Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre is a 2014 American horror film directed by Jim Wynorski (Chopping Mall; Not of This Earth; Piranhaconda; CobraGator) from a screenplay co-written with William Dever (producer of Blood Moon; Camel Spiders; Gila!).
Scream Factory was unleashed onto Blu-ray and DVD on May 3, 2016.
Main cast:
Dominique Swain (Fall Down Dead; Nazis at the Center of the Earth), Traci Lords (Shock ’em Dead; Blade; Not of This Earth), Cindy Lucas, Christine Nguyen, John Callahan, John Archer Lundgren, Amy Rasimas Holt, Serafin Falcon.
Official synopsis:
Sharks on land! Hunting victims from just below the earth’s surface! Yes, you heard that right… prehistoric sharks are on the attack in Arkansas. And a shapely work gang from the women’s prison there suddenly find themselves at the center of the terrifying situation.
A local fracking crew has accidentally cracked open a section of the earth’s mantle, allowing a swarm of prehistoric land sharks to head upwards from an underground ocean in search of new victims. So after a suspenseful escape, the five gorgeous prisoners find themselves not only on the run from the law… but a horde of bloodthirsty hell-bent creatures as well.
Trapped in a remote fishing cabin hundreds of miles from civilisation, the curvy quintet must use both their wits and wiles to elude the jaws of death swimming just outside in the front yard.
You’ll meet Honey, a fiery spinner armed with a smokin’ pair of .38s. Standing close by is her lover, Anita, at once both sexy and psychotic. Shannon is the sweet, girl-next-door type… that is if you happen to live next door to a mental institution. Michelle is the girl from the ghetto, street-wise and savvy beyond her years. And finally, there’s Sarah, the demolition expert; she’ll blow your mind if you get too close! All five will have to bury their own petty hatred for each other in order to survive…
Reviews:
“The production value is impressive, the strongest characteristics being the location and standard of cinematography. As expected, the film is carried by a cast of stunning women who for the most part do a solid job of bringing their characters to life and making them entertaining. Some of the banter is humorous and the absurdities of the finer points of the writing make for a very fun 80 minutes.” Adam the Movie God
” …Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre never fully hits the stride that Sharknado and some of the more preposterous films among the gonzo shark fad do. Aside from the entertainingly ridiculous image of sharks burrowing their way through soil up to the door of the cabin, there is not the absurdly over-the-top moves you get in some of the other films…” Moria
“The film has a complete over-reliance on CGI, and it looks terrible at that. The acting is awful and the dialogue is pretty weak. While these are at least expected, you would think there would be some nudity to make up for it. Well you are wrong. The girls are even wearing bras under their white tank tops. While this film does have an audience, I believe it will let down the fans that think it is a women in prison film.” Beneath the Underground
” …despite its title, Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre is an all-too-familiar farce, complete with unsightly digital effects, ugly, over-lit DV photography, and a premise that’s old hat. This would usually be the part where I joke about that old hat being like a shark’s fin, but that would be like sinking to the levels of Sharkansas Prison Massacre, a film that makes a predictable land shark reference to a 40-year-old SNL joke.” Oh, the Horror!
“Kills are offscreen, practical blood effects are poor, and the digital FX are worse, so gorehounds best look elsewhere for a fix. Mr. Skin fans may be just as disappointed to discover that all scantily-clad ladies remain clad. The script is best described as functional, or, as functional as is required to constitute a basic movie. Acting is, well, what do you expect?” Culture Crypt
“The results are predictably uneven, but the whole thing benefits from Wynorski’s trademark campy humor and some truly funny dialogue. (My favorite line: “Keep that up and you’ll be playing pocket pool with no balls!”) One thing is for sure, Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre is still much better than those silly Sharktopus and Sharknado movies.” The Video Vacuum
Filming locations:
Marianna, Florida
