Octaman

A group of scientist traipse into a remote region looking for a monster.

This flick swam to the surface in 1971. It stars Pier Angeli, Kerwin Mathews, and Jeff Morrow. It was written and directed by Harry Essex, whom the Gill Man still hasn’t forgiven.

Sometimes with these Opening Thoughts I talk about myself or this site.  It’s not the preferred course.  The preferred course is talking about the film in question.  Giving interesting tidbits and the like.

With Octaman, unfortunately, I sort of wish I had nothing at all to say.

Why is that?  Well…. here goes.

Octaman happens to be the last film of Pier Angeli, an actress who came close to marrying the one and only James Dean. Her career wasn’t exactly the brightest, but it’s still a shame it ended so early, with her being only 39.

This is also the last theatrical work for Jeff Morrow. Here is a name that will be popping up later in this Review Site’s life (assuming I survive more pictures like this one). He stared in such classic films as This Island Earth, Kronos, and… um… The Giant Claw. Closer in line to today’s feature, he appeared in The Creature Walks Among Us.

Odd coincidence, no? But that’s not all, for there’s one more lasts for us to mention. This is the last film of its writer/director, Harry Essex. Like Morrow, Essex had a hand in such classic movies as It Came From Outer Space and… ah… Man Made Monster. Well I liked it.

More importantly, though, Essex wrote the original Creature from the Black Lagoon. Thus he cribs from his own past glories.

Now wasn’t that cheerful?

There is one more point of historic noting that must be attended to. This is the first film of Special Effects master Rick Baker. From here he would (in time) go to create creatures for movies like King Kong (1976), Star Wars, and the classic American Werewolf in London.

I know about the dates not matching. This movie was made in 1972 but not released until 1976. F

Why?  Let’s find out!  Turn to the next page, where a  misnamed monster laboring to leave the water’s depths…

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