The 5 best mermaid movies that aren't 'The Little Mermaid' (including 'Undine' and Tom Hanks' 'Splash')

"Undine" isn't the mermaid movie you expect.

Unlike Disney's 1989 classic "The Little Mermaid," there are no seashell bras, singing crabs and shimmering fins in Christian Petzold's German-language film (in theaters and on demand Friday). Rather, the indie drama is a dark and enigmatic reimagining of an age-old European folktale, about a female water nymph who falls in love with mortal men, but to tragic and sometimes violent ends.

Set in modern-day Berlin, the story follows the mysterious Undine (Paula Beer), a water spirit-turned-historian who's dumped by her boyfriend, Johannes (Jacob Matschenz), in the opening scene. "If you leave me, I'll have to kill you," she warns him. Johannes continues to haunt Undine even as she falls for another man, a diver named Christoph (Franz Rogowski), and the new lovers plunge into an ill-fated romance that is equal parts seductive and surreal.

What to stream this weekend: HBO Max's 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,' 'Undine'

"Undine" is the latest cinematic take on merpeople, which have cropped up in everything from M. Night Shyamalan's unusual 2006 fairy tale "The Lady in the Water," to popular franchises including the "Harry Potter" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. 2016's "The Mermaid," a rom-com fantasy, was a box-office phenomenon in China, while Cher's 1990 drama "Mermaids" still gets lumped into the subgenre, despite only featuring a fabulous mermaid costume at a New Year's Eve party. (And who could forget the flirty but ferocious mermaids of 1953's "Peter Pan," who literally try to drown Wendy?)

Disney has the market cornered on mermaid lore, with the live-action "Peter and Wendy" and "The Little Mermaid" adaptations coming down the pike. (Ariel's animated original, featuring the late Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, is also currently on Disney+). In the meantime, here are more fantastical mermaid flicks to tide you over this summer:

'Aquamarine' (2006)

Sitting by the pool one summer night, boy-crazed BFFs Hailey (JoJo) and Claire (Emma Roberts) discover a mermaid named Aquamarine (Sara Paxton), who fled a forced marriage and is now trying to prove to her dad that love exists. Cue the fish-out-of-water hijinks, as the girls try to set Aqua up with a hunky lifeguard (Jake McDorman) without him discovering she's amphibious. Creepy talking starfish earrings aside, this bubbly and unabashedly corny rom-com is anything but shallow in its sweet depiction of friendship.

Where to watch: Streaming on YouTube

'The Lure' (2017)

In a twisted spin on "The Little Mermaid," a pair of mermaid sisters (Marta Mazurek and Michalina Olszanska) trade their tails for legs and stumble into a seedy nightclub, where they strip, sing, look for love and eat people. Set in 1980s Poland, this visually striking horror mashup is the perfect antidote for jaded movie-musical fans.

Where to watch: Streaming on The Criterion Channel and Kanopy

'Splash' (1984)

We're still waiting on Channing Tatum's gender-swapped remake of Ron Howard's comedy classic, announced back in 2016. But until then, you can still enjoy the charming original, starring Tom Hanks as a man who falls in love with the mermaid (Daryl Hannah) who saved his life twice. Nominated for a best original screenplay Oscar, the film is probably more adult than you remember (the nudity has been awkwardly scrubbed from the Disney+ release, although the profanity is still there). But the late John Candy is just as winning as ever, stealing scenes as Hanks' oafish but tender older brother.

Where to watch: Streaming on Disney+

'Sabrina Down Under'

A companion to ABC's supernatural sitcom "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," this made-for-TV movie follows Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart) and witch pal Gwen's (Tara Strong) efforts to save a mermaid colony in Australia from a headline-chasing biologist (Peter O'Brien). Come for the wonderfully tacky, Poison Ivy-esque mermaid outfits, stay for Sabrina literally catapulting a merman (Scott Michaelson) into the sea via dining cart.

Where to watch: Streaming on Hulu

Ranked: All the Disney live-action remakes (including 'Cruella')

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The 5 best mermaid movies to watch this summer (including 'Undine')