Harrington/Hopper

NIGHT TIDE-1961-A lonely sailor named Johnny (Dennis Hopper) roams a seaside carnival. He goes to a Jazz club (where Jim Horn plays the flute in a combo) and meets Mora (Laura Lawson) who plays a mermaid in a local act run by Capt. Murdock (Gavin Muir). Mora also seems disturb by an old woman who follows her around. Johnny learns from the merry go round proprietor's daughter (Luana Anders) that Mora's last two boyfriends were found dead. After the two meet several times, Murdock warns Johnny that in fact Mora is part of a race of mermaids and some day they will come to reclaim her. 

Later he visits an old fortune teller (the always ancient looking Marjorie Eaton from MONSTROSITY/THE ATOMIC BRAIN) and has a dream where he's kissing Mora and is suddenly wrestling with an octopus. This haunting,dream-like fantasy is done very well but some might be disappointed by the conclusion. 

This was cult director Curtis Harrington's first full length feature (he also wrote the screenplay). His next (not counting VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET) QUEEN OF BLOOD also featured Hopper.

Thanks for reading!