Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961)

Mediocrity Rules!

The master of mediocrity, Roger Corman, made still another abysmal movie with what must have been a $60 budget. Everything about it is mediocre, from the acting, the monster costume, the dialogue, the quality of the film to the sound. The only redeeming feature in the movie is one that will greatly appeal to liberals because it indirectly justifies totalitarianism in Cuba by portraying some of the characters who are supposed to be Cuban in a really bad light. You can either flush your money down the toilet or you can buy this film. If you're a liberal, you'll buy this film---and call it a masterpiece. November 2, 2008

Don't Watch It Alone!!(3 and 1/2 stars by the way)

Watching Creature From The Haunted Sea you realize why Roger Corman never lost money on any of his films-Because he obviously never invested any in the film to begin with it. Corman was wise in this case. Realizing he had a stupid looking monster and that people were gonna laugh at this film anyway, he made it a comedy. The goofy animated opening credits let you know this immediately. Hey, might as well laugh with it, right? Folks stranded on an island(more like sabotaged and lured) have to deal with a murderous sea monster that makes an elementary school play costume look like something on a Jerry Schmuckheimer level. In one scene you can see the creature wearing flippers as it swims. Too bad it doesn't live up to the cool cover art. The comedy is hit and miss, I guess it all depends on your taste. The film itself hasn't aged all that well. It's quite grainy and you have to turn up the volume rather loud to hear it well. A must for Corman fans as well as 50s/60s drive-in creature feature fans. And with a price tag like that, it's not too bad of a gamble. July 26, 2007

One of the all time greats!!!

This movie has it all! Sexy women, violence, secret agents, lost treasure, and a monster. What more could any viewer want? Or deserve?

The narrater of the film is also the secret agent of the movie. You think James Bond had cool stuff? Well this dude doesn't need Q. He makes his own stuff. He has a radio made of frankfurters and pickles! His insight is deeper than the sea itself. "The sun was beginning to set. I could tell because it was getting dark". That's observationm at it's finest. I'm glad he's on our side!

OK the movie is about escaping Cuba with a strongbox full of gold from the Cuban treasury. The crooks are trying to double-cross the Cubans as they escape. They try to scare the Cubans with stories of a monster, but there is a real monster!!!

The characters in this movie are entertaining and draw you in like a fish on the line. The head crook thinks he is Humprhey Bogart filming a remake of Key Largo. His main squeeze is a stacked blonde with enough sass for five golddiggers. There is another dude who communicates in animal sounds only, and another henchman talks somewhere between Popeye and Froggy from 'Our Gang'.

Now for the monster. He is an indescribable horror! Large bulging eyes (that resemble ping pong balls), giant claws for hands (Which resemble yard rakes from Sears Robuck), a huge mouth full of razor sharp teeth (the mouth cannot move or close), and a huge shaggy body (which resembles a cross between a fur coat and a guile suit worn by a US Marine Corps sniper). Simply horrifying.

This movie must be watched at least 10 times to fully appreciate it. You will see something different every time. May 5, 2007

It Will Frighten You (That You Spent the Money on It)

Famous schlockmeister Roger Corman produced this film in 1961 between films such as "The Wasp Woman" and "The Pit and the Pendulum." This cheaply made movie is filled with corny jokes, including the monster itself, and would have been perfect drive-in theater fare, as long as it was the third movie or later.

We learn that a group of Cuban soldiers have robbed the Cuban treasury of a chest of gold. Recall that Castro had just taken over in Cuba and many people were fleeing the country with any valuables they could take. The soldiers ask a smuggler to get them out of the country with their gold. The smuggler and his crew decide to kill the Cubans one-by-one by pretending a monster is killing the soldiers. The plot works until we learn that the monster is real! At this point you can almost hear Elvira or her equivalent making some scary sound to indicate the depths of horror in this film. However, we already know that the monster is about as scary as a guy in a fake fur coat with ping pong ball eyes can be - which is to say, not very scary.

This movie is filled with cheesy jokes. How about a telephone on a "deserted" island that has two guys in suits waiting to use it? How about a secret agent whose radio is disguised as fishing equipment? How about a secret agent with the mysterious name of XK-150? I think you get the idea. Some of the corny jokes actually work, though the pseudo "Sea Hunt (1958-1961)" narration by secret agent XK-150 generally did not work.

What surprised me was how many well-known people were in this film. Robert Towne played secret agent XK-150. Towne acted in several other movies, including "The Pick-Up Artist," but made his name as a screenwriter on movies such as "The Firm," "Mission: Impossible," and "Mission: Impossible 2." Antony Carbone, the leader of the smugglers, appeared regularly on a variety of popular television shows until his retirement in 1991. Beach Dickerson played one of the crooks. He also appeared in a variety of movies and television shows until his retirement in 1991. Other actors with extensive resumes also appeared in this film.

I have seen movies worse than this one. Not many, but some. Some of the jokes did work. Roger Corman prevented the movie from taking itself too seriously, which is probably why the movie still has some charm. The monster is incredibly improbable and cheesy and not in the least scary. The ending of the movie is more puzzling than anything. I think my reaction at the end of the movie was, "huh?" On the other hand, if you like schlock horror films, this movie should absolutely be on your list. Certainly fans of Roger Corman will want this one. This movie could even be a fun one to watch if you like to make fun of movies; there is a lot of material to work with in this one.

Good Luck!
December 29, 2006

Very funny

I really like this movie alot it is very funny. If you like a movie you can just laugh away at this the movie for you. You can laugh at almost every scene in the movie. I have a large collection of dvd horror movies. This movie is funnier then then Scary Movie. October 16, 2005

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