Tentacles [Blu-ray]

Director: Ovidio G. Assonitis Ovidio G. Assonitis

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/12/2022
UPC:	0738329258450
Original Release:	1977
Rating:	PG
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Language:	English
Time:	1:42:00
Sales rank:	20,617

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Huston	Actor
Shelley Winters	Actor
Bo Hopkins	Actor
Henry Fonda	Actor
Delia Boccardo	Vicky Gleason
Cesare Danova	John Corey
Alan Boyd	Mike
Claude Akins	Capt. Robards
Sherry Buchanan	Judy
Franco Diogene	Chuck
Marc Fiorini	Don
Alessandro Poggi	Actor,Actor
Helena Makela	Jane's Mother
Giancarlo Nacinelli	Actor
Consolato Marciano	Actor
Philip Dallas	Actor
Leonard Lightfoot	Actor
John White	Actor
William Van Raaphorst	Actor,Actor
Patrick Mulvihill	Actor
Janet Myers	Actor
Kristin M. Brekke	Actor
Janet Raycraft	Actor
Kenneth Lundeen	Actor
Rita Real	Actor
Alan Scharf	Actor
Ross Gordon	Actor
Ronald Shapiro	Actor
Joseph Johnson	Actor
Stelvio Cipriani	Composer

Technical Credits

Tito Carpi

Sonia Molteni

Steven Carabatsos

Ovidio G. Assonitis	Director,Executive Producer
Tito Carpi	Screenwriter
Sonia Molteni	Screenwriter
Steven Carabatsos	Screenwriter
Enzo Doria	Producer
G.K. Major	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

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.

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