An oceanside town is beset with marauding sea monsters. While this MIGHT sound like a typical schlock horror film from the late 50s or 60s, it's not--and this isn't just because it came out in 1980. This is because the film is VERY bloody and violent and has ample nudity tossed in to boot! And, it turns out the monsters don't just want to kill people--they want to rape all the hot women in town in order to reproduce!! According to IMDb, once the film was completed, the producer wanted MUCH more sex--and the director refused to do this. So, another director was hired to film additional sexy scenes! It certainly won't be mistaken for "Beach Blanket Bingo", "The Horror of Party Beach" or a Disney flick!

So is it worth watching? Well, in one way it certainly does. Despite this being a cheapo film, the special effects for the monster attacks are amazing--especially for 1980. The victims look as if they really were attacked by monsters--with heads torn in half and other giant bloody wounds that actually look very realistic. As for the monsters, unfortunately, they are not quite so realistic--and are a bit more like the crappy old monster film sorts of creatures than you might be expecting. It's obvious that they spent money in some places and made some significant cutbacks in others. Also, the acting isn't bad--and the film sports a few B-list actors with significant film credits behind them (Doug McClure and Vic Morrow). As for the rest of the film, it's probably not most folks' cup of tea--and is certainly NOT a film to show grandma or the kids!! These are very, very horny monsters and the movie is a bit like a horror film merged with soft-core porn. Now if you are into this sort of thing, it's reasonably well made but also beware that it is NOT a 'nice' horror film. Certain unwritten rules are clearly violated when the film begins--as a little kid is killed and soon lots of dogs are torn to pieces! Also, the nudity isn't exactly very sexy--so if you are looking for a lot of skin, you should look further. Overall, a semi-competent film that is entertaining in a very low-brow way. Not terrible but not especially good either.

Wow! Every once in a while a B-movie comes along which makes you sit up in your seat and take note, and this cheesy, low-budget monster movie is such a film. From the production company of legendary exploitation king Roger Corman, this is an exciting, sometimes funny monster rampage romp with plenty of gratuitous violence and nudity to keep things moving swiftly along. What more can you ask for? We'll, there's plenty more. For a start, the cast is populated by B-movie stalwarts, including wooden hero Doug McClure. This was sadly McClure's last venture into the creature features (after he'd spent years in Britain fighting papier-mache creations in the likes of THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT),but he goes out with a bang, shooting up and fighting loads of the abominable fish-men. He's supported by plenty of actresses who find themselves in peril, including a surprisingly resourceful Ann Turkel and Cindy Weintraub. Vic Morrow also hams it up as an unbelievably stupid cannery employee.

The template of this film is typical of any monster movie; first off, we have isolated sporadic attacks, then an investigation, and finally an all out rampage with hundreds of people running and screaming from the beasts until they're finally defeated. This makes the film feel like an updated CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, and indeed it is: without the gore and nudity, this would fit in happily with the other monster larks of the 1950s. The first two thirds of the film show us these isolated attacks with glee. Almost every attack has a half-naked woman running away from these monsters, it's surprising how these women are so unlucky in getting their clothes ripped off! Corman cleverly decided to keep his monsters under wraps until the final third, but they don't disappoint when we finally do see them...in fact, they're excellent! This doesn't come as much of a surprise actually when you consider that Rob Bottin, who also created THE THING, was responsible for them. The seaweed-covered, slimy-looking monsters are absolutely excellent, and it's great how there's loads of them instead of the usual one or two.

Obviously the best parts of the movie are the bits where the monsters are attacking people. The best scene for me is where they burst up from underneath a pier. They also get to die messily, with blood squirting everywhere. As this was a year after ALIEN, no film would be complete without a monster bursting from a woman's chest, and this is no exception! Thankfully the rape scenes are only shown briefly. This film doesn't skimp on the violence, either, and there's plenty of gooey gore flying about. The monsters bleed red blood for a change, and frequently get the opportunity to do so! People have half their faces ripped off, are crushed, snapped, have their chests torn open, blood splashing everywhere. The fun spirit of this film shines through at all times, making it a classic example of a monster movie which seems strangely old-fashioned despite all of the extremes. Definitely worth tracking down, as this is quite difficult to find these days.

I guess it is easier to see Monsters do ... monstrous things than humans doing the same despicable acts. Psychologically speaking and otherwise - it's just a movie in the end and Roger Corman knew what got people going and how to entertain. So you get a lot of nudity, a lot of violence and a paper thin story to hold all that together.

Now I've seen worse movies with similar themes, but I've seen better ones too. The obligatory ending is as predictable as obviously stolen from Alien. So this owes a lot of things to other movies, which in itself is not a bad thing. For a night in, with no morals and no actual quality bars to hold your enjoyment back, this can work ... it all depends on mood and setting. And your perspective on certain things and if you are willing to not judge the movie as if it was a moral thing/property