HALLOWEEN HANGOVER: IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1955) ***

Kenneth Tobey stars as the captain of an atomic submarine who has a close encounter with an unidentified object during maneuvers.  The government calls in a pair of scientists (Faith Domergue and Donald Curtis) to investigate and they come to the conclusion that it was a giant squid who was the culprit.  You see, all those H-Bomb tests out in the middle of the ocean has turned a regular old squid into an enormous monster.  Pretty soon, the massive mollusk is terrorizing the deep blue sea, and it’s up to Tobey, Domergue, and Curtis to stop it. 

It Came from Beneath the Sea is something of a comfort film for me.  It might not be the best of the movies Ray Harryhausen provided stop-motion special effects for, but I have a certain affinity for it.  Not only does it feature cool special effects, the familiar, reliable cast help to elevate it from the ranks of your typical ‘50s monster mash.  Usually, the human drama scenes are always the dullest in these things.  This time around though, the stuff with Tobey, Domergue, and Curtis is engaging and entertaining, making the love triangle scenes more than just filler.  It also helps to hold your attention as you await the monster mashing carnage.  Tobey (no stranger to giant animal movies after starring in Them!) and Domergue (who also starred in This Island Earth the same year) in particular have a lot of chemistry together and make for a fine team.

Special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen does a remarkable job considering the monster is little more than a collection of tentacles.  (In fact, there are six instead of eight, but who’s counting?)  While the monster itself may lack the personality of some of Harryhausen’s best creations, the scenes where it eats fishermen, attacks boats, flattens pedestrians, and in the film’s centerpiece, topples the Golden Gate Bridge are a lot of fun.

That’s what it ultimately comes down to:  Fun.  Are there better giant animal movies from the ‘50s you could watch?  Sure.  However, this is a solid, if unsung genre entry that will surely fit the bill for fans of the genre, cast, or Harryhausen.