Roger Corman satirizes himself in CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA, throwing in everything but the kitchen sink to create one of the most wacked-out goofy drive-in flicks ever filmed, that gets even goofier as it goes along. We’ve got goony gangsters, a lovesick spy, beautiful babes, and the silliest looking monster you’ll ever see.
Rapid Roger had just wrapped up shooting THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH in sunny Puerto Rico, and since the weather was so beautiful, decided to quickly churn out another picture. He got screenwriter Charles B. Griffith to whip up a monster movie spoof (having had success with Griffith’s A BUCKET OF BLOOD and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS) and retained the previously shot film’s stars. Actor Beach Dickerson designed the sea creature out of a wet suit, with ping-pong ball eyes and covered in an oil cloth to give it that straight from the depths look. Hokey looking…
I have this fear that someday I’ll meet Roger Corman and before I can compliment him for directing and producing so many entertaining films or praise him for helping so many women break into the film industry or talk about the subversive feminism of his 70s exploitation films, Corman will ask me something like, “So, what did you think of Creature From The Haunted Sea?”
Because, seriously…
Creature From The Haunted Sea, which the Late Night Movie crew and I watched after Space Raiders, was originally released in 1961. It tells the story of a mobster named Renzo (Anthony Carbone) who flees Cuba with a bunch of stolen gold. Renzo finds himself stranded on a boat with a group of revolutionaries, a guy who communicates by making animal noises, and a CIA agent (played by future Oscar-winning screenwriter, Robert Towne). Anyway, Renzo plans to double-cross everyone by exploiting their fear of the legendary creature of the haunted sea. However, the joke is on Renzo because it turns out that the creature is real.
In the past, I have defended Roger Corman as a director and I imagine that I’ll do so again in the future. However, Creature From The Haunted Sea has got to be one of the most boring films that I have ever seen, a film that starts as a comedy and then tries to turn into a horror film but never really succeeds in being funny or scary. So little happens in the film that it ends up becoming oddly fascinating.
That said, if you’re a fan of Roger Corman’s or a student of B-cinema, you should make time to watch Creature From The Haunted Sea. While the film might not be exactly watchable, the story behind it is vintage Corman. Reportedly, Creature From The Haunted Sea was produced because Corman had just finished directing The Last Woman On Earth in Puerto Rico and had some film left over. So, he decided why not make another movie? Regardless of the film’s final quality, it’s hard not to respect Roger’s refusal to allow any opportunity to pass by.
Beyond that, I would recommend Creature From The Haunted Sea for two reasons. Number one, the opening credits feature some cute cartoons and you know I can’t resist a cute cartoon. Finally, the creature itself simply has to be seen to be believed. How can you not be somewhat charmed by a monster that appears to be made out of sea weed and ping-pong balls?
If you dare, check out Creature From The Haunted Sea below.
Through the Shattered Lens 