Night Tide is a 1961 romantic-horror film written and directed by Curtis Harrington, a pioneer of New Queer Cinema, starring Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson and Gavin Muir. It features black and white cinematography by Vilis Lapenieks and an uncredited Floyd Crosby (High Noon). A jazz music score by was provided by David Raksin (Laura).
The film follows Johnny Drake, a young sailor on shore leave who becomes enamored with a mysterious woman working at a sideshow on the Santa Monica Pier. He soon comes to suspect the woman, Mora, may be a mermaid who lures her lovers to a watery grave under the light of the full moon.
The film is notable as Hopper's first lead role, and has gained favor over the years as a surreal, off-beat Cult Classic.
The film was restored by and is a favorite of director Nicolas Winding Refn.
Tropes
- Amusement Park of Doom: The pier where Mora works is a toned down take on this trope.
- Beach Kiss: Mora and Johnny share a few.
- Cute and Psycho: Potentially Mora.
- Damsel in Distress: Mora finds herself in this position under the pier as the waves role in.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Both our main characters are at least hinted at having one.
- Driven to Madness: It appears that Captain Murdock and the old woman have been gaslighting Mora into believing she is a murderous mermaid, to prevent her from leaving her abusive, incestuous adoptive father.
- Dysfunction Junction: Most of our characters, especially Mora and her self appointed godfather.
- Femme Fatale: Mora seems to have a reputation around town as one.
- Homage: In terms of plot and mood, the film is an homage to Cat People produced by Val Lewton.
- Homoerotic Subtext: A potential reading of the repressed sexuality our characters grapple with in the film, especially knowing that Curtis Harrington was an openly gay director.
- Literary Allusion Title: The film's title is a allusion to a line from the Edgar Allan Poe poem "Annabelle Lee."
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The film is left ambiguous, since Captain Murdock denies working with the mysterious, Greek speaking old woman who served as a Harbinger of Impending Doom to Mora at the jazz club.
- A fan translation of what the old woman said reveals that it was "Soon you will meet your people, my love! Oh yes, very soon we will meet again!"
- Mask of Sanity: Mora wears one early in her relationship with Johnny, which begins to slip as their romance intensifies.
- Menstrual Menace: The film's marketing material and some mentions within the film itself seem to intimate that Mora kills with the cycle of the moon, an almost certain reference to a woman's menstrual cycle.
- Paralyzing Fear of Sexuality: Both of our main characters seem to have this fear.
- Pervert Dad: Mora's adoptive father/Godfather, Capt. Samuel Murdock, seems to have less than righteous intentions.
- Psychological Horror: Whether you believe the film to be supernatural or not, most of the horror is derived from our main character's fragile psyches.
- Surprisingly Happy Ending: Potentially because of when it was released and story expectations of the public, the film is wrapped up more neatly than seems likely.
- Serial Killer: Captain Murdock is revealed to be a serial killer at the end, having killed all of Mora's previous boyfriends to keep her for himself.
- Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny: One way to view the repressed desires of our main characters.
- The '60s: The film is a bonafide piece of 60s counter-culture, and is set in the Venice Beach area of California, known for its hippies.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: It seems to be the case for Johnny and Mora.
- Tentacled Terror: The octopus/squid creature that Johnny dreams about Mora turning into while they make love.
