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Evil in The Deep - Treasure of Jamaica Reef The Same Movie?


I have watched "The Treasure of Jamaica Reef" on DVD as part of Tree Line Films Hollywood Legends 50 Movie Pack and I must say I movie I saw was very different from what has been described on IMDB.com and other movie web sites as "Evil in The Deep".

WARNING SPOILER!
The version I saw has no shark, no murder victim and a happy ending.

Does anyone know more about this picture? Was there different versions filmed and released?

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The cast is exactly the same for both films.

I bought this film as a $1 double feature from Wal-Mart, which included a movie called Callie & Son. The distributor (Digiview Entertainment) indicated a standard full-frame presentation, but what I got was extreme letterbox (2:35) with horrible picture quality. I won't be watching this mess, even with Lana Wood.

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4 minutes are cut from the Digiview DVD, and the Tree Line release. Maybe Criterion will release this film with the scenes restored, and A much better print.

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Criterion? LOL - that was precious.

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I was surprized and happy that it was in 2:35.1 Widescreen. I expected Full Frame, and I wouldn't of watched it if it was. It was only $2 anyhow. But I put the DVD in the Player and see it was widescreen.

Better to have the full, original picture than a severly cropped version in that same horrid quality.

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[deleted]

The original version, "Treasure Of Jamaica Reef," is a stale borefest that was released in early 1975. After the blockbuster success of "Jaws," and the announcement of Peter Benchley's new novel "The Deep," the movie was punched up with added violent footage and the derivative title "Evil In The Deep" and shoved back into theaters in the middle of 1976 with all the other "Jaws" ripoffs.

"Treasure" ends with Ladd opening a chest and a sudden cut to a coin in a display under a "The End" caption. The 'cursed map' story, the murders occurring at the beginning and end of the movie, and the crunchy-munchy shark attack are all added "Evil" footage.

I picked up "Evil" on Australian DVD from eBay; the print was not pristine, but overall fine quality. The tacked-on footage is THIS incompetent; the movie begins with a black screen and the sound of some guy's lame death-groan, followed by the distributor's credit. The guy? Who knows. The MGM Lion he ain't.

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"Treasure of Jamaica Reef" was the original film title. In 1975, Virginia Stone brought the movie to the long defunct "Golden Films". To cash in on the "Jaws" craze, the film was given a more salable title, a bogus shark campaign with trailers using the fabulous voice of William Marshall. There were some minor scenes filmed to up the rating to PG.

Exciting poster art was created by artist Joseph R. Musso and stills were "fixed" to imply there were sharks in the movie.

There was a massive "One Week Only!" ad campaign throughout Florida and 83 theaters were decorated with a shark motif. Any common observer would swear they were going to see a quality movie packed with sharks! Knowing word of mouth would destroy the film, it played for one week and cleaned up! Golden Films later collapsed and as far as I know, all the prints are still in Florida.

If anything notable can be said about this movie, it's: Cheryl Stopplemore married her co-actor David Ladd and became Cheryl Ladd, Art Director Michael Minor went on to redesign the Enterprise for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and photographer Joe Viskocil won an Oscar for special effects on "Independence Day".

Everybody has to start somewhere.

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