Heya, horror fans! Welcome back to Horror With a Side of Cheese. If you are new here, I am hunting for the cheesiest horror movies ever made. Twice every month, on the first and third Fridays, I come here and talk about my latest finds. I scour for films from any subgenre, any decade and made anywhere in the world and then rank them on a scale of one to five cheese slices. Several factors go into the rating, including story, dialogue, acting, effects and re-watchability. In this edition, I bring you the hilarious 2013 movie, Sharknado. Stick around to find out how many cheese slices I give this one.
About Sharknado
A horrendous storm is quickly approaching California. Unfortunately, this is no ordinary storm. It is bringing an influx of one of the ocean’s fiercest predators. Tidal waves, tornadoes — the entire system is filled with sharks. As the catastrophic meteorological event closes in, one bar owner and friends must fight to survive. Untold horrors await the crew as they attempt to make their way to Beverly Hills.
Sharknado stars Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, John Heard, Cassandra Scerbo, Jason Simmons, Heather Jocelyn Blair and Sumiko Braun. Anthony C. Ferrante directed the film, and Thunder Levin wrote the story.
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This film has a 74 percent Tomatometer Score and a 33 percent Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fun fact: The movie was so popular that it spawned five sequels and a behind-the-scenes feature.
My Thoughts
What can I say? I am always drawn to anything with sharks, and the crazier, the better. With that said, the first thing I want to talk about is the story. Out of the gate, it is an entirely implausible situation. While it is not uncommon for unsuspecting animals to become caught in tornados, they are generally deceased before they reach the ground again. Of course, by its nature, Sharknado does not take itself too seriously, which makes it a fun endeavor. A large amount of cheese comes from the story.
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Next, let’s dive into the acting. Boasting names such as Ian Ziering and Tara Reid automatically puts a certain level of expectation on this aspect of the film. Considering that, it is essential to remember this is a cheesy horror. Therefore, situations, conversations and other factors lend to an over-the-top feeling. While the entire cast maintains their professionalism throughout, there is an invading cheesiness.
There are so many corny lines in Sharknado that the dialogue is easily one of the cheesiest aspects. For example, “Sharks. I never saw that coming.” In another instance, the character Nova says, “They took my grandfather. So I really hate sharks.” Yet another epically wild line happens between Baz and Nova. Baz says the storm is dying, and Nova asks how he knows. He replies, “There aren’t as many sharks flying around.” The list is enormous.
The next item on the list is the effects. Given what this movie is, the effects are decent. There are several scenes where the sharks are obviously computer generated. On the other hand, the blood and guts scenes are pretty realistic. There are scenes of people being chomped on or eaten by sharks and others where the humans exact revenge on the oceanic predators. Both scenarios come with buckets of blood and quite a bit of general gore. Some of the explosions and other effects are laugh-inducing, but overall not bad.
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Finally, re-watchability. I have seen this one a few times and will likely watch it again. It is not a film to be taken seriously, with expectations of some fantastic horror. Instead, it is meant to be entertaining — ridiculously and incredulously. It will make you laugh; it will make you cringe, it may even make you tear up. Overall, I am giving this one a solid four cheese slices.
There you have it, horror fans. Another cheesy horror in the books. Have you seen Sharknado? If not, check out the trailer below; if you have, tell us your opinion on the movie in the comments. Until next time, stay spooky, stay cheesy, and above all, watch more horror movies!
This article was originally published on 5/10/23.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/every-friday-the-13th-movie-ranked/
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