She Creature (2001)

20% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
40% of users liked it
(2,261 ratings)

A couple running a rideshow discover the find of a lifetime, only to realize it could well be the death of them in this horror story. Angus Shaw (Rufus Sewell) and his wife, Lillian (Carla Gugino), run a travelling carnival which barnstorms the countryside in the early 1900s. The Shaws' circus… More A couple running a rideshow discover the find of a lifetime, only to realize it could well be the death of them in this horror story. Angus Shaw (Rufus Sewell) and his wife, Lillian (Carla Gugino), run a travelling carnival which barnstorms the countryside in the early 1900s. The Shaws' circus includes a sideshow which promises much in the way of monsters and human oddities, but for the most part delivers second-rate actors dressed up in costumes or using smoke-and-mirrors effects to fool the customers. Lillian herself offers the most spectacular illusion, posing as a fake mermaid. One night, Angus offers a helping hand to an aging sailor (Aubrey Morris), and the old salt offers to show Angus and Lillian something truly amazing -- a real, honest-to-Pete mermaid (Rya Kihlstedt). Astounded by what he's seen, Angus decides the fortune he could make exhibiting a real mermaid is too great to resist, and he steals the creature from the sailor. Angus and Lillian waste no time booking passage to the United States with their find, but en route to America they discover this mermaid is hardly a benign creature -- she has a taste for human blood, and soon the ship's crew is shrinking at an alarming rate. Lillian also finds herself developing a strange psychological bond with the mermaid, a connection more powerful than her vows to her husband. She Creature was produced for the Cinemax premium cable service as part of a series of "Creature Features" produced by special effects wizard Stan Winston and former American International Pictures head Samuel Z. Arkoff, most of which were inspired by horror films AIP made in the 1950s. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Sebastian Gutierrez
Written By: Sebastian Gutierrez
Genres: Television, Horror

In Theaters: Jan 1, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Apr 2, 2002
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
If the sailing ship had as many holes as the script it could never leave port, but She Creature is sufficiently fun hokum splashing around in atmospheric, albeit familiar, territory.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
Columbia TriStar's She Creature DVD offers both widescreen (1.78:1 anamorphic) and full-frame (1.33:1) transfers, which look as good as you would expect from a recent TV movie.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...all we really want out of this movie is a bad-*** mermaid killin' lots of folks. But we don't get that until the final 15 minutes.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
Because Bram Stoker's Dracula was published seven years prior to the events of She Creature, Angus and his merry crew have no excuse for not foreseeing their inevitable fates.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Ken S

Really cool killer mermaid movie, even cooler. The DVD comes with a Stan Winston commentary!
Dead A

I remember watching this on TV. The bit of it to be accurate. And I got really interested to watch the full movie as it seemed very good. And I wasn't disappointed. Never seen such a creepy and ugly looking mermaid in my entire life. It looked more like an alien to me. The story… More
I remember watching this on TV. The bit of it to be accurate. And I got really interested to watch the full movie as it seemed very good. And I wasn't disappointed. Never seen such a creepy and ugly looking mermaid in my entire life. It looked more like an alien to me. The story was okay. It was a low budget movie but it was quite catchy. Do recommend it to watch.
Luke B

Fantastically surprising B-Movie that reaches levels of success barely met by big budget Hollywood productions. The acting is well above par, for a film of this ilk, and the casting of Gugino and Sewell really pays off. Each of them has really interesting characters and aren't… More
Fantastically surprising B-Movie that reaches levels of success barely met by big budget Hollywood productions. The acting is well above par, for a film of this ilk, and the casting of Gugino and Sewell really pays off. Each of them has really interesting characters and aren't just flat emotionless voids ready for the slaughter. The horror is both psychological and physical, causing jumps and moments of unexpected uncertainty. The film also does really well at introducing the mythology of the mermaid. Unlike many films, the exposition is broken up and scattered throughout the film, whilst being seamlessly woven into the story/action. It's a unexpected gem that realizes that characters come first, with murder and mayhem second.
Kylie B

I remember catching this late one night and thinking it was great. I had never seen a horror mermaid before (or since, to date), and this film is worth it for the novelty. *spoiler* However I do think that it was a little too predictable to have her become more hideous towards the… More
I remember catching this late one night and thinking it was great. I had never seen a horror mermaid before (or since, to date), and this film is worth it for the novelty. *spoiler* However I do think that it was a little too predictable to have her become more hideous towards the end. Why must evil always be ugly?