MONSTER FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR (1954)
Tagline: Up from the forbidden depths comes a Tidal Wave Of Terror!
(Goofy Horror, Sci-Fi, One Eye, You Read That Right) [PG]
Note – This movie doesn’t actually have an MPAA rating, so I am going to say it’s a PG or maybe even a G for some.
1946? Well, that's when the Bikini underwater experiments were set off, maybe that started something.
In this one, Julie Blaie (played by the accomplished Anne Kimball) is an artist who is also freakishly good at diving runs into a marine biologist named Steve Dunning (played by Stuart Wade) in the cove near a Mexican village. Julie hears a story from a young boy that a beast under the sea killed his father. She quickly discovers the legends are probably true since at least 2 other people totally believe it. Both of them of course want her dead believing her sacrifice will make the monster settle the hell down.
First off I find it kind of nuts that this movie was shot in 8 days, but given that it’s just 64 minutes long I guess it’s not too crazy. It’s also the first film that Roger Corman ever produced by himself. He halfway produced HIGHWAY DRAGNET the same year. It also features a one-man submarine that was made by Aerojet General. The sub in this movie I thought was actually pretty rad, but honestly doesn’t really belong in the movie. Julie dives without the submarine for the entire movie, however for some reason, Steve treats it like something he can never be without. I mean, this dude takes her to dinner and you know that submarine is just sitting somewhere in the background so he can keep an eye on it. He also treats Julie with kid gloves, which to a point I understand. She won't stop going into the cove to try and find this creature, but she freaks out at almost everything she sees that even looks slightly weird. The chemistry between the two works to an extent, but Steve basically telling her he loves her after a few hours is at the very least tacky.
Anyway, this movie has some interesting plot points and the additional layer of adding at least 2 of the villagers wanting Julie dead did add some intrigue. I think Anne Kimball was a pretty good actress surrounded by a bunch of people that really didn’t equal what she brought to the table. Stuart Wade is good, but not great.
Where this movie couldn’t possibly have been much worse is the lack of an actual giant one-eyed octopus. The build-up was fine, but at least 2 or 3 more shots of the thing we are supposed to be terrified by would have been nice even in the ’50s. This is another one of those 50’s flicks that isn’t at the bottom of the barrel but wouldn’t be in the top 30 either. Even in the year, it came out both GODZILLA, THEM!, GOG, and TARGET EARTH were in theaters, all far superior movies. You have to give Corman credit though, he’s (in one way or another) produced 515 movies and directed 56. So you really can’t swing a throw pillow without hitting a Corman movie, especially if you watch a lot of B-movies.
Overall this movie I thought moved along nicely, it had a goofy-looking octopus monster at least and the storyline wasn’t just one-dimensional. For those reasons, I am giving this a 4 out of 7. It is a movie I’d watch again even if it’s just for laughs or a weekend OCTOPI WILL SQUEEZE YOUR FACE OFF marathon.
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