When two reporters investigate the strange occurrences during a Navy submarine test, they become the prisoners of a strange underwater race of beings. They are taken to a secret laboratory where they discover a mad scientist who is using these creatures in his plot to take over the world. The reporters must free themselves and save the world.

The movie stars a very young Sonny Chiba as one of the reporters. While he is a far cry from the butt-kicking machine he would later become, his screen presence is undeniable. The other reporter is played by Peggy Neal. God, is there a more annoying woman on the planet. The seaweed in the movie had more talent.

While the movie features a good number of kitschy moments (the monsters being the prime example),overall it's far too slow for me to completely endorse. There are too many scenes of the two reporters swimming underwater or investigating the secret lab where literally nothing happens. The pair just wander around doing nothing. A little more action would have made things much better.

I like the simplicity of it. You couldn't intentionally make a movie like this; it's just some kind of magic that falls into place, but the audience has to go along with this kind of accidental wackiness or it will fail to entertain.

1966's "Terror Beneath the Sea" is a forgotten sci-fi from Japan, less surprising once you learn it's from neither Godzilla's Toho, or Gamera's Daiei. It's actually a Toei production, one of three that made it to American shores, with "Magic Serpent" and "The Green Slime" better remembered. Apart from future martial arts star Sonny Chiba, we have teenage blonde Peggy Neal, who went on to star in Shochiku's "The X from Outer Space," who promptly disappeared from the scene. The Gill Man costumes are initially intriguing, but become obvious through repetition, though the prospect of human beings being transformed into amphibian cyborgs manages to produce some effective moments. Director Hajime Sato really struck paydirt with his final film, 1968's "Goke Body Snatcher from Hell" (also from Shochiku),as nightmarish a combination of horror and sci-fi as any made in Japan. "Terror Beneath the Sea" was frequently seen on television through the late 70s (not much since),airing three times on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater: Sept 14 1974 (followed by 1955's "King Dinosaur"),Mar 6 1976 (following 1970's "The Beast in the Cellar"),and Nov 25 1978 (following 1960's "Gorgo").