What if someone hunted people as though they were going fishing? A young man, Mark Jacobs, who is twenty-one years old, receives his family’s cabin in a secluded area of northwestern Wisconsin and decides to take four friends there for a vacation centered around an annual fishing contest on the lake. Unfortunately, cicadas are present, and someone has developed a disturbing habit of literally fishing people out of the water. "Blood Hook," made in 1986 and released in 1987, cost only $200,000 to produce, with a director who later contributed to Mystery Science Theater 3000. As such, it’s a low-budget slasher film that incorporates elements of camp and humor. The movie feels like a blend of Tobe Hooper's "Eaten Alive" (1976) and the upcoming "State Park" (1988), also known as "Heavy Metal Summer." While it surpasses Hooper’s film in some respects, it isn’t quite as entertaining as the latter. It has a feel reminiscent of Steve Gerber’s Man-Thing comics from the 1970s, only without the swamp monster. Sara Hauser, playing Kiersten, is notable among the female characters, though Sandy Meuwissen (as Bev) deserves recognition too. Lisa Jane Todd (Ann) also portrays an interesting character. To appreciate this movie, you have to be willing to give it a try. If you do, there are several rewarding aspects despite its comic book style and limited budget, particularly in the latter portion of the film. Some of the humor is genuinely amusing in a subtle way; furthermore, you get to know the characters, such as the half-crazed Vietnam veteran (Bill Lowrie as Evelyn), the psychology student (Ann), and the lead character who bears a resemblance to Nicolas Cage during the mid-1980s. The killer’s motivation is quite inventive, connecting to diabolus in musica, or "the devil in music," which refers to what's known as the devil's chord or devil's tritone. The gore effects are also impressive given the circumstances. The film has a running time of 1 hour and 51 minutes, but Troma released a 92-minute version on disc (Blu-ray). It’s true that the original is about twenty minutes too long, but I prefer it to the shorter edition because of the character development. Filming took place at Hayward & Hayward Lake in Wisconsin, located in the northwestern part of the state, approximately 40 miles south of western Lake Superior and 30 miles east of Minnesota’s border. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB