ORIGINAL REVIEW OF THE UNCUT VHS VERSION……Back in 1974 Warner Brothers along with Brut Productions (remember Brut cologne for men?) barely released two films that were classified as horror films but really weren’t. One of them, THE WICKER MAN, has attained the status of a cult classic and is well known even inspiring a remake in 2006. The second film, WELCOME TO ARROW BEACH, disappeared without a trace although I managed to see it on its initial run (later it wound up on the drive-in circuit minus 15 minutes as TENDER FLESH and on TV minus another 11 minutes as COLD STORAGE). This twisted psychological study of modern day cannibalism is one of the more bizarre film scenarios ever conceived for a mainstream release. Who knows why it appealed to director/star Laurence Harvey (he may have needed the money or relished a challenge). In what turned out to be his final film role, Harvey portrays a Korean War veteran (just as in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) who had to eat his dead companions in order to stay alive. 20 years later he is living on a private beach in an incestuous relationship with his sister (Joanna Pettet) and killing people in order to satisfy his craving for human flesh.
While the story is as sick as it sounds, Harvey manages to direct it with skill and sensitivity making good use of his meager budget. Among the film’s remarkable set pieces are the eating of an extremely rare cooked steak and the murder of a victim done as a series of camera stills. Veterans John Ireland and Stuart Whitman are on hand to lend credibility along with the strikingly beautiful Meg Foster (those blue eyes!) in one of her earliest roles. ARROW BEACH does have some serious problems. The dated hip dialogue wasn’t very good to begin with and the groovy early 70s music (Lou Rawls sings the title song!) is totally inappropriate to what’s going on. In spite of this the film has its effective moments. Harvey reportedly edited the film by phone while dying from stomach cancer (at 45) and never saw the finished version. Still a remarkable achievement for the shocking storyline and restraint used considering the subject matter. With a better script and more atmospheric music, this could have been another PSYCHO. Nevertheless WELCOME TO ARROW BEACH is one of those films that stays with you whether you like it or not.
UPDATE ON DVD RELEASE: Despite using the original title on the DVD cover (a computer printout that misspells Meg Foster’s name as Forster) this is a Brazilian release of the edited drive-in version known as TENDER FLESH which is minus 15 minutes from the first run theatrical release. The print quality is significantly improved over the old VHS copy with better color and sound but there are some missing frames. Considering how rare this title is, this version will have to do but won’t somebody please release a restored version of the original and at an affordable price!.
The Capsule Critic 