Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961)

To label Creature from the Haunted Sea as a horror is almost a stretch that's too hard to prove. Better labeled as a comedy this film epitomizes what a good B-movie should really be, horrendously bad to the point of humor.

Creature from the Haunted Sea is a film that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but then again that's probably the point, it doesn't have to. The film sees American mobster Renzo Capeto assist a group of Cuban loyalists and their cartload of gold, escape from certain death during a Cuban rebellion. But Renzo's assistance is not out of the kindness of his heart but rather the greedy pit of his wallet, as he plans to murder the Cubans one by one and set off with their treasure. To do this Renzo comes up with an ingenious plan to create a monster and trick the Cubans into believing they are being hunted by a perilous creature from beneath the sea, ironically enough it turns out to be true. Oscar winning screenwriter Robert Towne co-stars, in one of his first films as the idiotic undercover agent XK150, a cross between Maxwell Smart and Barney Fife. XK150 joins Renzo's gang under the cover of Sparks Moran, and chronicles the party's adventures and crimes.

Creature from the Haunted Sea is pure cornball comedy from the very beginning, some people have gone as far as calling this "satire", but frankly give satire a little more credit. Director Roger Corman occupies the ranks of "great" directors such as the famed Ed Wood, so to claim this film is such a glorifying achievement in satire is giving way too much credit to a guy whose well known for cranking out low budget films in a matter of days... yes I said days! Ultimately, I found the Creature from the Haunted Sea to be a fun and campy "horror" that never once attempts to take itself seriously, and actually does a pretty good job of keeping the viewer entertained. If you can overlook the horrible audio quality of this film, and are a fan of B-movies or Corman, this is definitely worth a view. The film does run out of steam near the end but still manages to entertain most of the way through.

6/10

View: Creature from the Haunted Sea