Films like Island of the Fishmen.

Island of the Fishmen (1979) reads as Sombre, kinetic, measured horror / creature, inventive in texture. Ambivalent, mid-stakes, cold. Every film below is ranked by distance across the same twelve hand-scored axes — with what it keeps, and where it walks away. Not a genre dump.

The Devil's Mirror (1972) poster
1. The Devil's Mirror1972

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Westworld (1973) poster
2. Westworld1973

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Tentacles (1977) poster
3. Tentacles1977

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The Black Hole (1979) poster
4. The Black Hole1979

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Born Invincible (1978) poster
5. Born Invincible1978

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Eighteen Jade Arhats (1978) poster
6. Eighteen Jade Arhats1978

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Return of the 18 Bronzemen (1976) poster
7. Return of the 18 Bronzemen1976

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Bloody Parrot (1981) poster
8. Bloody Parrot1981

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The Flying Guillotine 2 (1978) poster
9. The Flying Guillotine 21978

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Red Sonja (1985) (1985) poster
10. Red Sonja1985

Keeps the bone-dry seriousness and the chilly detachment; trades toward a cold, bleak undertow.

The Winged Tiger (1970) poster
11. The Winged Tiger1970

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The 18 Bronzemen (1976) poster
12. The 18 Bronzemen1976

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

These are Island of the Fishmen’s neighbours — where are yours?

Rate five posters and the same twelve axes read you — then tonight’s pick comes from your own centre of taste.

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