While browsing through vintage movie one sheets on ebay, a movie poster caught my eye. An illustration of a screaming woman being swallowed whole by a shark. It looked charmingly crude but exciting the way good exploitation movie posters should. The title stood out to me as well: TINTORERA! An exotic and almost rhythmic title. Immediately two words entered my mind: Jaws ripoff!

Not that Jaws ripoffs are bad. Many of them are quite entertaining in a goofy way. The success of Jaws in 1975 created an offshoot of exploitation ripoffs, Tintorera being one of them, a UK/Mexico co-production and directed by one Rene Cardona, Jr. who according to IMDB.com has directed about 99 movies.

The 1977 film (playing this Friday June 4 at midnight) stars British actress Susan George (Straw Dogs, Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry) and Hugo Stiglitz. If that name sounds familiar, it’s probably because you saw Inglourious Basterds, which featured a character named Hugo Stiglitz. Only Quentin Tarantino would name one of his characters after the star of Nightmare City

So if sharks on the big screen are your thing, and really they should be, come to the Mayfair and check out this rare shark-sploitation epic. Also, don’t miss the film that started it all: Jaws, which plays June 5 and 8 and the documentary about it’s making: The Shark is Still Working, playing June 4 and 5.

Tintorera Original Trailer