Octaman (1971)

A group of scientists in Mexico discover a curious hybrid, a mutated baby octopus. It's only a matter of time before its father, a half man and half octopus creature comes to retrieve him. Surely a candidate for the most inept sci-fi horror film ever made. The director and writer Harry Essex wrote the screenplay to CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (as well as the undervalued noirs KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL and KILLER THAT STALKED NEW YORK) and this is merely a cheesy retread of that film. This was the famous make up artist Rick Baker's (THE EXORCIST) first feature film, he designed the tacky rubber Octaman costume. There's absolutely no sense of terror as the rubber Octaman flaps his rubber tentacles. The editing is appalling, a group of people set out but when they reach their destination, one of them is missing. Did he get lost? Go back to camp? We never see him again. The film might have been more cheesy fun if it wasn't so painful to see actors like Pier Angeli (SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME) whose last film this was, Kerwin Mathews (7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) and Jeff Morrow (THE ROBE), who'd all seen better days, reduced to stuff like this.