Had absolutely no prejudice towards 'Dead Sea' before watching out of curiosity. Was also not wanting it to be bad, despite having understandable nervousness as it was a low-budget creature film (a type of film that has a generally dubious reputation for good reason).

Actually, was kind of hoping that 'Dead Sea' would be one of those sort of guilty pleasure films regardless of how good or bad it was. The idea was not a bad one at all, not exactly unique but it intrigued at least, and the advertising was strangely fascinating. Do not know what it is with me and low budget films recently, but 'Dead Sea' is yet another film with a semi-decent concept done nothing with and basically just poorly executed. The least bad thing is the scenery, which is the only thing that shows any signs of real effort.

Don't know where to begin with the criticisms. Aside from the scenery, it is drably shot and sloppily edited with some abysmal effects. The direction has no personality or doesn't show any skill for visual flair, how to tell a story or how to direct actors let alone get the best out of them. The monster is criminally under-utilised to bare existence and bears no menace at all.

The characters are impossible to root for, it's one thing that very little is done to develop them other than a little overwrought padding but it's another when they are so annoying that you are actually rooting for them to be gotten rid of, as terrible a thing as that sounds.

Less said about the acting the better. Especially with the lead actor giving one of the most embarrassing performances seen by me in a while, the acting is so bad it's beyond description. The hateable characters and the incompetent direction does nothing to help them.

Nor does the writing, which is little more than cheesy and awkward gibberish. Despite a decent idea, the story was very difficult to get into with such a leaden pace and then such a jumpy structure, that, on top of having no suspense or thrills and lots of intelligence insulting ridiculousness, it became less easy to follow.

Overall, very poorly done. 1/10 (a rare rating for me these days, dislike giving them out). Bethany Cox

A town on a reservoir has to sacrifice one of its own every 20-30 years to appease a serpent we know nothing about, or even see other than occasional glimpses. Note to self: Move somewhere else.

That is pretty much it. Some unlikable main characters. Lack of decent dialogue and characters made this a snoozer. Difficult to sit through with so much lack of action.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. Brief nudity.

Marine biologist Alexis Ianono (nicely played by Victoria Amissus) returns to her small home town to investigate the mysterious deaths of fish in a salt water lake. It turns out that there's a serpent monster of local legend behind it which requires a human sacrifice once every thirty years.

Writer/director Brandon Slagle relates the absorbing story at a brisk pace, ably crafts a creepy and paranoid atmosphere, creates a good deal of brooding tension, maintains a dark grim tone throughout, and neatly incorporates a compelling small town conspiracy plot into the central narrative. The solid acting by the capable cast keeps this movie humming: JW Wiseman as Victoria's regretful estranged dad Callan, Devany Pinn as the scared, but helpful Auriel Servuc, Slagle as the ruthless Kier Than, Britt Griffith as Kier's loyal pal Castor Pollux, and Tawny Amber Young as ditsy junkie Cass. Worth a watch.