Encyclopedia Sharksploitanica by Susan Snyder
Madness Heart Press (June 2021)
312 pages; $12.95 Paperback; $4.99 ebook
Reviewed by Anton Cancre
I ADORE SUSAN SNYDER. Like, seriously. My girl has so much personality clawing its way through these pages. You don’t even know.
But, fine. Let’s back up a tick.
Encyclopedia Sharksploitanica is a movie guide book. You know the type. Movies are listed. Reviews are given. Yawn. We’ve been here a thousand times.
What makes the difference here is the abject joy and love Susan has for sharks in general and these stupid movies that have taken up so much video, TV, and streaming space in our consciousness. Have you seen her Sharksploitation Sunday YouTube channel? You should. She is cute and fun and a great time to hang out with while she talks about sharky stuff. This book has all of that same personality and exuberance, but in a more compact and oddly more silly format.
No, she isn’t kind to all of the movies. There are several that she point blank tells you to stay away from. Most of the ones she likes, she freely admits are duds by most objective measures. There are way too many carrot or foam rubber teeth in the sharkmaws on display. But there are also cute and cuddly puppets and out of place claymations and sharks that defy biology as well as metaphysics.
Encyclopedia Sharksploitanica is the equivalent of hanging out on the couch with a good-ass friend, popping open a bag of wine (what do YOU do with the stuff in the boxes?) and watching some weird, silly, lovely films about our favorite cultural terror of the seas.
