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Tentacles

Original title: Tentacoli
  • 1977
  • PG
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
3.8/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
Tentacles (1977)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:00
2 Videos
99+ Photos
ItalianDark ComedyMonster HorrorActionAdventureComedyHorrorSci-FiThriller

A mutated giant octopus wreaks havoc on a California seaside community.A mutated giant octopus wreaks havoc on a California seaside community.A mutated giant octopus wreaks havoc on a California seaside community.

  • Director
    • Ovidio G. Assonitis
  • Writers
    • Jerome Max
    • Tito Carpi
    • Steven W. Carabatsos
  • Stars
    • John Huston
    • Shelley Winters
    • Bo Hopkins
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    3.8/10
    4.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ovidio G. Assonitis
    • Writers
      • Jerome Max
      • Tito Carpi
      • Steven W. Carabatsos
    • Stars
      • John Huston
      • Shelley Winters
      • Bo Hopkins
    • 143User reviews
    • 84Critic reviews
    • 36Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    Tentacles
    Trailer 1:00
    Tentacles
    Tentacles: Terrifying Boat Attack
    Clip 2:49
    Tentacles: Terrifying Boat Attack
    Tentacles: Terrifying Boat Attack
    Clip 2:49
    Tentacles: Terrifying Boat Attack

    Photos103

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    Top Cast32

    Edit
    John Huston
    John Huston
    • Ned Turner
    Shelley Winters
    Shelley Winters
    • Tillie Turner
    Bo Hopkins
    Bo Hopkins
    • Will Gleason
    Henry Fonda
    Henry Fonda
    • Mr. Whitehead
    Delia Boccardo
    Delia Boccardo
    • Vicky Gleason
    Cesare Danova
    Cesare Danova
    • John Corey
    Alan Boyd
    • Mike
    Sherry Buchanan
    Sherry Buchanan
    • Judy
    Franco Diogene
    Franco Diogene
    • Chuck
    Marc Fiorini
    Marc Fiorini
    • Don
    Helena Mäkelä
    • Chris Docherty
    • (as Helena Makela)
    Claude Akins
    Claude Akins
    • Sheriff Douglas Robards
    Alessandro Poggi
    Roberto Poggi
    Giancarlo Nacinelli
    Consolato Marciano
    Philip Dallas
    Leonard Lightfoot
    • Deputy Wilson
    • (as Leonard C. Lightfoot)
    • Director
      • Ovidio G. Assonitis
    • Writers
      • Jerome Max
      • Tito Carpi
      • Steven W. Carabatsos
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews143

    3.84.9K
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    Featured reviews

    scupper

    Actors seem to be in a different film...

    Did this movie strike anyone else as odd in that the big name actors (mainly Huston and Fonda) seem to be delivering their lines as though they don't know the plot of the film? Fonda in particular has so many scenes where his lines are vague and could fit into any number of plots, I truly wonder if he signed on for a giant cephalopod film.
    6Boyo-2

    Fun 70's camp

    I guess the actors were excited about being sent to Italy, and the downside is that..it was to be in this movie. I guess the producers were thinking they would make some money doing a version of "Jaws" with an octopus instead.

    But the casual moviegoer, who has reasonable intelligence, will either be laughing at the whole thing or bored to death. Either way, the movie is not insultingly awful. At least Shelley Winters is under control, for the most part, but John Huston as a reporter is a riot. Danova had all his dialogue dubbed, which seems strange since he speaks English (he did in "Viva Las Vegas" and "Mean Streets", to name two instances). Henry Fonda & Bo Hopkins are also along for the ride.
    1eddax

    I have to wonder how this star-studded train wreck came about

    I have to wonder how this star-studded train wreck came about; I hope there's a better story than "they were in it for the money." Three legends - Shelley Winters, John Huston, Henra Fonda - in a low-budget, poorly..., well everything movie. The giant octopus is rarely seen, and when it is, it's pretty much obvious that it's a regular octopus filmed at angles and with bubbles thrown in to demonstrate violence in the water. And despite the three stars having above-the-title billing, they really only have supporting roles, and none of them get to Roy Scheider the octopus.

    Actually I think I have it all figured out. Trying to cash in on the Jaws craze, they commissioned people to create another sea monster but overreached in hiring stars and blew their whole budget on their salaries. There we go.
    1BarrCoder

    So bad it's funny!

    This one is fun to watch just to see the old stars who should have faded away instead of getting old in this picture. It's so bad, it's funny and makes for a great comedy as long as you're not trying to pay too much attention. The camera shots are the best, never quite getting the stars completely IN the shot. I'm sure they wish they weren't in the shots at all. If you've got time to kill and some friends who like to make fun of bad movies, wrap your tentacles around this one. Ha-ha-ha! Ok, it wasn't funny, but this movie definitely is.
    5long-jeffrey

    Maybe I'm biased, but I find it watchable

    I saw this as a young teen when it first came out, so that may have affected my feelings for the film. Even now, I can always watch it when I find it's on.

    You won't find too many bad movies with this many A-List actors (Huston, Fonda,Winters, heck, I'll throw in Bo Hopkins as well), so it's sort of worth watching just for that reason alone, even though they seemed to be going through the motions for the most part, though Shelley Winters was her usual late-career frantic self.

    Anyway, it's the sort of blatant "Jaws" rip-off (or homage, if you like) that everyone was trying to cash in on back then, but it does have its suspenseful moments, and manages to be watchable as long as you don't look too closely at it.

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    Related interests

    Lamberto Maggiorani in Bicycle Thieves (1948)
    Italian
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    Dark Comedy
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    Monster Horror
    Bruce Willis and Taniel in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Still frame
    Adventure
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    Comedy
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
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    Sci-Fi
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    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The production spent nearly $1 million on a life-sized replica of a giant octopus, which promptly sank when it was put in the water.
    • Goofs
      Although the title of the film is "Tentacoli" ("Tentacles"), and it is about a murderous giant octopus, octopuses do not have tentacles, they have arms. Scientifically, the definition of "tentacle" is commonly accepted as an elongated structure with suckers at the very tip. A squid normally has two tentacles, along with many arms, but octopuses do not have tentacles.
    • Quotes

      Will Gleason: [to two killer whales held at sea in a portable tank] I guess you know now why I brought you here... I wanted to tell ya more about it, but there've been many people that died... I've lost a loved one. I need your help more now than ever. I remember the times when I was training ya - people used to call you killers. They used ta call me that on the streets. It doesn't mean nothing. You have more, more love in your heart, more affection than any human being I ever met. But now I... I can't ask anybody else, so I'm asking you to help me kill this octopus. I hope you understand that. I know I'm in your environment. I don't want it this way, but if I release ya and you go away, I want ya to know I'll understand. All right, enough said. I gotta go now. If you feel anything - you talk to me. Make some noises. I know people'll think we're crazy. Maybe we are... Maybe we are...

    • Connections
      Featured in 31 Days of Horror: Double Feature (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      The Octopus First Victim
      Music by Stelvio Cipriani

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    FAQ15

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 15, 1977 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Languages
      • Italian
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tentáculos
    • Filming locations
      • Oceanside, California, USA(location)
    • Production company
      • Esse Ci Cinematografica
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 42m(102 min)
    • Sound mix
      • 4-Track Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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