The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1955)

An unusual radioactive rock on the sea bottom mutates the ocean life into a horrible monster. When charred, radioactive bodies begin to drift ashore a scientist and government agent ... See full summary »

Director:

Dan Milner

Writers:

Lou Rusoff (screenplay), Dorys Lukather (original story)

Stars:

Kent Taylor, Cathy Downs, Michael Whalen

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kent Taylor	...	Dr. Ted Stevens / Ted Baxter
Cathy Downs	...	Lois King (as Kathy Downs)
Michael Whalen	...	Prof. King
Helene Stanton	...	Wanda
Phillip Pine	...	George Thomas (as Philip Pine)
Rodney Bell	...	William S. 'Bill' Grant
Vivi Janiss	...	Ethel Hall, Dr. King's Secretary
Michael Garth	...	Sheriff
Pierce Lyden	...	Andy, the Janitor

Storyline

An unusual radioactive rock on the sea bottom mutates the ocean life into a horrible monster. When charred, radioactive bodies begin to drift ashore a scientist and government agent investigate the phenomenon, and it's connection to a local marine biology professor.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic | psychotronic film | cult film | pacific coast | marine biology | 

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Taglines:

From the depths of the sea...Horrifying!...Terrifying!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

El fantasma de las 10.000 leguas

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Milner Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The pier repeatedly seen in the background by the beach is the Paradise Cove Pier in Malibu, California. It was torn in half by a giant El Nino wave in the '80s.

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Goofs

A nautical league is 3.5 miles so it would be impossible for any ocean to be more than a couple of leagues deep let alone 10,000. The creature is found in water which can easily be reached by a row boat.

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Quotes

[first lines]
William S. 'Bill' Grant: Don't touch that.
[Grant shows his credentials]
Ted Baxter: William S. Grant, Special Investigator. Department of Defense, Washington. Well, I guess that makes it pretty official.
William S. 'Bill' Grant: Yes, I guess it does.
Ted Baxter: His body's rigid with burns. The boat's charred too. Yet, there's no sign of fire. We better get him out of the water.
William S. 'Bill' Grant: I'll take care of him myself.
Ted Baxter: I just though I'd give you some help.

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Connections

References Road House (1948)

User Reviews

Monster from the cold depths thats got the hot's

(Some Spoilers) The US Government is concerned about the goings on off shore and on the beaches around the newly opened Collage of Oceanography founded by the renowned expert of nuclear psychics Prof.King, Michael Whalen.

With a number of boats sunk and five people killed, from radiation burns, the US Government sends two of it's operatives FBI agent Bill Grant, Rodney Bell, and famed oceanographer and author Dr. Ted Stevens, Kent Taylor, to find out just whats behind these deaths. Uknown to the US Government there's also a spy ring, from an unnamed country, also at work trying to get the information that Prof. King has come up with in his nuclear research that includes his assistant George Thomas,Philip Pine, and his sexy but not too bright, go-between Wanda, Helene Statnton.

Prof. King had discovered a uranium deposit under the sea just outside the collage and somehow activated it causing this radioactive sea monster to be created.Attacking people sailing off-shore it killed a number of them by capsizing their boats and then exposing them to it's deadly radioactive rays.

The Professor is trying to use his discovery to create a "Death Ray" that can be used by the US military but it seemed to have backfired and caused the deaths of a number of innocent people. Prof. King is also reluctant to destroy the underwater uranium deposit and his creation the creature.

Somewhat better then your average "Monster from the Deep" 1950's sci-fi movie with some good acting on the part of Kent Taylor Michael Whalen & Rodney Bell that lifts this bargain basement monster film up a few notches and makes it more then watchable.

Agent Grant gets Prof. Kings secretary Ethal Hall,Vivi Janiss, the keys to Prof. King's Lab. to find out if he had anything to do with the mysterious deaths off shore, one of which was Ethal's son. This leads to Ethal's murder by Prof. King's assistant and foreign espionage agent George Thomas. Later a freighter is sunk by the underwater uranium mine, when it sailed over it, killing all on deck.

The two spies George Thomas and Wanda are easily caught by the FBI in that their so unprofessional that you wondered who, or what country, would be crazy enough to use them in their espionage activities. Prof. King destroys his personal papers on his experiments so no one would be able to duplicate them and then sails out to sea to the underwater uranium deposit. It's there with a TNT loaded time-bomb Prof. King destroys the uranium mine the creature and himself in a huge underwater explosion.

Prof. King's daughter Lois, Kathy Downs, who at first refused to believe that her father could be responsible for these tragic deaths is shocked into reality with his own cataclysmic demise that prevented more lives from being lost due to his misplaced loyalty to science then to human life.