Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961)

A crook decides to bump off members of his inept crew and blame their deaths on a legendary sea creature. What he doesn't know is that the creature is real.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Charles B. Griffith (screenplay)

Stars:

Antony Carbone, Betsy Jones-Moreland, Robert Towne

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Antony Carbone	...	Renzo Capetto
Betsy Jones-Moreland	...	Mary-Belle Monahan
Robert Towne	...	Sparks Moran / Agent XK150 / Narrator (as Edward Wain)
Beach Dickerson	...	Pete Peterson Jr. (as Beech Dickerson)
Robert Bean	...	Happy Jack Monahan
Esther Sandoval	...	Rosina Perez
Sonia Noemí González	...	Mango Perez (as Sonia Noemi Gonzalez)
Edmundo Rivera Álvarez	...	Gen. Tostada (as Edmundo Rivera Alvarez)
Terry Nevin	...	Cuban
Elisio Lopez	...	Cuban
Tanner Hunt	...	Cuban
Blanquita Romero	...	Carmelita Rodriguez
Armando Rowra	...	Cuban

Storyline

American crook Renzo Capetto sees a chance to make a bundle when a Caribbean island has a revolution. He plans to help loyalists (and the national treasury) escape on his boat, then kill the men and blame their deaths on a mythical sea monster. Trouble ensues when the _real_ monster shows up!

---

Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | cult film | cult director | bare chested male | hairy chest | 

---

Taglines:

What was the unspeakable secret of the sea?

---

Genres:

Comedy | Horror

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene of the Cuban officers saluting as the little boat they are floating in sinks was not planned; it actually began sinking as they were completing the shot. Roger Corman told the actors to stand and salute as the boat sank and filmed every moment, later stating that it "wasn't very deep" there. He also gave high praise for the Mexican actors who played the officers for taking direction so well.

---

Goofs

When the monster attacks the ship at the end of the movie, you can see human skin where the costume sleeves didn't reach the gloves.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Sparks Moran: [narrating] I had to go the Santo Domingo bar and I had to find Agent XK-120, whom I'd never met.

---

Alternate Versions

Also available in a colorized version.

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Another Top 10 Ridiculous Horror Movie Creatures (2015)

---

Soundtracks

The Creature from the Haunted Sea
Lyrics by Carole Eastman
Music by Fred Katz
Sung by Betsy Jones-Moreland with the Fred Katz Jazz Combo

User Reviews

Monster movie and comedy with lack luster and budget

This low-budgeted picture is a monster-movie concerning about a Government Agent ( Robert Towne ) chasing a gangster named Renzo Capeto ( Anthony Carbone ), a mobster likeness to Bogart who along with his fiancée ( Betsy Jones Moreland ) and underlings are aboard ship with a group of exiled Cubans . Renzo schemes a plot to invent a mythical sea monster to eliminate the Cubans and steal the national treasure .

The film is a horror comedy blending parody , humor and suspense . The comedy is absurd and cheesy but gets some fine moments here and there. The movie has storyline gaps and is an embarrassing mess badly developed .However , it gets some amusing gag as the animal imitator hoodlum and the phone cabin on the island . Incredible cheap special effects with ridiculous rubber monster is a man suited attacking the ship crew though also there are good underwater scenes. The main actors ( Towne,Carbone,Moreland ), technicians ( cameraman ,Jack Marquette ) and writer ( Charles B.Griffith ) will repeat with Corman in subsequent films as ¨ A bucket of Blood ¨ and ¨ Last woman on earth ¨. Robert Towne is a prestigious director ( Tequila sunrise and Without limits ) and writer ( Mission impossible, the firm, Two jakes, Days and thunder ) , . The pic belongs to monster movie sub-genre which Corman directed during the 50-60s as ¨ Attack the crab monsters ¨, ¨ It conquered the world ( an Alien from Venus ), ¨ Beast with a million eyes ¨( other Alien ), ¨ Wasp man ¨, ¨ Viking women and great serpent ¨ or even a carnivorous plant as ¨ Little shop horrors ¨ though Corman also produced as ¨ Night of the blood beast ¨ and ¨ Attack of the giant leeches ¨( Bernard Kowalski ) . Rating : Below average , it's a real turkey .

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Criatura do Mar Assombrado

Filming Locations:

Puerto Rico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roger Corman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min 75 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1