It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)

• Year: 1955
• Released: 18 Jul 1955
• Country: United States, Japan
• Adwords: N/A
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048215/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_came_from_beneath_the_sea
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Not Rated
• Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
• Runtime: 79 min
• Writer: George Worthing Yates, Harold Jacob Smith
• Director: Robert Gordon
• Cast: Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis
• Keywords: monster, submarine, san francisco, california, radiation, u.s. navy, water monster,

	5.9/10
	60% – Critics
	39% – Audience

It Came from Beneath the Sea Storyline

A nuclear submarine is going through its shakedown cruise. The subs sonar operator picks up a contact dead astern heading straight for them at high speed. The captain orders the vessel to flank speed and sends the sub to battle stations while beginning evasive maneuvers.As the sub dives away from the object, something hits the vessel, and radiation warning sounds throughout the ship. Inspecting the detectors, the crew realizes the source of the radiation is outside the sub. With a jolt the boat comes to a complete stop. The commander immediately orders the sub to surface; this can’t be done due to something fouling the diving planes.After a number of unsuccessful attempts, the sub breaks free and manages to reach the surface. During an inspection, the stern of the vessel is found to be radioactive and some sort of organic material, possibly part of a fish, is jammed in one of the control planes.Puzzled, the captain elects to return to Pearl Harbor for repairs and to give a detailed report of the incident. At Pearl Harbor, the sample has been delivered and a team lead by Dr. John Carter (Donald Curtis) and Professor Lesley Joyce (Faith Domerque) begin their investigation, reporting to Commander Peter Mathews (Kenneth Toby).Prof. Joyce is in a very negative mood about the investigation; she fears her own lines of research are going to be affected. Mathew informs her that she has effectively drafted for the investigation and she will be expected to stay involved as long as required and will be compensated for her efforts.Twelve days later, the investigation is ongoing but achieving very little. Mathews has begun to show a definite interest in Joyce. Initially she is cool to Mathews advances, considering him her intellectual inferior. Oddly she is not forthright in telling Mathews to leave her alone. The next day Prof. Joyce makes a breakthrough and discovers what the specimen is. Mathews immediately contacts his superiors and a number of high ranking navy officials are heading to Hawaii to hear the answer.With everyone gathered, Joyce explains the specimen is a piece of a giant octopus. Normally found in very deep areas of the sea, she has a theory that hydrogen bombs have upset its habitat. This caused the beast rise to the surface to find sources of food.It is noted that, in recent times, a number of Japanese fishing vessels have gone missing and the Siberian seal hunting season has failed due to a lack of animals. The naval investigation team is unconvinced by the findings. A few days later a tramp steamer encounters the octopus. The captain orders the crew to abandon ship as the radio operator sends an SOS. In a matter of minutes the ship is engulfed in giant tentacles and dragged under.Unaware of the latest incident, Joyce and Carter attend a farewell dinner with Mathews. As the evening progresses Joyce seems to accept Mathews advances by allowing a long kiss to occur on a quiet balcony. Mathews becomes confused and a little upset when Joyce decides not to change her travel plans.A naval officer interrupts dinner to advise the scientists their travel plans have been canceled. Reports have arrived of the tramp steamer’s sinking, and a rescue mission has been launched.Survivors are found and returned to Pearl Harbor. Each man is interviewed and repeats the story of the destruction of the ship. Even after the crew accept lie detectors and interviews by psychologists, the authorities remain unconvinced about the event. Joyce interviews one of the survivors and secretly records the conversation for the navy.On hearing his story first hand, the navy are convinced there is something behind the story; they mobilizes their forces, and close the western Pacific to all ships.A further 10 days pass and Joyce and Carter argue that even if the navy find the creature they have little or no hope of destroying it. To narrow the search, an alert is sent out for any unusual events. The scientists will investigate these events and see if they can narrow down the search area.From Astoria, Oregon, a strange report comes through. Joyce and Mathews investigate a strange set of markings found on a beach and reports of a very strange car accident. They also continue to explore their relationship.It is suggested the beach be closed to avoid any further chance of further attacks. A local sheriff thinks the whole thing is a waste of time and decides to explore the beach for himself. In short order he is killed.The navy sees this as strong evidence of the creature’s movement and begin to narrow their search around San Francisco, even deciding to lay a series of minefields around the bay. A trap is set using dead sharks as bait. Aircraft patrol overhead waiting for any sign of the beast. It has been decided the only way to be sure of destroying the creature is to damage the brain. Amid the tension, Joyce reveals a new jet propelled torpedo that might be successfully deployed against the creature.A command center set up by the military reports that an unknown contact is moving towards San Francisco harbor. As planned they begin detonating the mine fields in hope of driving the creature off. The mines have no effect and the second stage of the defense is put into action. An electrical current is run through the Golden Gate bridge and into the water. Enraged, the creature surfaces.Joyce and Mathews rush to the bridge to get a firsthand look at what they are fighting. Carter understands that unless he shuts the power off there is a serious risk to the bridge. To succeed he has to go out onto the deck and expose himself to the outraged octopus.The creature continues attacking the bridge, destroying Carter’s car. Mathews sees Carter is trapped and drives out to rescue him. Carter finally shuts the power down and the beast slips beneath the waves.The creature surfaces near the Market Street docks and begins destroying everything in its path. Mathews rejoins his sub with orders to attack the creature. From the shoreline soldiers armed with flame throwers force the creature back into the water. This give Mathews the clear shot he is looking for.The attack is successful but in its thrashing around the creature pins the sub on the bottom of the harbor. Mathews can’t detonate the torpedo until the submarine is clear or he risks killing the crew. Mathews dons scuba gear and goes out to attack the creature. Although partially successful he himself is badly wounded and sinks to the bottom. Carter then replicates Mathews efforts, however he aims for the creature’s eye. The attack works and the creature convulses from the injury and releases the sub.Carter finds Mathews on the sea floor and races him to the surface before the sub detonates the explosive, obliterating the giant octopus. After the explosion the submarine surfaces to find the two alive and floating on the surface.The trio of Joyce, Mathews, and Carter later celebrate the victory at a restaurant, where Mathews makes an impromptu proposal, and Joyce accepts.

It Came from Beneath the Sea Photos

It Came from Beneath the Sea Torrents Download

It Came from Beneath the Sea Subtitles Download

It Came from Beneath the Sea Movie Reviews

Far better than you’d expect from a giant monster film

In the 1950s and 60s, there were practically zillions of giant radioactive monster films. Giant shrews, ants, spiders, dinosaurs and whatnot scared audiences and were immensely popular throughout the world. For example, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953) clearly led to Japanese films such as Godzilla (1954) and its many spin-offs. In general, these films were super-cheesy–having pretty second-rate special effects (even for the time) and lousy dialog. Godzilla was a guy in a reptile suit, TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE used a lobster and THE KILLER SHREWS used hairy costumes placed on dogs–all very high on the “cheese-o-meter”. However, a very small number of these films did have decent special effects for the time period and tried to be serious entertainment–and IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA is one of them.

Unlike many giant monster films, IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA looked like it had a larger budget. Much of this was because they had the cooperation of the navy and because they used GOOD stock footage–not the usual grainy and irrelevant filler used in many of these films. It also looked big budget because of the work of Ray Harryhausen. Now, in the 21st century, his work appears rather crude and old fashioned, but for the mid-1950s it was state of the art and still holds up reasonably well if you aren’t an idiot who expects CG and state of the art effects. Sure, the giant octopus looks a bit odd and is obviously controlled through stop-motion, but it is very well integrated into the scenes and still impresses. It’s obvious that they really cared and wanted to make a quality picture.

As far as the romance and dialog goes, I will admit it has a lot of clichés–such as the brainy but sexy female scientist. However, it was handled a bit better than usual and at least Faith Domergue (a perennial in 50s sci-fi) was pleasant looking. I know it’s weird, but I really get turned on by the “brainy scientists” in these film. In fact, I married one myself–though she has no experience, so far, with giant monsters! Don’t worry folks–I showed this review to my wife and I am NOT in the dog house!

For lovers of the genre, this film is a must. For those who think giant monsters attacking mankind are stupid, then at least one is better than most of the rest!!

Giving a Big Octopus a Hot Foot

It Came From Beneath the Sea was one of the better monster films from the Fifties as Hollywood cinema was desperately trying to compete with the small picture box gradually invading American homes. One of the answers was large screen special effects and this film was one of the best in that department.

Ray Harryhausen’s name so far is still the only special effects man that I know who’s name will actually encourage people to buy a movie ticket. He created some marvelous film monsters and this was one of his best.

The octopus we are told comes from the Mindinao Deep, a spot on our planet still not totally explored because it is the deepest part of our ocean’s bottoms. Presumably there are a whole lot more like him around and in point of fact to this day we don’t know all the creatures of the sea.

That perennial villain of Fifties Science fiction, atomic testing and/or radiation has made this big guy move out of the depths and try to capture Captain Kenneth Tobey’s submarine. He barely gets away and Tobey’s is the first of several incidents involving the creature. Scientists Faith Domergue and Donald Curtis are also on the job and the creature ends up in San Francisco Bay. He does a number on the Golden Gate bridge and then tries to beach himself at the Embarcadero. Army flame throwers see that doesn’t happen.

Faith Domergue was a really beautiful woman who became known again through the Howard Hughes biographical film, The Aviator. She was at one time Hughes’s main squeeze. This is probably the film she’s most known for though. There’s one scene where Domergue uses her best asset to convince a merchant seaman whose ship has been sunk by the octopus, but is afraid of being given a section 8, to fess up about the monster. Kind of campy, but fun.

The monster’s no villain here as in some films. He’s just a creature whose habitat man has disturbed that’s trying to survive. Unfortunately we can’t have him roaming the Pacific destroying all kinds of civilian and military activity. So he has to be killed. For me it was a bit sad seeing the outcome. I think other viewers will feel the same way.

Two Men, One Woman And One Atomic Hextapus!

In the 1950s cinema was subjected to (graciously in my case) a number of things that came to wreak havoc on mankind. Be it nuclear enhanced spiders and ants marching forth from the desert or various beings from outer space come to deliver alien fury. Hell we even had giant water snails laying slimy waste to all in their way. But what of the ocean? So much potential down there. Rhedosaurus and Gojira had come from the sea to lay a marker down for the big lizard, but what of the natural creatures? Sharks? Well Spielberg’s genre daddy was some 20 years away. Whales? Crabs? Squids? Ah what about a giant Octopus? Now there is scope for a riot. Lets make him a product of atomic blasting, awoken from the Mindanao Deep, keep it sympathetic 9it’s just being natural after all), set up an attack on a bastion landmark of Americana and get stop-mo genius Ray Harryhausen to work his wonders.

So they did. It Came from Beneath the Sea, if you pardon the pun, holds its head above water in the creature feature, sci-fi schlockers genre. Starring Faith Domergue (This Island Earth), Kenneth Tobey (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms) and Donald Curtis (Earth vs. The Flying Saucers), it has safe and solid genre credentials. Though guilty of being over talky, in that the science being offered up isn’t worthy of such meanderings, the script does allow for a feminism angle that should be applauded for the time it was made. Even if it’s almost smothered by the love tryst shenanigans of our three central players that is. Filmed on location in San Francisco to add some level of authenticity to the story and having a running time that doesn’t let it outstay its welcome. It Came from Beneath the Sea is a fine genre piece worthy of yearly revisits. 7/10