5 Feet of Fury

Sometimes you just wanna watch a giant octopus movie

So that’s what I did last weekend and lo and behold, TrailersFromHell now has the trailer up for the movie I watched (again): It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955).

It Came From Beneath the Sea is the Jules & Jim of monster movies, with the Scientist and the Officer vying, sort of, for the affections of the Lady Scientist. Except the Scientist isn’t trying very hard cuz he’s a detached Scientist guy, see?

This cozy little threesome is after the giant octopus that isn’t technically an octopus: Ray Harryhausen gave it only six arms, to save money!

The creature displays the Harryhausen touch, that instantly recognizable blend of realism and artificiality. In trying to eliminate any artificiality, CGI masters inadvertently accentuate it; as a result, Harryhausen’s lowly stop animations stand the test of time, whereas no one can watch the first big screen Hulk (2003) without cringing.