SHARK FRENZY (written by me!) is now available On Demand at Amazon Prime: https://tinyurl.com/ynv7ss77
Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/XGpE05IrTu0

THE DEVIL’S MOUTH (2026)

New streaming on Amazon Prime!
Directed by Jeff Wadlow.
Written by Aja Gabel, Myung Joh Wesner.
Check out the trailer here!!

A group of college friends vacation in Thailand and find themselves trapped in a cave system with a hungry Bull Shark.

THE DEVIL’S MOUTH is your typical shark movie. Basically, the goal of a shark movie is to get a group of people in a location that is difficult to escape from and throw a shark into the mix. Sometimes a few sharks. Sometimes there are a lot of sharks. Location is key and that’s what makes THE DEVIL’S MOUTH somewhat more interesting than other shark films that happen out on the open water. This one is in the claustrophobic confines of a cave system that our heroes must swim through. It’s not the most original concept is was pretty much the same plot as 47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED, but it isn’t as common as most shark themed horrors. The use of the cave system is actually the most interesting aspect of THE DEVIL’S MOUTH. Some corridors are too small for the shark to get through. Others are simply open pools where the heroes must swim straight through the middle to get to the next length of the cave system. THE DEVIL’S MOUTH’s use of a visual map throughout the film offers a simple key to keep the viewer up to date on where the kids in peril are and how far they must go.

The shark itself is decent, but nothing we haven’t seen before. It’s a bull shark, not you’re typical Great White. It’s described as very stubborn and known to ram its head into things to get to its prey. That’s cool and all, but when was the last time you’ve watched a shark film where the shark isn’t stubborn and persistent with its prey. I’ve never seen a passive shark movie, though it would be fun to see one. A movie where everyone screams and swims away from the shark, but it just sort of just swims around passively and minds its own business. Then again, that doesn’t sound like a proper horror film. My point is that all sharks are persistent, stubborn, and always hungry, even though in real life, that is not always the case. The shark in THE DEVIL’S MOUTH is ok, but nothing to write home about.

That leaves the characters. THE DEVIL’S MOUTH does a decent job of setting up the characters by staging a pretty horrifying scenario that has nothing to do with sharks in the first fifteen minutes. This getting-to-know-you time for the main characters proves to set up a conflict between the two main characters, Sara (READY OR NOT 2’s Kathryn Newton) and Max (Lana Condor who played Jubilee in X-MEN: APOCALYPSE). They are best friends, but it is made clear from the start Max leads the show and just assumes Sara will come along for the ride. The problem is that Max doesn’t often think her decisions through and changes her mind on a whim, making her a frustrating friend to follow. Sara seems to be at the end of her rope with Max and as both finish college and are about to set out into the really real world, this rift between them seems to be widening. The conflict between Sara and Max directly influences the situation the group get into with the shark as Max continues to try to take charge without really knowing what she’s doing, usually putting herself and the group into more peril. Having the character conflict and the major conflict parallel is writing one usually doesn’t see in a shark movie, so I’ll give this movie credit for making all of that work.

The ending or how the group deals with the shark is rather cliched and overly complicated. It also requires feats of strength that I don’t think a couple of college kids are able to accomplish. Sure, I’ll give it to them, but these are skinny little gals. Still, buy this time, you’re so caught up in will-they/won’t-they survive that some are bound to not notice this or even not care by that point.

All in all, THE DEVIL’S MOUTH is a better-than-average shark movie. I wouldn’t call this one very gory, but I think I maybe curled my toes once or twice, which is a good indicator as to whether the movie is working for me. The themes coincide well; the acting is decent. Kathryn Newton is nice and toned in her little swimwear, which was nice. Yes, some of the actions in the final act are a little far-fetched and contrived, but the filmmakers made great use of the environment as an added threat. I’ll recommend this one. It’s not as entertaining and in your face as DEEP BLUE SEA, not as dread-inducing as OPEN WATER, and not as spectacular as JAWS, of course. But THE DEVIL’S MOUTH is a solid shark film nevertheless.