Night Tide (1961)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Absolutely Fantastic

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Night Tide (1961) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Johnny (Dennis Hopper) is a sailor on leave who is walking around without too much care in the world. The loneliness is certainly creeping in when he meets a young woman named Mora (Linda Lawson). The two quickly strike up a relationship but Johnny feels there's something not quite right and even after being warned that she might have killed a couple men he still can't leave her.Curtin Harrington's NIGHT TIDE is without question one of the most experimental horror films ever made.When you take a look at the type of films that were being released around this time you've got Dracula and Frankenstein and monsters from outer space. You've also got the Corman-Price-Poe pictures and even the shockers steaming from PSYCHO were gaining popularity. No one cared for this film when it was released and it's easy to see why but at the same time this tale of a mermaid eventually found a cult audience.If you're looking for something different then you'll certainly find it here because there really aren't too many movies like this one. The entire point of the film is the fact that this sailor falls in love with a woman he can't quite understand. Is she a mermaid? Is it just in his mind? Director Harrington really leaves it up to the viewer to draw their own conclusions as to what's going on and the film keeps you guessing all the way to the end. The film has a European feel to it and there's no question that the director was going for mood more than anything.The very young looking Hopper offers up a nice performance here and he's certainly believable in the role of this rather confused young man who isn't quite sure what's going on. Lawson is also extremely good in her role as is Gavin Muir and Luana Anders. One wishes that the film had a bit more flair or at least a little more energy because it's slow pace can drag a bit at times. Still, Harrington's NIGHT TIDE is an original and unique movie that is worth watching.

This low budget B movie has managed to generate something of a cult over the years, albeit a minor one. It probably hasn't generated a large cult because it does have a number of flaws. The biggest problem with the movie is that even at eighty four minutes, it feels too long and padded out. Had it been instead cut down to fit an hour long television "Twilight Zone" episode, I think it would have worked a lot better. Despite the overlength, the movie still has some interest. It's a rare chance to see a young Dennis Hopper playing a more "normal" person than some of his later, better known roles. He does a pretty good job, showing some vulnerabilities to this particular character that makes him likable and sympathetic. Also, the movie is effectively directed; more often than not there is a low key eerie feeling, almost like we are watching a dream even when the characters are not having fantasies. If you wait to watch this movie when you are in a patient mood, you'll probably find it has its rewards.

Spoiler near the end -NIGHT TIDE is an intriguing film that seems to contain various subplots. The compelling ending is difficult to perceive, but a certain clue may point to a resolution of the tale.Johnny Drake,(HOPPER) a sailor on leave, falls for a lovely girl (MORA) (LAWSON) who works on the Santa Monica pier in a side-show attraction as a mermaid in a tank that appears to be filled with water.Not long after Johnny meets Mora, a strange woman speaks to her angrily in a foreign language, and Mora flees from her in terror. He tries to find out who the woman is and why she is harassing Mora, but the girl claims not to know her.Johnny walks Mora home to her apartment and finds she is reluctant when he tries to befriend her. However, she does invite him to breakfast for the following morning in her apartment which is located over a quaint old carousel.The following morning on his way to meet Mora for breakfast, Johnny becomes acquainted with the carousel owner and his friendly daughter (Ellen) (ANDERS), who soon warn him of the danger of being too friendly with Mora. It seems that two young men she had befriended were found dead. A friendly nearby fortune-teller defends Mora, saying that the case was never solved and the killer was never found.Johnny and Mora fall in love, but she warns him that she is concerned for his safety. She is obsessed with the sea and says she is one of the sea people. She appears to be conflicted about her innocence in the murders of the two young men. Though Johnny tells her the sea people are only a myth, Mora greatly fears them and now admits that the strange woman who approached her on the night they met is one of the sea people warning her that she must join them soon.Johnny meets Mora's stepfather Captain Murdoch, who also warns him about Mora. He invites Johnny to his home which contains some intriguing and frightening sea-faring curios. He had adopted the four year old orphan whom he discovered on a Greek island in his travels and did not know she would grow up to become a monster. He does not want Johnny to be the next victim.Despite the warnings, Johnny goes diving with Mora and is astounded and greatly dismayed when she tries to drown him. After a dangerous fight for his life, he waits for her in the boat but cannot find her.May contain Spoiler, but could be important in figuring out the end -Early the next morning Johnny heads for the side-show on the pier, intending to have it out with Mora. When he finds her dead in the tank, Captain Murdoch appears and starts shooting at him. He says Johnny is responsible and implies that she committed suicide as she does not know what to do about their relationship.Later Captain Murdoch claims to be the guilty party in the murders and admits to fabricating the yarn about the Sea People. His motive was a fear of one day losing the ward he had grown to love. He denies knowing the strange woman who harassed Mora, though Johnny spotted her near the captain's home just before arriving.. Turning the corner, Johnny finds she had disappeared all too quickly.Key Point - When Johnny approaches the mermaid concession, a distinct scream from Mora can be heard. However, it is simultaneously drowned out by the loud sounds emanating from a nearby ride that was just set in motion. I have not seen this clue in any of the other reviews and wonder if the end of the film can be explained that way.Night Tide is an interesting and compelling film which has you sympathizing with not only Mora and Johnny, but the pathetic Captain Murdoch, a literary old gentleman who is very lonely. Also, I am intrigued by the mysterious woman in black who threatens Mora. All in all, it is an intriguing film with some horrific undertones. The location on the pier is very realistic and charming (invoking a glimpse of its former appearance in the early 60's).

Night Tide was OK but not great.I picked up a copy because I had heard it compared favorably to Carnival of Souls. Apart from the fact that it's low budget, b&w, a horror movie, and has some scenes shot in a carnival setting, I don't see the similarity.Dennis Hopper got on my nerves: very spastic, jerky movements, couldn't sit still for two seconds, smoking nonstop throughout; you'd think he was jacked up on coke or had ADD or something.The last 10-15 minutes didn't make sense to me. What happened in that underwater scene? Was Mora trying to kill Johnny? Help him? Why did he wait on the boat afterward? Why didn't she surface? How did she die? How did her body end up at the carnival? Who was the woman stalking Mora? Too many loose threads. Maybe the version I saw was missing scenes? And what was with the jazz combo in the bar and the black bongo player on the beach? Was L.A. really this multiculti back in 1960? If the bar had been in New Orleans or the beach in the Caribbean, well, OK, but these things felt contrived and didn't jibe with the overall decor.Maybe I would've enjoyed it a bit more with a better quality transfer (the Alpha Video DVD release I got left something to be desired, both in sound and picture quality), but even with a pristine version, I still wouldn't have loved this movie.UPDATE (10-02-20): I rented a copy of the Image Entertainment DVD and the picture and audio quality were markedly better than on the Alpha one. While it's not cheap, if you care about quality, that's the one to spring for. I recently watched the 1942 film Cat People and I agree with other reviewers that Night Tide borrows heavily from it. Fans of one would likely benefit from seeing the other. I haven't figured out which one I prefer.