''Chupacabra: Dark Seas'' (released on DVD as ''Chupacabra Terror'') is a 2005 Syfy channel original film directed by John Shepphird and starring

John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies (born 5 May 1944) is a Welsh actor best known for portraying Sallah in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise and Gimli in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. His other roles include Michael Malone in the 1993 series ''The Untouch ...

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series '' Breaking Bad'', from 2009 to 2011, and in its prequel series ''Better ...

Dylan Neal Dylan Jeremy Neal (born October 8, 1969"Catching up with....Dylan Neal". ''Soap Opera Digest''. July 22, 2013. p. 73.) is a Canadian/American actor. He holds dual citizenship in Canada and the United States. He is known for his portrayal of the ...

, and

Chelan Simmons Chelan Lauren Simmons is a Canadian actress and former professional model. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Final Destination 3'' (2006), ''Good Luck Chuck'' (2007), and ''Tucker & Dale vs. Evil'' (2010). She is also known for her ...

. It was filmed on location in the

Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...

Plot

Dr. Peña (Esposito), a

cryptozoologist Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness ...

, manages to capture El Chupacabra on a remote Caribbean island and

smuggle Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...

s it aboard the

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

Regent Queen, commanded by Captain Randolph (Rhys-Davies) with the assistance of his young daughter, and ship

fitness instructor Fitness may refer to: * Physical fitness, a state of health and well-being of the body * Fitness (biology), an individual's ability to propagate its genes * Fitness (cereal), a brand of breakfast cereals and granola bars * ''Fitness'' (magazine), ...

, Jenny (Simmons). The Regent Queen has been experiencing a rash of

burglaries Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...

, and Federal Marshal Lance Thompson (Neal) is brought on board to investigate. Unfortunately, crew members sneak into the

cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

hold on their break; their curiosity getting the better of them, they accidentally unlock the

shipping container A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated boxes. In the context of ...

holding the creature. It kills them and escapes into the ship. When bodies start turning up, all passengers are ordered back to their cabins. However, an old woman is trying to catch her

Shih Tzu The Shih Tzu (, ; literally " Hsi Shih dog") is a toy dog breed originating from Tibet and was bred from the Pekingese and the Lhasa Apso. Shih Tzus are known for their short snouts and large round eyes, as well as their long coat, floppy ea ...

; she follows it into the casino, where she finds, to her horror, El Chupacabra devouring her dog. Seeing the woman a better meal, the beast attacks and eats her.

U.S. Navy Seals The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sm ...

are called in to help stop the creature, but their efforts are hindered by Dr. Peña, who believes the creature's life is more valuable than the lives of those aboard. The Navy Seals are killed off one by one by the beast and Dr. Peña resorts to using Jenny as live bait to recapture El Chupacabra. However, he is foiled when the beast outsmarts and fatally wounds him. Jenny is saved by Lance and they meet up with her father, who has set the engines to explode as all the other passengers have been evacuated. They flee on a lifeboat moments before the ship blows up and sinks the ship, taking the beast with it. As the group watches the ship sink, Captain Randolph tells Jenny and Lance that he has decided to retire and write his memoirs.

Cast

as Captain Randolph *

as Lance Thompson *

as Jenny Randolph *

as Dr. Peña *

Paula Shaw Paula Shaw (born July 17, 1941) is an American actress. A life member of the Actors Studio, Shaw has portrayed characters in numerous films and on television (including a role as prostitute on '' Barney Miller'', season three, "Quarantine", and ...

as Millie Hartman * David Millbern as Rick McGraw * Luke Darnell as Ensign Peters * Mark Viniello as El Chupacabra

Home media

The film was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

by Columbia TriStar on May 3, 2005. It was later released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on July 3, 2016.

Reception

''Chupacabra: Dark Seas'' received mostly negative reviews upon its release, with many critics criticizing the film's acting, dialogue, and clichéd script. ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' panned the film, awarding it 1/4 stars criticizing the film's reliance on cheap thrills and parodistic laughs stating, "

hough Hough may refer to: * Hamstringing, or severing the Achilles tendon of an animal * the leg or shin of an animal (in the Scots language), from which the dish potted hough is made * Hough (surname) Communities United Kingdom * Hough, Alderley E ...

the gore may satisfy die-hard monster mashers, but the cheesy-looking creature isn’t fit to touch the gills of the

Creature from the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

". Andrew Smith from ''Popcorn Pictures'' awarded the film a score of 3/10, writing, "Chupacabra: Dark Seas contains some alright moments but it’s not nearly enough to have to sit through yet another bargain basement creature feature from the Sci-Fi Channel. With an appalling script which goes through the motions from the opening scene right up until the end credits, even the decent make-up effects can’t save this mess." David Nusair from ''ReelFilm Reviews'' gave the film 2/4 stars, calling it "a mildly entertaining horror flick". In his review, Nusair criticized the film's dialogue, and clichéd story. Scott Weinberg from

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

called the film "hilarious" writing, "Every conceivable component of the movie - the comically amateurish acting performances, the head-slappingly stupid screenplay, the dry-as-paint directorial approach, the gore-soaked "guy in a rubber suit" monster, the goofball CGI cruise ship used in the various establishing shots—just screams of accidental entertainment."

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten tomatoes, chupacabra_terror, Chupacabra: Dark Seas 2005 films 2005 horror films 2005 television films 2000s monster movies 2005 science fiction films American monster movies American science fiction horror films Films about cryptids Films shot in the Turks and Caicos Islands American natural horror films Syfy original films Films set on cruise ships Films set in the Caribbean 2000s English-language films 2000s American films Sony Pictures direct-to-video films