Monster from the Ocean Floor * (1954, Anne Kimbell, Stuart Wade, Dick Pinner) – Classic Movie Review 7726

Anne Kimbell stars in the 1954 sci-fi horror movie Monster from the Ocean Floor as the wide-eyed American artist heroine Julie Blair, who believes in the ‘Sea Monster from the Ocean Floor’, which swims off the Mexican coast, even though her biologist boyfriend Steve Dunning (Stuart Wade) does not.

Julie sees the sea monster’s eye rise above the water and faints, and nearly gets bitten by a shark, while Pablo (Wyott Ordung) and Tula (Inez Palange) plot to offer Julie as a sacrifice to their gods to appease the monster. Eventually Steve and Dr Baldwin (Dick Pinner) are convinced of the presence of a humongous sea monster.

Roger Corman’s first film as producer is the first of his long line of profitable grade Z sci-fi action adventure chillers, made in just six days for only $12,000. It grossed $117,000 in the US, so it turned in a good profit.

This simple-minded, tentative, apprentice work is of historical interest, even though it is none too gob-smacking in any department.

Also in the cast are Dick Pinner, Jonathan Haze (as Jack Hayes), Wyott Ordung, David Garcia, Inez Palange and Roger Corman.

Monster from the Ocean Floor (aka It Stalked the Ocean Floor) is directed by Wyott Ordung, runs 64 minutes, is made by Palo Alto Productions, is released by Lippert, is written by William [Bill] Danch, is shot in black and white by Floyd Crosby, is produced by Roger Corman, is scored by André Brummer, and is designed by Ben Hayne.

Obviously they did not go to Mexico. It was shot in California at the Leo Carrillo State Beach, Malibu; Paradise Cove, Malibu; and Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7726

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