“It could absorb a man.”
The first film that Roger Corman ever produced, Monster From The Ocean Floor (1954), may not be the best film that Corman was ever part of, but it’s definitely an important film despite its B-movie status. It starred Anne Kimball as Julie Blair, Stuart Wade as Steve Dunning, and Dick Pinner as Dr. Baldwin. Wyott Ordung has a small role as Pablo. Ordung also directed the film and took a cut in his pay for the opportunity to direct the film. Corman also has a small role in the film as Tommy.
In the film, Julie Blair, who is vacationing in Mexico, becomes interested in a local legend about a creature that has been blamed for mysterious deaths in the area since 1946. She has a chance encounter with Steve Dunning, a marine biologist who happens to be in the area with a team doing research off of the coast. He also happens to have a sweet one-man submarine. That may or may not become important later in the film. The two become close rather quickly, but Dunning writes off Blair’s obsession with the sea creature as nothing more than legend. While he and his team move farther down the coast to do their research, Julie tackles the mystery on her own, getting help from a shady local named Pablo (Ordung), who has been told to sacrifice Julie to the beast by Tula (Inez Palange), a local woman who still worships Quetzalcoatl. Pablo tries to sacrifice Julie on a number of occasions, but fails every time. He ultimately agrees to help her discover what the beast truly is, but when she sends a sample tissue from the creature to Steve and his team, they realize that Julie and anybody that gets too close to the creature may get absorbed by it! Will Steve be able to get back in time to save Julie? Watch Monster From The Ocean Floor for the terrifying conclusion of the film!
The film is pretty run-of-the-mill for 1950s science fiction. Like many films of the time, Monster From The Ocean Floor played on the fears of U.S. citizens about nuclear fallout and radiation resulting from tests like those executed on the Bikini Atoll beginning in 1946. The tests triggered the birth or mutation of a gigantic amoeba-like creature that absorbs people in the film. The movie also has a number of audio issues, with some dubbing sounding as if the actors are talking into cans. So why is the movie so significant. For starters, it’s the first film produced by Roger Corman. Secondly, it heralds the beginning of Corman’s habit of getting the most bang for his buck when it comes to a film’s budget. It also features amazing underwater cinematography guided by Floyd Crosby, an Academy Award winner who would continue working with Corman. It is also credited as being one of the few films of the era that featured a woman who was not only intelligent, but took initiative on her own to discover the creature.
Despite a basic plot and slightly above average acting, Monster From The Ocean Floor is worth a look. You get a glimpse at Corman’s earliest work as a producer and you get to see the Aerojet General submarine in action!
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