Tentacles

"It's Turning the Beach ... Into a Buffet!"

1977 1h 42m IT

💀

4.6

SKIP

★4.6TMDB · 123

HorrorScience FictionAdventureAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Several people disappear from and at the sea. Their bodies are found gnawed to the skeleton, even the marrow is missing. The scientists have no idea which animal could do such things. Dr. Turner begins to suspect that the company which builds a tunnel beneath the bay might have poisoned the environment and caused an octopus to mutate to giant dimensions...

“It's Turning the Beach ... Into a Buffet!”

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Cast

John Huston
Ned Turner
Shelley Winters
Tillie Turner
Bo Hopkins
Will Gleason
Henry Fonda
Mr. Whitehead
Delia Boccardo
Vicky Gleason
Cesare Danova
John Corey
Alan Boyd
Mike
Sherry Buchanan
Judy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ovidio G. Assonitis
Writers: Steven W. Carabatsos, Jerome Max, Tito Carpi
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: Italy, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis, shot by Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Stelvio Cipriani. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Angelo Curi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ovidio G. Assonitis directs. Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli behind the camera. Stelvio Cipriani scores. Angelo Curi cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Italy, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.
349 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
5International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.
6Directed by Ovidio G. Assonitis, shot by Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Stelvio Cipriani. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Angelo Curi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9John Huston and Shelley Winters and Bo Hopkins carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "It's Turning the Beach ... Into a Buffet!".
11IMDB entry: tt0076809 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Roberto D'Ettorre Piazzoli
Original score: Stelvio Cipriani
Editing: Angelo Curi
Costume design: Nicoletta Ercole
Makeup / hair: Raffaele Cristini
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Status: Released
Budget: $750,000
Box office: $3,000,000
Return: 400% of budget
Original language: IT
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Tentacles (1977)

Also by

Ovidio G. Assonitis

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2023-12-03
★ 4/10
Dull Italian “Jaws” knockoff with a few interesting bits When several people mysteriously turn-up dead off the coast of San Diego, a killer whale trainer (Bo Hopkins) suspects it’s due to the high frequency ultrasonic soundwaves used in building an underwater tunnel. Claude Akins is on hand as the sheriff. “Tentacles” (1977) is an Italian production inspired by “Jaws” with several notable American actors to sell it. Henry Fonda’s part is a glorified cameo while John Huston’s role is negligible. A boring subplot featuring Shelley Winters is obvious padding. Bo Hopkins thus carries the film and is a likable protagonist, but the film lacks the interesting characters and cogent storytelling of “Jaws.” Some dubious dubbing doesn’t help. There are a few highlights, such as Delia Boccardo (Vicky) and Sherry Buchanan (Judy) in the feminine department; the eccentric Italian score, which is reminiscent of Spaghetti Westerns mixed with Animals-era Pink Floyd; the haunting dead fish on the ocean floor sequence; and the inventive way the creature threat is resolved at the end. Many films were influenced by the success of “Jaws” and were arguably just as entertaining in their own way, such as “Orca,” “Piranha,” “Jaws 2,” “Humanoids from the Deep” and “The Beast.” “Tentacles,” unfortunately, doesn’t rank with them. Yet it has its points of interest if you’re in the mood for such a flick and have already seen the others; just be braced for a lot of tedium. The movie runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, and was shot in the San Diego area, including Pismo Beach, La Jolla, Point Loma, Shelter Island, Oceanside and Marineland of the Pacific in Rancho Palos Verdes. The well-done underwater sequences were filmed in Italy. GRADE: C-
JPV8522025-02-01
★ 3/10
Yawn-enducing Jaws rip-off that is so dull with card-board characters with actors who could not car less and clearly there for a quick paycheck. This is one of those creature features that could've been the so bad it's good variety but instead is forgettable. 1.75/5