Released in 1961, "Night Tide" stars Dennis Hopper as a sailor in Venice, California, who falls for a mysterious raven-haired beauty who poses as a mermaid at the local carnival (Linda Lawson). Gavin Muir plays the old sea salt guardian of the young woman, Marjorie Cameron a shadowy older woman and Luana Anders the daughter of the carousel owner (Tom Dillon). Marjorie Eaton is also on hand as a fortune teller.This is an atmospheric mystery tale in the manner of 1962's "Carnival of Souls" and not conventional horror. It's interesting to see Hopper so young, normal and courteous in his pre-hippie days (as opposed to his later weirdo roles in movies like "Blue Velvet" and "River's Edge," both from 1986). The movie's slow, haunting and entertaining as a period piece where you get to see beatniks partying on the beach and other intriguing things. If you like carnival-oriented movies you should definitely check this out. Just be aware that the ending leaves everything open to interpretation (explored below).Shot in B&W, the movie runs 86 minutes and was shot in Venice, Santa Monica and Malibu, California.GRADE: B COMMENTARY ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read further unless you've seen the movie) According to the literal interpretation, the mysterious old woman was likely hired by the captain to pester Mora to convince her she is a 'sea-person' so she will stay with him; the reason Mora tries to Kill Hopper's character at the end is that she THINKS she's a killer. She didn't kill her other two suitors, but became convinced she did via the captain's brainwashing. It was the jealous captain who killed them.In the figurative interpretation Hopper is a lonely sailor who meets an older sailor, also lonely. The young sailor is looking at his future self. Mora is the savage beauty of nature, symbolic of the sea itself. Like the oceans, she is unforgiving, but both sailors love her. When she kills she is above judgment, like the ocean itself, and you can't judge her.Then there's the question of how Mora died. The captain only confesses to the murders of Mora's suitors because he was in love with Mora and his jealousy drove him to kill the young rivals for her affection. So how did Mora die? Since the young sailor (Hopper) took the only boat and left her in the open sea she must've drowned. However, it's left open how the captain retrieved Mora's body. Either her body washed ashore and he found her or he was tailing the couple when they went diving and he went to find Mora after Hopper's character left the scene and found her dead body. The other possibility is that the captain killed her when he found her alive, but why would he do that if he loved her? Unless it was because he felt she was cheating on him.The other literal interpretation, of course, is that Mora really was a mermaid and the old woman was a sea person as well but, if this is true, how did Mora die in the water when the young sailor left her in the ocean since a sea person wouldn't drown? Unless the captain thought he was going to lose Mora forever to the sea people and so he killed her after the sailor left.

This is a real unheralded minor gem. It has a similar tone and atmosphere to Carnival of Souls (1962) yet is much less well known than that cult classic. Both films stories are based around carnivals, in Carnival of Souls it was an abandoned one whereas Night Tide is set in an off-season seaside resort. The melancholic, lonely ambiance given off by this setting is one of the chief strengths of the film. A sailor falls in love with a carnival girl who believes herself to be a mermaid, an underwater race who kill by the full moon. She says she has been responsible for the deaths of her previous two lovers.In keeping with the haunting and dreamy atmosphere, the mermaid is portrayed as a doomed creature who takes no joy in her situation. The film displays the influence of the Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur films of the 40's and 50's in the way that it presents its chilling story in a highly subtle, sophisticated manner. I was especially brought to mind of Cat People (1942) with is cursed central female character. It also shares another detail from that film, with its mysterious woman in the periphery of events who interacts occasionally and appears to also be one of the mythical race. This latter aspect is very well integrated into the story and adds a nice bit of ambiguity to events. The haunting jazz score also perfectly captures the right ambiance of the events. Lastly, there is Dennis Hopper who has one of his early starring roles here, unusually he plays a gentle soul and he does it very convincingly; although, in fairness, the cast in general all put in fine performances. This low budget flick is one that remains very emotive and interesting. It takes a less obvious approach to its material and this pays off with a haunting, tragic tale that makes quite an impact.

This low budget B movie has managed to generate something of a cult over the years, albeit a minor one. It probably hasn't generated a large cult because it does have a number of flaws. The biggest problem with the movie is that even at eighty four minutes, it feels too long and padded out. Had it been instead cut down to fit an hour long television "Twilight Zone" episode, I think it would have worked a lot better. Despite the overlength, the movie still has some interest. It's a rare chance to see a young Dennis Hopper playing a more "normal" person than some of his later, better known roles. He does a pretty good job, showing some vulnerabilities to this particular character that makes him likable and sympathetic. Also, the movie is effectively directed; more often than not there is a low key eerie feeling, almost like we are watching a dream even when the characters are not having fantasies. If you wait to watch this movie when you are in a patient mood, you'll probably find it has its rewards.

Aside from seeing an early starring role for Dennis Hopper, there isn't a whole lot to recommend this low budget film. The basic story idea of a dangerous woman who destroys men isn't bad, but the execution of the story is the problem. Again and again, the story is badly paced. In some cases, irrelevant scenes go on too long and deaden the pace. A good example is the dancing scene...you see it all. As a result, my attention wavered. Additionally, the cinematography is dark and fuzzy and the film just looks bad. And, while we know Hopper could act, here he just seemed lost--editing his performance to tighten things would have helped a lot.Only for the die-hard Hop-heads and the curious. otherwise, there are better low-budget public domain films out there.