A chance for me to catch up with one of Roger Corman's earliest produced films, MONSTER FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR which came out in 1954. Prior to this Corman had only worked as co-producer on one previous film (HIGHWAY DRAGNET) so this was really where it all started. As expected, it's a real cheapie of a film, shot briefly in one or two coastal locations. A female artist is residing by the beach when startled by a marine biologist emerging from the waves in his mini submersible. The two go diving together but soon learn of a giant single-eyed amoeba (!) with a penchant for dissolving flesh terrorising the waters. Very low rent mayhem ensues. Obviously shot with a tiny cast in just a week or two, this hasn't aged very well - like a lot of Corman's 1950s movies - but it has a few enjoyably cheesy moments and the underwater photography of sharks and giant squid is quite cool. It's nice and short too. 4/10.
Review of Monster from the Ocean Floor
