The three stars out of ten is because of the fun I had laughing at this god-awful movie. Absolutely hysterical. Ridiculous monster, a totally unbelievable Kerwin Matthews, and Pier Angeli, who died shortly after this film was completed. I watched the entire movie fascinated by two things, the horrible monster costume, and Pier Angeli, who was once a very promising young actress back in the 1950's. She still looked good, but what a waste for her to act in something like this. Even more sad is that this apparently was her final acting job. Very sad. It is hard to believe that this was the only role that she would be hired for. I had read that she had hoped to act in The Godfather, and also that she had overdosed before finding out that she had been hired for a role on Bonanza. Does anyone know if she accidentally overdosed, or did she commit suicide?

The ecologic idea of this film is even interesting. There's no big difference between "Octaman" and the conception of "Godzilla", which in the 70's was also incredibly laughable. The big failure was how poor it was made. And this was a very, very cheap film. The courageous actors couldn't do a miracle, but they had all the dignity of doing what they needed to do. A difference rises, if they are watched apart of the surreal monster character.After watching "Octaman" we understand why the special effects in Sci-Fi films must be a step above of their era. Fortunately, the first Star Wars film (in which Mr. Baker- co-author of the "Octaman" monster and after academy-awarded winner- seems to have learned a lot) came in rescue few years after "Octaman" to change the poor panorama of Sci-Fi films until the 70's.Anyway, this film attracts so much attention, despite of the main monster character has been so bad constructed, has been so badly filmed and edited, having so deep weakness in the script, that it deserves a new version, exactly what was made with Godzilla. As a child I was scared with this film, at least with its first half, and as adolescent, sincerely entertained. It's understandable that there is a list where "trash" cinema fans put "Octaman" as one of their 50 favourite films. It's so… so strange that it becomes good.Finally, a time ago some Maritime Ecology site made sympathetic comments about the idea of "Octaman", relating the increasing number of giant octopus found dead in the world coast. It seems to be an important theme nowadays, upon which a well written and done film could be based on, in a new version for "Octaman".Note: 8

The film opens with stock footage and a monologue. The narrator informs us of a scientist (Kerwin Mathews) who is aware that man is rapidly destroying himself and all our natural resources through the advent of underwater nuclear testing and pollution, and is involved in a series of experiments in rural areas of Latin America. The narrator then goes on to tell us about Octaman, he describes him as "the hideous fruit of atomic radiation, in the form of a bizarre legend wrapped in terror and written in blood!". While conducting experiments at a lake Mathews and an assistant capture a strange looking octopus. Something about it's eyes. Anyway, Mathews takes it to a nearby University to try and convince his boss to give them more funds. His boss isn't impressed and in fact denies any more funding for the project. Back at the camp Mathews assistant has found another mutant octopus and decides to preform a dissection. Bad move, within seconds Octaman has burst into his tent and slapped him to death with his arms, OK I'll be generous and call them tentacles. Octaman then picks his octopus buddy up and retreats back to the lake. Unable to get funding to continue his experiments Mathews asks a wealthy ranch owner to finance his activities, sensing an attraction for his circus he agrees. The group of scientists and ranch owners friends and a local guy who claims to know where Octaman lives then set out to capture the half man, half octopus mutation! However Octaman doesn't like people messing around with him and his mutant octopus friends and starts to attack them, killing them one by one. Directed by Harry Essex I sort of liked this film. I think it has a goofy silly charm about it. I felt a bit sorry for Octaman at the end, he has a lot more personality than any of the human cast. Octaman himself, created by Rick Baker, looks kind of stupid for the most part. His face is totally motionless throughout the film, his eyes move though, a bit. His tentacles don't have much movement to them either, the lower two being connected to the upper two which have the actors arms in them, they simply do exactly the same as the upper ones. There's a touch of blood here and there when Octaman kills someone, but nothing to worry about. Poorly made, with not much continuity, sometimes it cuts between night and day during the same scene. The script really tries to push the ecology theme, with little success. For all it's faults I sort of liked it, a lot like a 50's monster movie. Fun if your in the right mood and can find a copy, which probably isn't easy.

This is a good old-fashioned monster movie. A mutated octopus man comes out of the water to kill, find a women, kill some more, and cause havoc in the woods. The monster was created by Doug Beswick( Planet of the Dinosaurs ) and Rick Baker ( An American Werewolf in London, The Grinch ). A lot like those old men-in-suits monster films of the 50's and 60's.The octopus is a very well done monster.