how it works with good close up shots on the tape playing as well as a good shot on Donald looking uncomfortable being forced to go near a pier of the lake which the blocking looked quite off but a good camera shot on him falling into the lake.
There's good camera takes on the cast like Lisa Todd, Mark Jacobs, Patrick Danz, Sarah Hauser and Christopher Whiting in their vehicle having fun conversations with one another while on their way to the muskie madness yet the coahing on the dialogue looked a bit trashy.
There's a good close up camera shot on Don Winters talking to one of the people attending the muskie madness to respect the waters as he shows a good mean expression on his face.
There's good close up shots on Christopher Whiting when he sets up his fishing rod to try it out along with supporting actor Dale Dunham acting sarcastic and cocky towards him which had some cheesy but okay timing too with their dialogues together.
There's a trashy dialogue with supporting actor Bill Lowrie holding a shotgun going crazy towards the actors like Jacobs, Todd, Danz and Hauser when they meet him at his cabin which looked unimpressive but of course this is mainly due to poor acting skills too.
There's a nice good close up shot on Jacobs near the passage transport in deep thoughts about what happened which looked crisply filmed and a great close up on him.
There's a failry good dialogue with Todd towards Jacobs about what had happened which looked like a fairly good discussion showing some disturbed emotions coming from Jacobs when Todd tries to talk to him about it.
There's some cheesy argumentive moments but good camera shots suppounding supporting actors Don Cosgrove, Bonnie Lee, Greg Nienas and Julie Vortanz as a family at a restaurant having dinner along with a disagreeing dialogue between Cosgrove wanting to come to fish and Lee not liking this idea which looked way too planned out and sloppily done as well as close up shots on Lee imitating a loon which tries to bring on the comedy as a fruitcake type of a fmily woman but really misses by a long shot.
There's a good dark creepy shot on Lee walking on the pier and then blowing a duck type whistle after hear a loon with a perfect close up shot on her persitently doing this and then a great shot on a fishing rod trying to reel her in but however her blocking looked very off when it shows her caught by the hook with her spinning around and falling into the lake.
There's a great side shot on Hauser talking to Todd on the pier with her meditating and their conversations looked quite natural.
There's a good shot on young toddler Dana Remker playing with some mud near a lake as well as a hook trying to reel him in but grabs one of his blow up water toys. There's also good close up and side shots on Sandy Meuwissen lying down and lifting her weights. She reacts well after she finds out that he is hurt by freaking out.
There's great shots on Danz driving his motorboat circling around Dunham goofing off with Dunham yelling at him along with a good angle shot on Danz flipping him the bird.
There's also a nice perfect shot on Danz swimming in the lake and then getting into his boat listening to some music. Then a nice close up shot on him lying down and then getting up to check something and a nice close up shot on a fishing hook lying on his seat. There's a good close up angle shot on him lying back down and a good shot on him feeling some pain and a good shot on a fishing rod trying to reel him in as well as a nice shot on him hollering in pain trying to struggle to stay in the boat with good shots on his bloodied hands. There's a good brief distant shot on him falling into the lake. The direction on him screaming in pain sounded quite cheesy like it was pre-recorded but it seemed to fit in to what was happening. I found this piece to be the best horror direction ever.
There's a good demanding reaction with Jacobs towards supporting actor Paul Heckman as a sheriff telling him his friend was murdered as well as a good sobbing reaction with Hauser on this but sometimes she overdoes it (This was her acting skills mainly and not the direction) The stern dialogues on this was well paced nonetheless.
There's a good shot on Hauser on a blown up mattress wading away from the pier and some good side shots on the fishing hook trying to get her along with a nice close up shot on her screaming after the boat lunges towards her and a perfect close up shot on the head of the boat heading towards the camera.
There's a nice shot with both Meuwissen and Whiting doing situps and then slowly starting to make out with one another which had a fair pace with the directing on them.
There's a nice shot on Meuwissen doing backstrokes in the lake with a fishing hook approaching her in the water as well as good close up shots on her panicking trying to take it off as well as a good close up shot on an oar aiming towards the camera.
There's a good serious moment with Paul Drake as well as a great close up shot on him talking to both Jacobs and Todd about what had happened.
There's a nice and gruesome camera shot on some corpses being towed in from underneath a dock with some mist floating around.
There's a good moment with both Lowrie and Jacobs inside a fishing shop as well as a good upsetting reaction on Lowrie when he spots his wife's ring and a good shocked and grossed out reaction on Jacobs when he takes out a bucket of guts from a refrigerator.
There's also a good shot on Todd listening to some music near a pier and meditating and Don Winters approaching in his row boat about to reel her in with good moments on her panicking and trying to get away which looked fairly energised.
Todd also does well at acting scared towards Winters' character while he sharpens a knife and is tying her up in his shack trying to reason with him but sometimes it looks cheesy.
We have an interesting cheesy battle between Winters and Marc Jacobs with their fishing rods attacking one another with good close up shots on the two of them reacting in pain when a hook hits them.

The music was composed by Thomas A. Naunas and Mystery Science Theater Kevin Murphy. Both did a great job having a creepy edge to it with the cheesy sounds and thumping echoey noises too. There's alot of high pitched synthesizer playing which sounds right for a cheesy horror flick like this plus could be useful for one of those low budget haunted house type films or involving ghosts of any kinds. Plus there's the low gloomy synthesizer echoey sounds when the hook is about to attack too. To top it off at times we hear a brief echoey bonging sound which works very well for the real dark moments. Plus there's some heavy drum beats too.