Humanoids from the Deep (1980): Reviewed by BRYAN SCHUESSLER
Roger Corman-produced Humanoids from the Deep (1980), directed by Barbara Peters (as Barbara Peeters) and Jimmy T. Murakami (uncredited) was one of the funnest monster horror films that I have watched. It had a formula that worked perfectly for my tastes and I am assuming, many other viewers out there as well. Blood, Boobs, and Bodies mangled left and right are always a winning combination in my book.
The plot is quite simple. A seaside community is in financial dire and gets all their money in fishing. A private company comes in to help them, kindly releasing mutated frogs into the ocean. The creatures adapt and evolve into the Humanoids from the Deep that you see in the film. I applaude the amount and frequency of blood, gore, naked women, and hilarious dialogue throughout the film.
The special effects crew consists of some pre-fame talent, such as effects by Roger George, Steve Johnson, Shawn McEnroe, Kenny Myers, Margaret Prentice (uncredited) and Chris Walas (uncredited). Rob Bottin also was dressed up as one of the “humanoids” you see running amok impregnating and raping women.
This B-film has B-acting in it, but with tons of character. I was laughing so hard at the classic and memorable lines of dialogue and humor. Some lines were not meant to be humorous, but with a film about mutated seamonsters raping women and mutilating man, you can’t take too much too seriously.
I have to say that I am a sucker for babes, boobs, blood, and beach mayhem!! There is a scene where the town is having a party and everyone is there, dancing and having a gay ol’ time, and then humanoids explode from under the wooden boardwalk and attack everyone, ripping the clothes off of the women. The gore in the film impressed me and I really think most of the budget went into the monsters and their kills.
One of my favorite scenes is where a kid and his girlfriend are in a tent on the beach and he is using a dummy and his ventriloquist skills to get the chick to undress and give him some loving. A perfect set-up for a hormone-raging humanoid to burst into the scene and rape the already naked girl, but not without a gratuitous scene of the girl running around naked until the humanoid pounces on her and impregnates her.
On so many levels this film is nasty, dirty-minded, and makes light of serious issues like rape, racism, and gory murders…but the ridiculous looking humanoids shed a very humorous and light-hearted edge to the whole affair. My favorite part of the creatures is the oversized brains protruding from their heads, which I am sure in some way are paying homage to Creature from the Black Lagoon . This film sums up what B-movies are, and should be, all about. I was very happy I finally rented this film.
