Beyond Loch Ness (2008)

Who payed the critics

Absolutely Fantastic

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Gifted director Paul Ziller moves the legendary Loch Ness Monster to the intriguing environment of Lake Superior and the results are truly horrifying. With supreme cinematic skill, Ziller creates an atmosphere of unrelenting terror as a team of hunters risk everything to prevent the dreaded behemoth from wrecking havoc upon civilization. Superb special effects give the motion picture a stark realism and the cinematography communicates true existential dread. The characters are well fleshed out and not ridiculously heroic. These are individuals who are forced into a terrible position and must rise to the challenge. Niall Matter gives a standout performance as a young man who fights to protect all he holds dear. Some scenes are incredibly exciting and unendurable in their intensity. This film can also be deeply disturbing and is certainly not meant for younger eyes. Do not miss one of the most shattering climaxes ever filmed.

I have been a fan of monster movies/creature features all my life, and am frequently frustrated at the abysmal quality offered so frequently. In this case, I was NOT disappointed, and found the movie quite enjoyable. Loch Ness Terror (as it was titled on the DVD rental) is worth the watch. The actors aren't big names, and sometimes, that's not a bad thing. Brian Krause delivers an effective and convincing performance as a tough cryptozoologist on the trail of the aquatic monster, Niall Matter plays a very convincing small town guy, and the rest of the cast is equally realistic. Not one role was poorly done; all were most believable and convincing. The scenery throughout is breathtaking. The plot is well-ordered, and enjoyable. As a bonus, the characters aren't all the usual foolish clowns we so often see, that make you long for them to be victims. These seem instead like real people, mostly likable, and amazingly capable of coherent thought. Then there is the beast herself. Nessie is quite scary in appearance, and even if the effects aren't top of the line, they are convincing enough for a lower budget film. There is a little gore (though not excessive), as would be expected in a monster movie. If you enjoy creature features, you should like this one. If you want a movie with stupid characters, too much gory FX, poor humor, and overused plot elements, you might be disappointed. If you want an enjoyable monster movie, with an actual plot and realistic characters, get the popcorn and drink ready, and sit back and enjoy. Even my NOT-a-big-fan-of-monster-movies husband liked this one. All I have left to do now is look for more from these people. Well done!

I love cheezy horror movies and thought Beyond Loch Ness (my DVD was titled The Loch Ness Terror) was really fun and a slight cut above the average SCI-FI original. The monster looked fake but cool and most of the actors in it were bearable. Then tonight I caught another flick called Sea Beast and felt like I was re-watching Loch Ness all over again. Both had water monsters that could come on shore. Both featured female monsters that had laid a nest worth of eggs. Both took place in similar locales - a bay fishing community. Both had islands nearby where teenagers became trapped and the finale took place. Both movies even had a main character who smoked cigars. I became curious about how they could be so similar and did an IMDb search - Surprise! Turns out the same director, Paul Ziller directed and wrote both of them. They even both came out in 2008. To top it all off, I noticed Ziller also made The Snakehead Terror in 2004 - another (hilarious) movie about water monsters coming on land and trapping teenagers on an island. Dude is milking that idea for all it is worth. Of the three, I'd say Loch Ness was the one with the coolest monster, best gore and most fun.

Beyond Loch Ness could have been such a great B movie, I mean like cult classic good, if only it didn't take itself so seriously! The acting was terrible, the CGI was laughable and the script was so wrong - all the key ingredients for a brill B movie, but alas - it was trying to be some rehash of Jaws or Jurassic Park when it should have been aiming for Lake Placid. Not a single joke in the whole film, and the only laughs it arises are the unintentional ones. And another thing, why is it called Beyond Loch Ness when its set in America? Loch Ness had some a small amount of screen time that it didn't really make much sense naming the film after Nessie!I could give it a proper review but I've already wasted 1.30hours watching the damn thing! Craig