... if you don't' watch to the last scene, in which he inanity of everything that preceded it is clearly explained. Walk away with five minutes or more of the film to spare, and you'll most likely agree with the current low rating this film has.
It is true that almost from the first scene of what appears to be a comedy/thriller nothing makes sense, but please stick around and just go with it. I won't even begin to try to explain the plot, but be prepared for people that have first one identity and then are all revealed to be federal law enforcement agents of one type or another, a human criminal mastermind that is called "the octopus" whose actual identity is unknown that they all are seeking, and an actual octopus whose tentacles are repeatedly reaching out from the walls of the old abandoned lighthouse into which everyone is congregated in order to grab someone. Warner contract players Allen Jenkins and Hugh Herbert as two local cops are probably the best known actors here, and they provide the outright comedy to counterbalance the ham served up by the dramatic overacting of the rest of the cast. After you've seen the whole thing you'll have to marvel at how this film comes together. It's hard to overact in such a way that the audience gets that this is all tongue-in-cheek versus believing that you're simply giving a poor dramatic performance.
The final scene has what could almost be considered a precode moment, but it is quickly explained that what is being implied is not at all the case. I'm being intentionally vague here because I don't want to spoil it for you. If you like older cult comedy films, I believe you'll really like this one. Since Jack Warner generally didn't like to take chances, I don't know how he ever let this one slip by.
It is true that almost from the first scene of what appears to be a comedy/thriller nothing makes sense, but please stick around and just go with it. I won't even begin to try to explain the plot, but be prepared for people that have first one identity and then are all revealed to be federal law enforcement agents of one type or another, a human criminal mastermind that is called "the octopus" whose actual identity is unknown that they all are seeking, and an actual octopus whose tentacles are repeatedly reaching out from the walls of the old abandoned lighthouse into which everyone is congregated in order to grab someone. Warner contract players Allen Jenkins and Hugh Herbert as two local cops are probably the best known actors here, and they provide the outright comedy to counterbalance the ham served up by the dramatic overacting of the rest of the cast. After you've seen the whole thing you'll have to marvel at how this film comes together. It's hard to overact in such a way that the audience gets that this is all tongue-in-cheek versus believing that you're simply giving a poor dramatic performance.
The final scene has what could almost be considered a precode moment, but it is quickly explained that what is being implied is not at all the case. I'm being intentionally vague here because I don't want to spoil it for you. If you like older cult comedy films, I believe you'll really like this one. Since Jack Warner generally didn't like to take chances, I don't know how he ever let this one slip by.