The Bermuda Depths (1978)

Scientists investigating the briny deep are threatened by a giant turtle and the spirit of a young brunette swimmer in the Bermuda Triangle.

Director:

Tsugunobu Kotani (as Tom Kotani)

Writers:

Arthur Rankin Jr. (story by), William Overgard (screenplay by)

Stars:

Leigh McCloskey, Carl Weathers, Connie Sellecca

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leigh McCloskey	...	Magnus Dens
Carl Weathers	...	Eric
Connie Sellecca	...	Jennie Haniver
Julie Woodson	...	Doshan
Ruth Attaway	...	Delia
Burl Ives	...	Paulis
Elise Frick
Nicholas Ingham
Kevin Petty
Nicole Marsh
George Richards
John Instone
Jonathan Ingham
Patricia Rego
Doris Riley

Storyline

Traumatized, orphaned college dropout Magnus Dens returns to Bermuda to find the cause of his father's mysterious death years before. At the Bermuda Biological Station, he finds Eric and Dr. Paulis, friends and colleagues of his late father, and joins them on a quest for gigantic sea creatures. He also meets Jennie Haniver, a mysterious young woman who was once his only childhood friend. Dr. Paulis' housekeeper, an island local, warns Magnus that Jennie is dangerous. The beautiful but vain young woman had sold her soul with the Devil centuries before and lives forever young deep in the waters of the Devil's Triangle (a.k.a. Bermuda Triangle). Nobody heeds the folklore and the researchers trap the giant sea turtle, setting the stage for a deadly confrontation with both minions of the Devil.

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Plot Keywords:

platonic love | bermuda | devil | bermuda triangle | turtle | 

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Taglines:

It Came Up, Up, Up from the Bermuda Depths

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

It Came Up from the Depths

Filming Locations:

Bermuda

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rankin/Bass Productions, Tsuburaya Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name "Jenny Haniver" comes from a type of folk art that sculpts the carcasses of rays and skates into human-like forms that are often sold as "mermaids".

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Goofs

A turtles shell scales grow larger as it ages. So the heart with the initials J+M that Magnus carves into one of the turtles scales should have stayed in that one scale. But when we see a close up of the giant turtle at the end, the heart and initials are now covering parts of four different scales.

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Quotes

Magnus Dens: [Delia is telling Magnus the legend of Jennie Haniver] You know who she is?
Delia: Oh, we all know her. She been with us a long time. Some see her as a little girl. Others as a young woman. And even those who say they've seen her swim like a serpent.
Magnus Dens: What are you talking about? The girl I met lives on the island.
Delia: [pointing to the ocean] She lives out there!
Magnus Dens: You mean she lives on another island?
Delia: Oh no. Out where HE lives.
Magnus Dens: He?
Delia: The place you people call the triangle. That is where he lives. The other... ...
[...]

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Connections

References Moby Dick (1956)

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Soundtracks

Jennie
Music by Maury Laws
Lyrics by Jules Bass
Sung by Claude Carmichael

User Reviews

Wonderful and haunting love story...

I saw this movie when I was about ten years old back in the late 70s. I never forgot this movie. It comes on a couple of times a year and I always seem to catch it right at the end. I wish they would release a DVD of this movie. It's a cult classic if not a classic outright. It was beautifully shot and though some of the special effects are outdated, it doesn't really subtract from the movie.

Rayvyn