Starring - Anne Kimbell (Dragnet, Port Sinister), Stuart Wade (Teenage Monster, Death Valley Days), and Dick Pinner (Red Snow, The Mob)
Release Date - 1954
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Terror strikes... from beneath the sea!"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
Do you ever sit around and day dream about time travel? Would you go to historic events and witness them first hand or try to change the history of mankind for the better? No me. If I could time travel I would visit the different eras in cinema history to see the films when they were first released. I've always been a fan of the no budget Roger Corman drive-in era so it would have been cool to watch a double feature of these films at the drive-in. A few days back I received the blu release of the 1954 creature feature Monster from the Ocean Floor from my friends over at Film Masters. This is one I had never seen before and couldn't wait to dig into it. Like always, I want to thank Film Masters for sending this one my way.
The film follows a young woman on vacation in Mexico who befriends two deep sea scientists who are working on a way to cultivate plants in the water. Things take an unexpected turn when one of their crew turns up missing but his scuba gear is found undamaged. Their investigation into his disappearance uncovers an aquatic monster that the locals have feared for decades.
Monster from the Ocean Floor is not a film that I can confidently say that I enjoyed. In fact, I highly doubt I will ever watch this one again. Corman's films, especially the earlier produced films, are very hit or miss with Monster from the Ocean Floor being a miss. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I got to check it out and it's awesome seeing something that a legend like Corman had his hands on but this is a flick that many genre fans can live without. The acting in this one is pretty solid from the short cast. The film's leads do a solid job at bringing cliched characters yet likable characters to life. A few of the scenes were a bit awkward to watch but they are few and far in between. The story for this one is pretty straight forward and predictable. If you've seen any monster movie from this era then you know exactly what to expect. With that being said, an awesome monster or characters that stand out makes this one extremely slow and hard to finish. Finally, don't go into this one expecting awesome monsters and a lot of gore because both will leave you disappointed. Overall, Monster from the Ocean Floor is not a great film especially for the time. It's easily forgettable. However, fans of the late Roger Corman will want to add this one to their collections. The blu looks great from Film Masters and I know collectors will want to snag it while they can!