REVIEW: Cliff Twemlow’s ‘The Pike’ lovingly rips off ‘Jaws’
Image courtesy of Severin Films / Provided by official website.
This summer, Severin Films is taking a deep dive into the career of Manchester multi-hyphenate Cliff Twemlow, the late actor, author, songwriter and bouncer who gave cinephiles a bunch of “squeamish” movies that were action-packed romps perfect for late-night viewing, drive-in theaters and VHS aficionados.
The crowning achievement of Severin’s retrospective look is Bloody Legend: The Complete Cliff Twemlow Collection, which amasses 11 feature films on nine blu-rays. Included in the set is the documentary Mancunian Man: The Legendary Life of Cliff Twemlow. It’s an impressive collection that is a soup-to-nuts exposé of the legendary man.
This movie mogul was also responsible for a few books during his career. He published his memoir called The Tuxedo Warrior, which was made into a movie that bears almost no resemblance to the written word or Twemlow’s actual life. There’s also The Beast of Kane, a horror novel about a stray elk-hound (think Stephen King’s Cujo).
But this reviewer decided to start with The Pike, a loving ripoff of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, a blockbuster shark movie that is celebrating 50 years in 2025. The Pike, as the title suggests, is not about a shark, but actually about a large fish in a giant English lake. Other than the difference in species, this short novel, running fewer than 200 pages, feels like an alternate version of Brody, Hooper and Quint’s adventure on the open sea.
This “ripoff” quality of the book is not a critique. The Pike is a lot of fun, extremely well written and just a rollicking page-turned that can be enjoyed during these hot summer months. The premise is simple enough: A giant pike, with razor-sharp teeth, has taken a victim on Lake Windermere. In Jaws, the shark attack spelled doom for the July 4 festivities on Amity Island, but in The Pike, the locals love that their lake is now in the news. They’ve always wanted a lake monster. Amongst the local businesses, there’s a real interest in catching sight of the giant fish, and that means brisk business on land.
In the story, Twemlow includes a salty fisherman (Quint stand-in) who vows to catch the pike, if it’s the last thing he’ll do. There’s also a central love relationship between a journalist and local woman that develops faster than the fish bites. Their relationship is actually the only part of The Pike that feels ridiculous, which is impressive given that the book is about a “hellish creature with the strength to rupture boats.”
It’s obvious after checking out Severin’s Blu-ray set of Twemlow’s films and now reading The Pike that this man had a lot of talents and a ton of ambition. His ideas were not necessarily original, but what he lacked in that department, he was able to supplement with energy and just pure fun.
There was one point when reading The Pike when a family member told this reviewer to put down the book and get ready for dinner. Honestly, the answer was an easy one: “Wait a second. It’s getting real good now.” This is a page-turner that flies by thanks to thoughtful writing, quick exposition and impressive kill sequences that feel pulled from a horror movie. This reviewer finished the book in two sittings, and The Beast of Kane and The Tuxedo Warrior are now on the horizon.
Twemlow might not be everyone’s favorite film star from the 1980s, but there’s no doubt that he left a mark on his hometown of Manchester and was a true Renaissance man, deciding to branch off into so many different creative outlets. His books, although only numbering a few, appear to be solid entertainment. They shouldn’t have won awards, and they can be silly at times, but it’s worth revisiting them.
Thanks to Severin for not only shining a light on Twemlow’s cinematic career but also his brief time as an author.
P.S. The Pike was optioned for a movie and was close to being made. Joan Crawford was even going to star, but alas, the project fell apart. For a gander at what the giant fish would have looked like, check out the documentary Mancunian Man.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Pike by Cliff Twemlow was recently released by Severin Films. 180 pages. $18. Click here for more information.
