(I recorded Deadly Shores off of the Lifetime Movie Network on August 24th!)
Oh my God, isn’t life just perfect!?
That’s what Anna (Carly Schroeder) should be asking herself. After a whirlwind courtship and engagement, Anna has just married Richard Palmer (Phillip P. Keene), a famous mystery novelist! Not only is she a newlywed and it appears that she might soon also be newly rich. Her parents died mysteriously years ago and she stands to come into a lot of money!
Of course, nothing is ever as perfect as it seems. Her psychiatrist seems to be concerned about Anna acting too impulsively and he worries that she’s marrying Richard without even knowing him. When Anna arrives at her new home, she is struck by how coldly she’s treated by the housekeeper. Anna soon starts to feel that everyone is comparing her unfavorably to Richard’s previous wife, the one who died mysteriously at the lighthouse. And when Anna discovers that Richard has apparently incorporated his first wife’s death into his latest book, she is not amused. Even worse is how Richard reacts when Anna dares to wear a necklace that once belonged to dead wife.
And then there’s Beth (Kristin Minter), who seems friendly enough except that she’s awfully close to Richard. Of course, their closeness could have something to do with the fact that she’s Richard’s mistress. You know what they say: Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that they’re not out to get you.
And, make no mistake about it, people are out to get Anna. However, what no one realizes is that Anna has got secrets and shadows in her past as well…
With all of the gothic scenery and the insecure wife and the hostile housekeeper, I was expecting Deadly Shores to just be another version of Rebecca. And, certainly, the first hour or so has much in common with that classic film. However, in the best grindhouse tradition, there’s a big twist that occurs during the final seven minutes of the film, one that totally turns the entire movie upside down. I won’t ruin the twist but I will say that it was a hugely satisfying one. In the end, Deadly Shores reminded me of one of those strange movies that Joan Crawford and Olivia de Havilland would have made for William Castle or Robert Aldrich back in the 1960s.
Deadly Shores is one of the many movies to have been directed by the prolific Fred Olen Ray. What his films often lack in budget, Ray makes up for in pure entertainment. Ray does a pretty good job directing this one, playing up the ominous atmosphere and giving Carly Schroeder enough room to go enjoyably over-the-top in the role of Anna.
All in all, Deadly Shores is an entertaining Lifetime film and one to keep an eye out for.
Through the Shattered Lens 