Search - Psychotronica, Vol. 3: Mermaids of Tiburon/Cry of the Bewitched on DVD

Entertaining vintage films

TBo | Chicago | 01/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Interesting couple of films.....I had seen "Mermaids" in the original black and white version a few years ago. It was an odd experience to see it in color and the story is more focused on the topless mermaids than the plot of the original version. The original b&w version was centered around Diane Webber's performance as a mermaid. She is a minor player in the color version.

The second film in the set has an exceptional percussion soundtrack with singing. The drum/vocal compositions remind me of Haitian music that I've heard. The plot is mildly interesting, but the drumming is mesmerizing. I'd recommend this combo DVD for the drumming of the second film."

Beautiful, rare color version of TIBURON

John Black | REDMOND, WA United States | 01/28/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like most film buffs, I had only seen the circulating black-and-white prints of MERMAIDS OF TIBURON. The DVD is a revelation, with gorgeous color. The B&W version was more of a crime film, but the color version is primarily a showcase for the mermaids, who are shown swimming topless underwater, etc. This may have been the version that was released to adults-only theaters while being retitled THE AQUA SEX.

The DVD also presents a hybrid print that is in color but deletes most of the topless footage. So, if you have an underwater enthusiast visiting who might not want to see the nudity, you can show the "family" version instead.

The DVD presents the film in better quality than I ever expected for this title, and the image is letterboxed as well. However, my copy doesn't have the promised audio commentary track (perhaps they didn't get around to doing that). This is the best transfer of MERMAIDS OF TIBURON that we're likely to see."