crackedhalo11
BLOOD SAND (a.k.a. THE SAND) actually has a fairly decent set-up for a "chamber piece" horror film -- Steal the hook from cult classic BLOOD BEACH and use the set-up from "The Raft" sequence from CREEPSHOW 2; the result is a group of swimwear-clad "hotties" trapped by killer sand that swallows you up... The problem lies in execution and the fact that this is not made by a true horror fan, just somebody using the popular sub-genre to further the career... Because of this, the result is the worst tropes these films have to offer -- Stale, unlikeable characters, generic (and probably ad-libbed) dialogue, nonsensical behavior (Hey, let's bring that big, slimy egg thing back to the party!!!!) and (for the most part) atrocious CGI in lieu of any attempts at practical effects... Throw in a painfully unfunny cameo by Jamie Kennedy and you have this turd.The irony in all this is that as much as I hate remakes (especially horror remakes) I've always felt the original BLOOD BEACH should get a remake. It's got a unique concept and some great moments... But it's also running time is heavily weighed down by a yawn-inducing romantic subplot. Still, it's ten times better than this junk.
Neil Welch
A group of college kids wake up hung over after a beach barbecue only to discover that if flesh touches the sand, the beach eats it (and the rest of what is connected to it) Who will escape and how? This is a very low budget film made with a cast of unknowns in a single location and, given those limitations, it is done quite well. For instance, a lot of camera-work is low angle which serves two purposes: it gives a "sand-eye" view, and avoids background detail and any continuity or other issues which might otherwise have resulted.The young cast are attractive and do well enough.Tension is maintained fairly well throughout.The CGI - mainly blood and monster filaments/tentacles - is poor. And the resolution is lacking. But it's an OK time-passer.
1bilbo
This has a similar plot and layout to Blood Beach and also to a (I think,) twilight zone short in which swimmers in a lake are attacked by a floating bin sack.If you consider being able to shriek to be good acting then this is for you.There is absolutely no subtlety to either the acting or the plot and it is difficult to understand how a director could ever think this little opus was worth anything other than the trash can.Which makes me think that these rubbishy films are simply a tax avoidance scam – make a film that sucks but pay yourself a great fee so the tax on your finance is avoided but you still reap rewards. Plus the junk film gets rented out to cable and late night channels and you have an ongoing royalty income. Only after a person has watched the film do they realise that they just wasted 90 mins of their time.
BA_Harrison
A group of twenty-somethings party the night away on the beach only to wake up the next day to discover that a ravenous multi-tendrilled creature lies hidden beneath the sand, waiting to devour them.The Sand draws inspiration from an awful lot of movies, the most obvious of which is Blood Beach (1980), which bore the memorable tag-line 'Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water - you can't get to it.". Other titles with which it shares similarities include Tremors (1990), The Ruins (2008), The Mist (2007), Rogue (2007), Black Water (2007), Frozen (2010), Splinter (2008), and The Raft segment from anthology sequel Creepshow 2 (1987). The problem is that The Sand isn't as good as any of the films it so closely resembles (not even Splinter).As soon as one of the characters insists that all mobile phones are to be put in a bag, out of reach, while the friends party hard on the beach, it is abundantly clear that this film is going to be bereft of clever ideas or originality. And so it continues, the film playing out in very predictable manner, the photogenic cast falling victim one-by-one to the killer spaghetti that lurks beneath the sand. It's not a painful watch, the hot babes in bikinis ensuring that there is always something to please the eye, but as a horror film it is definitely a disappointment, with zero tension or scares and some really bad CGI (for both the creatures appendages and the gore).
AD
