Octaman! Auch de Lieben!

OCTAMAN-1971-In Mexico a group of scientists investigate the legend of a half man/half octopus. Dr. Torres (Kerwin Matthews, THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD) leads the group. Pier Angeli (who died of a drug overdose soon after filming ended) is his assistant. Also along are an American promoter (Buck Kartalian) who wants to bring Octa back alive, a college professor and some weird looking locals who become victims. The monster itself is a shambling octopus looking thing with floppy tentacles and mouth and eyes that never move. The costume was created by Rick Baker and Doug Beswick who both went on to bigger and better things. He kills by swatting victims with his tentacles but one guy gets a tentacle in his chest. When the group find an "octa-baby" the monster kills a scientist and takes it back leading me to believe that perhaps this is actually an "Octawoman"!

Jeff Morrow (THIS ISLAND EARTH) has one scene as a skeptical scientist. At one point they capture Octy but he escapes with Angeli in tow. If this kind of sounds like the plot was lifted from THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON keep in mind that OCTAMAN was written and directed by Harry Essex who wrote the screenplay for that 1954 classic!

Still OCTAMAN is fun low budget nonsense that doesn't drag and would make a great double bill with the monster catfish man "classic" ZAAT!

http://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2010/01/z-marks-spot.html

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My Last For 2010..if you are lucky!

TENTACULES-1977-This Italian production from director Ovidio G. Assonitis features several name American stars and a lot of tedium. After several underwater incidents involving a conglomerate called Trojan Inc, , a local reporter Ned Turner (John Huston) investigates. It seems there is a giant octopus hanging out ready to munch locals. Henry Fonda is the company owner and Cesare Danova is his flunky. Shelly Winters plays Turner’s sister who wears a huge sombrero. Claude Aktins is the local sheriff trying to contain (cover-up) the trouble. Bo Hopkins shows up as a famous scuba diver who’s expression barely changes. His bland plea to a few killer whales to help him destroy the monster is pretty funny. A fat guy goes swimming and gets killed and then the boat he was on is destroyed. It all has to do with a tunnel the company is digging. Meanwhile there’s a kid boat race that’s going to take place and Turner’s nephew is in it. Since it’s actually a Italian production many of the secondary actors’ voices are dubbed but for some reason Danova’s seems to be too! The SFX (including toy boats) are pretty cheesy.

Director Assonitis also made the "Exorcist" rip-off BEYOND THE DOOR and FOREVER EMANULLE. in 1974 and later produced James Cameron's first directorial effort PIRANNA 2: THE SPAWNING.

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Early Morning Reviews!

SH! THE OCTOPUS-1937-Two bumbling detectives Kelly (Hugh Herbert) and Dempsey (Allen Jenkins) investigate the strange goings on in an abandoned lighthouse. Many suspects abound (including a crazy caretaker with a hook hand). It's a typical "Old Dark House" story with characters who aren't as they first appear and the lights going out at critical times. They are all occasionally menaced by an octopus. It's dated and dumb but fortunately it's short length (56 mins.) makes it easier to take. It's based on a 1928 stage play. Familiar character actor John Eldredge is also in it. I saw it on TCM.


EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING-2004-In this meaningless prequel Father Merrick (Stellan Skarsgard in the Max Van Sydow role) is a former priest, now a faithless archeologist because some Nazis forced him to choose who should die in this town during WW2. He goes to East Africa to check out a tomb and eventually has his first encounter with the demon Pazuzu years before it got a hold of Regan. There’s a lot of violence especially against children (one kid is shown graphically being eating by wolves, a little girl is shot in the head). But this figures since original director Paul Schrader was fired by Morgan Creek because they didn’t think his version was bloody enough. They hired hack Renny Harlin to re-shoot it (some reports say 90% of it was re-done and at least two characters were dropped) and after a very slow start gave them what they wanted. Too bad he forgot about the audience…

Actress Izabella Scorupo turns into a Linda Blair look demon (but doesn’t puke) and Ben Cross (who I think might once have been a good actor) has a small role.

Schrader’s original version was released on DVD in 2005 as DOMINION: THE PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST and is actually very good!



THE WILD WOMEN OF WONGO-1958-This is one of those very strange movies that doesn’t fit into a category unless the category is ridiculous! It’s probably on par with something like QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE and even that’s stretching it! Apparently the community of Wongo has very beautiful women and very ugly men. The neighboring Goona has “pretty men” and ugly women. Trouble starts when one of the pretty boys from Goona visits Wongo to warn them of some ape like invaders from the sea. The Wongo Women decide they like the Goona men better. Everyone looks suitably goofy in loincloths and well done up hairstyles. A parrot makes occasional comments too! There’s a lot of dancing and very funny stilted dialogue. Much of the music is the same as in PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE! This mainly plays like a nudie film that someone forgot to put nudity into! 

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