Main Cast: John Huston, Shelley Winters, Bo Hopkins, Henry Fonda, Delia Boccardo
Release Year: 1977
Country: IT
Run Time: 102 minutes
Plot
Italian filmmaker Ovidio Assonitis, who had ripped off The Exorcist with his successful Chi Sei? (1974) here turns his attentions to the post-Jaws ecokill film with silly results. The titular beast kills swimmers and divers before attacking a sailing regatta (an idea which, paradoxically, was re-appropriated for the American Jaws 2). The film's most outstanding feature is its cast, which includes John Huston, Shelley Winters, and a phoned cameo by Henry Fonda. Bo Hopkins and Claude Akins are also along for the minimal excitement. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
Review
This Italian-made Jaws knockoff is unusual but not very good. The first twenty minutes show promise: despite the inherently silly premise, the first act shows some oddball humor and unique visuals that make the proceedings interesting. Sadly, Tentacles starts to fall apart once it gets into its plot. There are too many characters, the dramatic focus drifts to and fro and director Ovidio Assonitis lets his pace lag when it needs to be tightening up. He manages the occasional effective setpiece -- the best is a scene where a boat is attacked at night by the octopus. Unfortunately, there are even more scenes that play out in a ludicrous and unintentionally funny manner, key examples being a sequence where the octopus attacks a sailing competition as if it were a submarine and another bit where Bo Hopkins gives a deadly serious pep talk. . . to a pair of killer whales. The best aspect of Tentacles is probably the cast, which is full of old pros like Hopkins, John Huston and Shelley Winters. They all acquit themselves nicely, particularly the scene-stealing Winters, but it's all to little avail because none of them have fresh or interesting characters to play. In short, Tentacles is a slightly intriguing footnote in 1970's horror history but the novelty wears off before the end credits roll. Any viewer wanting a fun Jaws rip-off should stick with the original 1978 version of Piranha. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Cesare Danova - John Corey; Alan Boyd - Mike; Claude Akins - Capt. Robards; Sherry Buchanan - Judy; Franco Diogene - Chuck; Helena Makela - Jane's Mother; Marco Fiorini - Don; Leonard Lightfoot; Philip Dallas
Credit
Peter Shepherd - First Assistant Director, Ovidio G. Assonitis - Director, Angelo Curi - Editor, Stelvio Cipriani - Composer (Music Score), Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli - Cinematographer, Ovidio G. Assonitis - Producer, Enzo Doria - Producer, Steven Carabatsos - Screenwriter, Tito Carpi - Screenwriter, Sonia Molteni - Screenwriter
