12 Days Of Terror Reviews

In a nutshell, 12 Days of Terror is pretty much in line with what you would expect from a TV movie that premiered on Animal Planet. Far from the brilliance of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, it's a budget feature with halfway convincing production values, and it looks and feels as if it was produced on the cheap. Nevertheless, there is some value to this particular endeavour, as it's an edifying chronicle of the true-life shark attacks of 1916, and it retains a degree of entertainment value. It's by no means worthy of widespread acclaim, but those who enjoy shark movies may find it to be a decent watch.

A docudrama, the movie is a fairly accurate recount of the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, wherein four people were killed and another was injured over the course of twelve nightmarish days. Local lifeguard Alex (Colin Egglesfield) immediately suspects a shark attack following the first fatality, but the locals are sceptical to believe his statement, especially in light of the hot summer weather and the sudden tourist interest in ocean bathing. However, a second attack renders the situation hard to ignore, sparking action from the politicians, with a bounty placed on the killer shark's head. Amid the madness, Alex confides in a grizzled sea captain (John Rhys-Davies) who seems to be the only local with a head on his shoulders.

Despite the cheesy title, 12 Days of Terror is meant to be taken more seriously than the average straight-to-video schlock, with a minuscule body count compared to the likes of Sharktopus and Shark Attack. What's interesting about the movie is the way it accurately portrays the thinking of the period; shark attacks were unheard of in the early 20th Century and scientists were ignorant in terms of shark behaviour, scoffing at the notion of a vicious shark swimming so close to shore to attack without provocation. Of course, many of the narrative machinations are reminiscent of those witnessed in Jaws, but Peter Benchley's original novel was inspired by these events, so it cannot be judged too harshly in this respect. What can be judged harshly, however, is the so-so pacing; the movie is fairly dull in places.

For Jaws, Spielberg concentrated on the now widespread technique of "less is more" that was necessitated by the malfunctioning mechanical sharks. For 12 Days of Terror, director Jack Sholder adopts a similar approach, which was likely necessitated by budget. The shark attacks are oftentimes quite effective, with shrewd editing and a fair sense of tension. Mechanical sharks are mostly glimpsed here which are good enough for this sort of production, with shots ranging from obvious to convincing. On the other hand, the CGI beasties look expectedly phoney, though at least they aren't used too often. To heighten the realism, real shark footage is also integrated into the production, and, to the credit of the filmmakers, such sequences were executed smoothly. Less successful is the acting, however, which ranges from acceptable to downright awful. John Rhys-Davis is the standout, as he embraces his hammy side to play a very Quint-like role. Is this really the only work that the Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings actor can find these days?

12 Days of Terror does take some liberties with history, and there are fictitious characters of course, but it nevertheless gels in a sufficiently satisfying manner. With a bigger budget, though, it could have been a keeper. Shark buffs will probably have the most fun with it, and it may satisfy you if you're channel surfing in the early hours of the morning, but temper your expectations.

5.8/10