The Treasure of Jamaica Reef - Late 2020

[jaws3dfan]

UPDATE: Dark Force was only able to find film elements on "Treasure of Jamaica Reef" and not "Evil in the Deep". So the extras include a featurette with the additional scenes in SD. Also included is new 35 minute interview with original cameraman Steve Haskett.

The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (1974) aka Evil in the Deep
Dark Force Entertainment | 1974 | 96 min | Not rated | November 27th 2020

Dark Force Entertainment has revealed that it is preparing a Blu-ray release of Virginia Stone's thriller The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (1974), starring Stephen Boyd, David Ladd, Chuck Woolery, Cheryl Ladd, Darby Hinton, Roosevelt Grier, and Art Metrano. The release is expected to arrive on the market later this year.

Description: A suspense filled adventure-drama about the search for a treasure-laden Spanish Galleon that sank over 200 years ago.
Soundtrack by Christopher Stone (Phantasm II).
BRAND NEW 2K MASTER.



Dark Force Superstore

BLACK FRIDAY SUPER SALE-LIMITED INVENTORY-REG. 24.95

The #22 single's edition release from Dark Force Entertainment is the obscure 1974 G-Rated adventure movie originally titled The Treasure of Jamaica Reef and was later re-released with additional gory and R-rated footage as Evil in the Deep to capitalize on the JAWS craze sweeping the country at the time. Panned by critics and viewers alike, it does have some value worth noting for its beautiful underwater photography in scope and great cast. The all-star cast includes Stephen Boyd (Ben-Hur, Fantastic Voyage), David Ladd (Hart's War), Chuck Woolery (Love American Style), Rosey Grier (The Thing with Two Heads), Darby Hinton (Daniel Boone) and the beautiful then unknown Cheryl Ladd (Charlie's Angels) as Cheryl Stooplemoor. The story revolves around the search for a treasure-laden Spanish Galleon that sank over 200 years ago. Although considered a Grade Z movie it does seem to have a mesmerizing effect when viewed today warranting the new HD release from Dark Force Entertainment.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Treasure of Jamaica Reef: Brand new 2k Scan From One of the Only Known 16mm Scope Original Prints

Evil in the Deep: Extra Scenes Featurette (R-Rated)

New 2020 35 minute interview with Camera Operator Steve Haskett

Evil in the Deep Original Press Book

ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN 2.35:1 aspect ratio

Reversible cover wrap with EVIL IN THE DEEP

[jaws3dfan]

To Quote "Horse_Hockey" from the news article:


"I wonder if this will include Evil in the Deep? Because that's the one that will grab people. Treasure of Jamaica Reef has an interesting backstory (it was during filming that Cheryl Stoppelmoor met David Ladd) but it's an astonishing bore. It claims to be based on the novel Diary of a Diver by John Walker, but I've found zero evidence that such a novel ever existed; likewise I'm not sure the film ever played in theaters.

Then Jaws came out. Somebody decided to take ToJR, slap shark footage and a few utterly ridiculous murder scenes into it, splash a little gore here and there, call Stephen Boyd back to narrate some nonsensical hoohah about "Visconti's cursed map," get William Marshall to VO a trailer (it's on YouTube!) and run it in the southern U.S. as Evil in the Deep with the tagline, "RIPS YOUR NERVES TO SHREDS!" It made a quick buck, with which someone ran off. It's still a terrible movie, but at least that version is funny and only occasionally boring."

[Savage_Blu]

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by jaws3dfan

To Quote "Horse_Hockey" from the news article:


"I wonder if this will include Evil in the Deep? Because that's the one that will grab people. Treasure of Jamaica Reef has an interesting backstory (it was during filming that Cheryl Stoppelmoor met David Ladd) but it's an astonishing bore. It claims to be based on the novel Diary of a Diver by John Walker, but I've found zero evidence that such a novel ever existed; likewise I'm not sure the film ever played in theaters.

Then Jaws came out. Somebody decided to take ToJR, slap shark footage and a few utterly ridiculous murder scenes into it, splash a little gore here and there, call Stephen Boyd back to narrate some nonsensical hoohah about "Visconti's cursed map," get William Marshall to VO a trailer (it's on YouTube!) and run it in the southern U.S. as Evil in the Deep with the tagline, "RIPS YOUR NERVES TO SHREDS!" It made a quick buck, with which someone ran off. It's still a terrible movie, but at least that version is funny and only occasionally boring."

How's the underwater photography? is there much of it?
Cheryl looks good, yes?

[jaws3dfan]

Update from the Dark Force Entertainment Discussion Thread:

Originally Posted by Frightener22

"BLACK FRIDAY DEBUT! BUNDLE FROM HELL??
The highly anticipated arrival of the mega new release from Dark Force/Code Red of TERROR EXPRESS is now expected to touch down only at the Dark Force Superstore on BLACK FRIDAY. Plus the #22 earth shattering Dark Force release TREASURE OF THE JAMAICA REEF (EVIL IN THE DEEP) with exclusive brand new 35 minute interview with camera man Steve Haskett will also be arriving! STAY TUNED FOR MORE HUGE DETAILS! THE CULT VIDEO WORLD ABOUT TO BE ROCKED ON BLACK FRIDAY!!"

[jaws3dfan]

Don't forget this goes on sale this Friday....BLACK FRIDAY 2020!

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by jaws3dfan

Don't forget this goes on sale this Friday....BLACK FRIDAY 2020!

Nice to have something to get excited about after that huge dump of a Severin lineup.

[jaws3dfan]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Nice to have something to get excited about after that huge dump of a Severin lineup.

The only Severin title i'm excited for is The Attic Expeditions because I am a huge Alice Cooper fan.

[jaws3dfan]

The Treasure of Jamaica Reef has been ordered!

[jaws3dfan]

I just got an email saying my order has shipped

[jaws3dfan]

Got my order today, I found it kind of odd that the "Evil in the Deep" side of the cover was the prominent side displayed and the title printed on the disc is also "Evil in the Deep" when this is the "G" rated version called "The Treasure of Jamaica Reef" and the "R" rated version "Evil in the Deep" is not included on the disc.

[Horse_Hockey]

So, got mine in the mail today; Treasure of Jamaica Reef looks fine but the print was pretty beat up--which is perfectly acceptable, because I don't think a clean, undamaged print ever existed. Definitely better than any DVD I've seen, but likewise definitely "grindhouse" quality.

As for the isolated footage from the Evil in the Deep cut...well, I'll be keeping my Aussie DVD. Both DF and the Aussie DVD are sourced from a damaged print and I suspect the Evil cuts are from that DVD. Horizontal blankouts galore, and that's a video issue I haven't had to deal with in so long, I've forgotten the correct term. (Ah, interlacing! That's it! This was not a problem on the Aussie Deev.)

The interlacing is annoying but the footage is still watchable, edited so that you can comfortably tell at which point it was edited into the film, and you can still enjoy the overall incompetence of the gory additions. DF even kept the bizarre opening card, over which a man's voice screams, then yelps--completely irrelevant to the movie itself!

Here's a pair of sources for details of the chaotic production of Treasure and Evil for anyone who might be interested. First is a link to The Stephen Boyd Blog's "Cheryl Ladd" subsection, with several stills from each version (and a couple that aren't genuinely related to either):

https://stephenboydblog.wordpress.co...y/cheryl-ladd/

Next is a long quote from advertising designer Alan White's long-defunct online journal Smell the Fandom. (He was apparently unaware of the added footage.)

At least Golden Films had some movies in the works; crap to be sure but they had product. The first potboiler was a stinker called Treasure of Jamaica Reef, a dreadful thing about treasure hunting, one of those movies that starred well-known people on their way down and unknowns on their way up. Stephen Boyd played the lead followed by David Ladd, son of Alan Ladd. Also in the mix were a cute filly named Cheryl Stoppelmoor and Rosey Grier, and if you look close, you'll find Michael Minor in art direction...

After the dust settled on the movie, what happened? David Ladd became a leading film producer and married Ms. Stoppelmoor who then became Cheryl Ladd and continues her acting career today.

Our job was not to make the film better (that would cost money) but to have the film become profitable. So an advertising overhaul was in order. The first conceit was to change the theme, from "treasure hunt" to "shark attack"! Jaws had been released that year and sharks were hot. No, there were no sharks in the movie, but hell, who's counting? Next, a title change to Evil in the Deep. Since none of the existing material had any sharks, we'd fake our own. We picked up some big-ass shark jaws and had Stephen Boyd, David Ladd and a couple of cuties come to the office for a photo shoot.

Next we needed a sterling voice to narrate the trailer and radio spots. Joe (Musso) was thinking big...too big.
He wanted Orson Welles, but a call to Orson's agent got a reply of "Mr. Welles doesn't fart for less than five thousand dollars."

Well, that baked our apple, but who has a voice better than William Marshall? I called and he agreed to do a night of
narration for a pittance. The recording went fine, he was terrific and the trailer was in the bag.

Florida would bear the brunt of our advertising blitz, where word of mouth would destroy the film we had scheduled 83 theaters to play the movie for one week simultaneously. I flew to Florida and spent the next two weeks visiting every one of those theaters to decorate with posters, rubber sharks and phony baloney. From McClinney to the Keys, it was a fabulous adventure in my little rented car. Florida is quite a state; I've never sweated so much or ran over so many bugs!

The film, by the way, made piles of money. Not so much that the bosses would pay the film distributors for their efforts and the 83 prints which, for all I know, are still in Florida. Evidently, cheap-assery was the way of doing business in Hollywood.

[Member-222782]

Late 2020 is right. Shipped on December 7th and I still don't have this or Terror Express. If the USPS is so overwhelmed why don't they hire people? That's what businesses do when they need help

[Katatonia]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Late 2020 is right. Shipped on December 7th and I still don't have this or Terror Express. If the USPS is so overwhelmed why don't they hire people? That's what businesses do when they need help

Yes, that's what needs to be done, plus all the sorting machines that were removed months ago should have never happened. Factor in the Xmas rush and COVID, and it's all created a perfect storm right now for the USPS. I think the recent "cutbacks" have done more damage than anything else though.

I received my order from Dark Force order today, and it took only 6 days to get here. In comparison... I only just received a "Priority Mail" package yesterday that shipped out on December 8th, and I have one package that's been sitting at the St. Louis MO postal hub since December 4th and several others for 2+ weeks...and that is only a 2 hour drive away from me!

[jaws3dfan]

I watched my copy last night, I have never seen either version but I have read several reviews and most people claim the film is boring, it certainly isn't "SPEED" but I was ok with the pace. A more competant director could have told the story with out narration to explain the thrills but over all I enjoyed the film for what it was.

If you were to read the script you would probably think it was an amazing thrill ride:

[Show spoiler]

• Car Chase
• Fights
• Explosions
• Air Plane stunts
• Trapped underwater
• Daring underwater rescue
• Hot woman in a bikini scuba diving

and it probably could have been with a decent budget and a better director.

I enjoyed the "Evil in the Deep" footage and was amazed at how drastically a few edits can change a storyline.

[gotBlu]

this is 4.99 during MVD black friday sale if anyone is still in the market....

https://mvdshop.com/products/evil-in...39751040008391

[Richard--W]

Originally Posted by gotBlu

this is 4.99 during MVD black friday sale if anyone is still in the market....

https://mvdshop.com/products/evil-in...39751040008391

Plus $7.99 shipping. I bought.

As an aside, of related interest, don't miss Sam Fuller's
SHARK! (1969) and Cornell Wilde's SHARK'S TREASURE
(1975). Both low-budget independent films made with
considerable know-how. The latter was released in April
two months ahead of JAWS. I have a thing for 1970s
shark films.