Blood Tide

Underwater explosions set off by a treasure hunter (James Earl Jones) unleash a sea monster. Nereus: Jose Ferrer. Sister Anna: Lila Kedrova. Sherry: Mary Louise Weller. Also known as “Blood Tide.” Directed by Richard Jeffries., It will come as quite a shock to discover the venerable James Earl Jones and José Ferrer slumming in this Greek-lensed ultra-cheapie about a legendary sea creature aroused from centuries of sleep off the shores of a Greek island by an opportunistic American archaeologist (Jones). It seems the beastie’s legacy is well known by some of the island’s old-timers (namely Ferrer), including the part about appeasing the monster with a virgin sacrifice — namely the alluring Deborah Shelton. The exotic locations and the presence of the gruff Jones (who apparently saw this as a paid vacation) lend a great deal of production value, but apparently Jones’ salary came out of the filmmakers’ special-effects budget — because the feared creature of ancient legend looks like a sock puppet! This film is also known as Red Tide and Demon Lake.