Mutated by the H-bomb one octopus takes its deformity into its own hands and attacks!! That’s right, Kaiju Kravers, it’s time to ramp up those fears of a nuclear attack with It Came From Beneath the Sea!
For this installment of Kaiju Korner, I will attempt to tackle the impact of the late and great Ray Harryhausen, whose stop-motion work is one of a kind, influencing countless filmmakers for decades after his work was originally completed in 1981. A master of special effects creature designs, Harryhousen’s work can be seen in films like Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, Mighty Joe Young (although uncredited), The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Clash of the Titans, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, and Jason and the Argonauts. But it is here - with his six-tentacled giant octopus (due to a limited budget!!) - in which Harryhausen tackles the consequences of atomic testing on the natural world with a kaiju film like few others.
It Came From Beneath The Sea deals with a rather large mutated octopus serving as an obvious metaphor for man screwing up the natural order of things (once again) due to the H-bomb. The kaiju at the center of this B-movie marvel is expertly rendered and animated, making the scene in which it suctions its tentacles to the Golden Gate Bridge and then brings it down a fantastic scene from the Atomic Age of Creature Features. But - lo! - Harryhausen's not done with the attack just yet. The destruction on the San Francisco Bay continues as the Embarcadero is attacked and the love triangle between Commander Pete Matthews (Kenneth Tobey) of the U.S. Navy, Professor Lesley Joyce (Faith Domergue), and Dr. John Carter (Donald Curtis) is all but forgotten about.
As mentioned earlier, Harryhausen’s stop-motion work is legendary. While his stuff is very slow to trickle out on 4K (let alone blu-ray), the high-def picture and the clarity the format provides is always insightful into his creative processes.
Unfortunately, It Came From Beneath The Sea is still awaiting a revealing hi-def transfer. Many have tried (with Indicator, a UK company that offers their lovingly-handled restorations region free beating the pants off anything Colombia Pictures has put out), the transfers still lack the much-needed detailing which makes owning one of Harryhausen’s first collaboration with Charles H. Schneer worth the price tag.
But, truly, the whole paranoid science fiction canon of the late 1950s (including their nostalgia and their starry-eyed optimism) truly makes up for any lagging moments that might come in celebratory Harryhausen blu-ray rollouts because they are all about the panic of the moment. And when those films, all featuring some of the most whimsical creature designs that paved the way for Harryhausen’s future, hit their stride, you can’t escape the film history captured therewithin.
So, if It Came From Beneath the Sea sees a giant, radioactive octopus making the deadly mistake of attacking Navy Captain Pete Mathews' submarine, prompting the bold commander to pursue the monstrous beast across the Pacific Ocean before it attacks anyone else, you can bet there will be a reckoning. The 1950s wouldn’t have it any other way.
But as the military races to develop a special torpedo that will penetrate the mutated octopus's brain and destroy it, the six armed monstrosity suddenly discovers how to survive on land, wreaking havoc first on the Golden Gate Bridge and then in the Embarcadero, sending the terrified citizens of San Francisco running for their lives. Exactly who is pulling the strings here?
It Came From Beneath the Sea is a kaiju film which still marvels with enthusiasm and creativity. Mind you, this is all at a popcorn B-movie level. Atomic testing is on its mind and when an aggravated 6-tentacled octopus gets pissed off, people tend to wonder why. What could possibly be wrong with this beast to cause it to attack an atomic submarine? The marvelous minds that came up with the atomic sub provide the answer as they navigate these treacherous waters.
True kaiju fans will forgive the movie for its many scientific inaccuracies. But, if you are fan of giant mutated creatures, It Came From Beneath the Sea is the giant killer octopus flick you’ve been waiting for.
This kaiju film is streaming on Amazon Prime and on AppleTV.
MPAA Rating: Approved.
Runtime: 79 mins
Director: Robert Gordon
Writer: George Worthing Yates; Harold Jacob Smith
Cast: Kenneth Tobey; Faith Domergue; Donald Curtis
Genre: Horror | Sci-fi
Tagline: Out of Primordial Depths to Destroy the World
Memorable Movie Quote: "The next time I cruise in these waters I'm going to have torpedoes with warheads on them."
Theatrical Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: July 18, 1955
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: A giant, radioactive octopus rises from the Philippine Trench to terrorize the North American Pacific Coast.
