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

Together with "The Fast and the Furious" (1958), this was one of the first films to be distributed by the American Releasing Company which would later become American International Pictures.

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Goofs

While discussing their "scientific" dilemma, Dr. Stevens and Prof. King assert that "heavy water" is found naturally in the depths off the coast. "Heavy water" is deuterium oxide and does not occur naturally, and is water enriched with the hydrogen isotope deuterium, not the result of water under pressure as our two scientists suggest.

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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

Referenced in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: Roger Corman's Poe Films (2007)

User Reviews

inexpensiveness undisguised

Perhaps this type of moviemaking was still too new for this lesson to be learned. But I've always felt that - regardless of your budget - if you're gonna try to deliver a message, then don't allow it to be degraded by cheapness and unbelievability. You could certainly extract a moral here, but instead, MY recollection is of the chintziness and unreality of the production, such that it fits into the mold of a 50s, sci-fi, get-'em-with-the-title, Saturday matinee, which the kids'll find boring, if not laughable. The man-in-a-beast-suit hangs out around a radioactive beam (which is probably responsible for it's appearance) on the ocean floor and kills those who ROW into it's neighborhood. (How co-incidental - they and the boat always wash up onto shore TOGETHER and in the SAME PLACE. The unchanging current, I suppose.) Meanwhile, a scientist's research into radioactivity is of surreptitious interest to a female agent from a competing country. Other characters include the professor's daughter, who is romanced by an oceanographer, enlisted by the government to check up on her dad; the father's male assistant; a snoopy gal Friday; and a federal investigator, who hasn't been told that Romeo is also assigned to the case. This flick got a very low number from me.