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5.0 out of 5 stars
"Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) ... Roger Corman ... Legend Films (2008)", Dec 12 2008
Legend Films presents "CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA" (June 1961) (63 mins) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- now in COLOR and Glorious Black and White --- If you like campy B-rated movies this one does not disappoint --- It is filled with many "what the ...." moments that keep you entertained in this otherwise slow flick including a musical interlude, a convenient pay phone, and tourist savvy natives --- Not to mention Sigmund the sea monster's older "green trash" cousin and the most lethal toilet plunger in history --- All in all one of the best campy films I have yet found - recommend with lots of friends and beverages
Under the production staff of:
Roger Corman - Director / Producer
Monte Hellman - Director
Susan Olney - Producer
Barry Sandrew - Producer
Charles B. Griffith - Screenwriter
Jacques Marquette - Cinematographer
Fred Katz - Composer (Music Score)
Angela Scellars - Editor
Jane Huizenga - Production Designer
David D. Martin - Technical Director
Story line and plot, is a monster movie concerning a Government Agent (Robert Towne) is chasing gangster Renzo Capeto (Anthony Carbone),a mobster likeness to Bogart who along with his fiancée (Betsy Jones Moreland) and underlings are aboard ship with a group of exiled Cubans --- Renzo schemes a plot to invent a mythical sea monster to eliminate the Cubans and steal the national treasure --- The film is a horror comedy blending parody, humor and suspense.The comedy has some moments here and there --- Clearly this film was never meant to be taken as seriously as some seem to take it --- The biggest flaw with it however is it's too slow-moving...it takes forever before we get any kind of resolution --- The highly entertaining rampage of the Monster at the end does make up for somewhat for the slow opening half --- But once again I recommend this only for Corman staunchest fans.
the cast includes:
Antony Carbone ... Renzo Capetto
Betsy Jones-Moreland ... Mary-Belle Monahan
Robert Towne ... Sparks Moran / Agent XK150 / Narrator (as Edward Wain)
Beach Dickerson ... Petet Peterson Jr.
Robert Bean ... Happy Jack Monahan (Mary-Belle's brother)
Esther Sandoval
Sonia Noemí González ... Mango Perez
Edmundo Rivera Álvarez ... Gen. Tostada
Terry Nevin
Elisio López
Tanner Hunt
Blanquita Romero
Armando Rowra
BIOS:
1. Roger Corman (Director)
Date of Birth: 5 April 1926 - Detroit, Michigan
Date of Death: Still Living
SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Legend Films Trailers
The complete print was restored and colorized by Legend Films, using the latest technology --- Although the Legend Films release was advertised under its reissue title, both the color and black and white prints featured the original title and opening credits --- Legend Films can restore, colorize and release many of the classic earliest black and white films --- a patented coloring and remastering process makes each film picture perfect plus more vivd than ever --- no one can resist collecting every title that Legend Films releases.
Hats off and thanks to Barry B. Sandrew Ph.D. (Founder, COO & CTO) and his Legend Films Staff --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the '20s, '30s & '40s --- order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on DVD --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out Legend Films where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.
Total Time: 63 mins on DVD ~ Legend Films. ~ (10/21/2008)
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Vintage Roger Corman, Jun 19 2006
Only one man could produce and direct a movie as outrageously stupid as The Creature From the Haunted Sea: Roger Corman. I might as well start with the monster. If you thought low-budget Japanese monster movies featured the most patently fake monsters in the cinematic universe, you haven't seen Corman's creature from the haunted sea. A kindergarten class could make a better monster out of shoelaces and a couple of buttons. You have to see it; I can't even begin to explain how ludicrous this monster is.
The story is also laughable. After Castro's revolution, counter-revolutionary forces have stolen the treasury of Cuba, and their plan is to sneak the gold off the island in an American boat. They choose Lorenzo because, according to their reasoning, the fact that he is an American gambler makes him beyond reproach. Lorenzo's crew is, in a word, unreal. First, there is his best girl Marybelle and her brother Happy Jack, who got his name from the twitch he developed from watching too many Humphrey Bogart movies. Next up is Pete Peterson, Jr., whom, as the narrator actually explains to us, is the son of Pete Peterson, Sr. Pete's only talent is his ability to mimic any and all kinds of animals, but he's never been the same since blowing his brain out of whack imitating a whooping crane years earlier. Then there is the "hero" of our story, an American spy who makes Maxwell Smart look like Albert Einstein. He never really understands what is going on, but he diligently reports his non-findings to headquarters using his home-made, undetectable radio set constructed using simulated hot dogs for knobs and tubes inside of dill pickles. His narration of the story is filled with incredibly philosophical statements such as "It was coming on dusk. I knew because the sun was going down." Getting back to the plot, the crooked Americans want the gold for themselves, so they hatch an elaborate plot to kill the Cuban soldiers on board one by one and make each death appear to be the work of a mythical sea creature. What they don't know is that the creature, as ridiculous as he is, actually does exist.
Featuring such unexplained oddities as a pay phone (with a steady stream of users) existing on a deserted island, this movie goes out of its way to insult the intelligence of every creature who ever harbored a conscious thought. As a result, the film is pretty darn funny at times, although one is hard pressed to see whether or not Corman intended this to be a comedy or a serious monster movie. I for one never know what Roger Corman could possible have been thinking.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Zany Corman quickie, Feb 14 2004
This zany little Roger Corman quickie turned up frequently on a local TV station's late, late, late show many years ago. Thinking "Creature from the Haunted Sea" was just another lousy low grade horror flick, I barely noticed it even as it flickered on the TV screen that I used, more often than not, as a night light. But I did catch a scene in which a couple of skin-divers descended into the sea, and when I saw that one of them carried a toilet plunger, I silently mused a thoughtful "Hmm," and made a mental note to pay attention the next time it aired. "Creature from the Haunted Sea" is a satire of adventure films as delightfully daffy as Corman's "Little Shop of Horrors," but with a more subtle approach. It's not a knee-slapper, but it is amusing, and well cast. There's Anthony Carbone doing a fiendishly silly homage to Humphrey Bogart, and future screenwriter Robert Towne as the earnest young hero. You even get a title song, a love theme containing the complete title, sung by the leading lady, Betsy Jones Moreland. This is a movie that is probably best seen unexpectedly in the wee hours of an uneventful night. By morning, you may think it was just a silly dream.
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