By Simon Thompson
Writer/director Morihito Inoue’s Hot Spring Shark Attack is an enjoyably enthusiastic horror-comedy shark attack story without any sort of pretence at being anything other than it is whatsoever. Hot Spring Shark Attack is a movie which doesn’t set out to reinvent the wheel, but instead to be an enjoyable genre distraction post a few pints and a Chinese.
The film takes place in Atsumi, a tourist resort town known for its hot springs. As the town gears up for a busy tourist season, a worrying trend begins of visitors suddenly disappearing and subsequently being found dead, with signs of severe injury to their corpses consistent with shark attacks. The residents of Atsumi decide to put aside their various grievances with one another to fight the looming existential threat that has engulfed their town.
Many of the genre movie archetypes from the jaded retiring policeman, to the unscrupulous greedy politician, and the mysterious action hero type built like a rectangle with the wing span of two Pontiac Sedans, are all present and correct but are depicted in a very knowing tone that never becomes too irritating, as unlike in an American production in this vein, Inoue doesn’t point out that he’s being ironic every 10 minutes.
In the tradition of monster attack classics such as Jaws and Tremors, Hot Spring Shark Attack springboards off a simple premise to show the internal conflict the townspeople have with the mayor’s desire to increase its tourism through elaborate building projects. Which is conveyed by Inoue at the right moment so as not to distract from the movie’s selling point i.e. the gory shark attack kills.
Despite what looks like a pretty limited budget, Inoue still does a fantastic job of creating a tense atmosphere and although this is somewhat dissipated by the time you actually do see the sharks in question, everybody from the cast to Inoue himself are so committed to what they’re doing it never fully breaks your immersion. The kills in this movie are suitably gory, avoiding the chains of mindless good taste to show us the visceral nature of a shark attack in full 70s euro horror style glory.
The cinematography is crisp and professionally done, which is made all the more impressive given the fact that this is Inoue’s debut feature. Inoue’s use of tight angles and precise framing show his clear understanding of what makes horror work visually.
The lack of a budget only serves to highlight Inoue’s resourcefulness as a director, as via using action figures, miniature tiny corpses, a 3d printed toy crane filmed at angles to make it appear life sized, and small plastic sharks gives Hot Spring Shark Attack a do -it – yourself punk edge quality that is instantly endearing.
If you like genre movies and want a good laugh, Hot Spring Shark Attack, at just an hour and fifteen minutes, is a breezily enjoyable watch with midnight movie charm.
Hot Spring Shark Attack is now available on VOD platforms.
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