Join James Kline and J.H. Alison as Retro Blood wraps up our first-ever 1980s Shark Horror Month with the obscure Italian thriller Night of the Sharks—a film that tries to mix espionage, blackmail, and killer sharks, but ends up more James Bond than Jaws.
We kick off with our thoughts on the film’s bizarre tone, beachside antihero David Zeiger, and why this movie feels like a mash-up of Italian crime thrillers and a low-budget shark flick. Then it's time for our Weekly History Segment, covering what was happening in pro wrestling and heavy metal around this movie’s April 1, 1988 release. In wrestling, we dive into Ultimate Warrior vs. André the Giant house show matches, while in metal, Alison breaks down what was happening with Megadeth at the time.
We also explore the film's production: 🎬 Directed and co-written by Tonino Ricci, a regular collaborator with some of Italy’s infamous genre directors. 🎭 Starring Christopher Connelly in his final role and Janet Agren in a strange shark-meets-blackmail plot. 🦈 We reveal the surprising actor originally meant to play David—you won’t believe who it was!
Finally, we break down the full movie:
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David Zeiger living like a tropical James Bond with a yacht and a mistress.
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Steiner, a villain who feels ripped straight out of Adam West’s Batman rogues’ gallery.
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Sharks... somewhere in there.
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And the weird pacing and plot points that make this one a deep cut in shark horror cinema.
📼 A strange way to end shark month—but an entertaining one for fans of eurotrash horror oddities.
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