(DVR’ed from Showtime Beyond on March 23, 2018 during a Showtime Free Preview Weekend)
Teenagers awaken on the beach after a night of non-stop partying with little memory of the night before. They soon learn the hard way that if they touch the sand, tiny tentacles lurking beneath the surface will drain them of their blood and suck them down into the ground. While stuck high and dry in various places (lifeguard stand, immobilized car, trashcan, etc.) they must work together to overcome the subterranean menace.
Blood Sand is a surprisingly entertaining amalgam of Blood Beach, Tremors, “The Raft” segment from Creepshow 2, and the old childhood game of The Floor is Lava. The opening sequence of teens filming themselves partying it up on the beach had me expecting the worst as I was afraid this was going to be another Found Footage horror flick. Thankfully, director Isaac Gabaeff quickly scraps that angle and almost immediately gets the movie down to business.
The cast do a fine job of selling the potentially silly premise and help to make it feel grounded (no pun intended) in reality. Brooke Butler and Megan Holder are believable as the two rivals for their man’s affections who put their beef on hold to survive the night. Playboy Playmate Nikki Leigh also puts in a memorable turn as the perpetually topless first victim. It’s Jamie Kennedy who steals the movie though as the asshole beach cop who cluelessly stumbles upon the scene mid-movie.
Blood Sand is a little bit better at each turn than it has to be as Gabaeff gets a lot of mileage out of the slim plot and limited location. That is, until the final reel, which comes as a bit of a letdown. The full-grown monster is kind of chintzy (Ray Harryhausen did the whole tentacle monster thing better in the ‘50s with It Came from Beneath the Sea) and the CGI is fairly crappy overall. The gore is better than average though, which helps. What really matters is how Alex Greenfield and Ben Powell’s script consistently finds new ways to wring genuine suspense out of the characters’ predicament.
In short, Blood Sand is a shore winner.
AKA: The Sand. AKA: Killer Beach.
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