Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Noticeably taking several cues from big budget horror films, Humanoids from the Deep still manages to create an enjoyable atmosphere and a few unique thrills to retain an air of originality. Combining an infinitely absurd plot with serious actors, decent gore effects, gratuitous nudity, and a pervasive foreboding score from James Horner culminates in a low budget horror flick that nearly breaks free of such impediments to offer plenty of scares and laughs, mostly in that order.

In this Roger Corman produced monster movie, a small coastal village finds themselves facing a deadly invasion when DNA testing on local sea life causes mutated amphibious monstrosities to rise from the waters and begin preying on the villagers - and attempting to mate with human women.

With their large, exposed brains and slimy green bodies, the designs for the "Humanoids" look like a cross between Swamp Thing and the extraterrestrials from This Island Earth. Knowing the limitations of their budget and creature effects, the filmmakers wisely chose to keep the beasts shrouded in darkness, and until about halfway through we never see the entire mutant. As legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman himself stated, the true monster will likely never live up to what the audience creates in their own minds, and here such words of wisdom certainly apply as the Humanoids' shambling long-armed awkwardness and fishy faces lessens the horror and amplifies the silliness. But in the end this is a B-movie, so the "people in rubber suits" creatures are expected and the amount of destruction and mayhem they cause is actually rather impressive.

In an interview with film historian Leonard Maltin, Corman admitted that he felt a sense of humor is very important in horror films - especially if you don't want audiences laughing in the wrong places. One of the major shortcomings with Humanoids from the Deep is that there are no obvious moments of humor - the laughs arise from cliché character stupidities and overly witless dialogue. In fact, most often the funniest moments are meant to be the scariest. This makes Humanoids from the Deep an effective schlock horror film, but by no means demonstrates the level of purposeful humor that Corman insists he instilled.

As a throwback to the science-fiction monster movies of the 50's, Humanoids does offer bloodthirsty fans the opportunity to enjoy the entertaining cheesiness with an added dose of violence, gore and nudity. Many scenes of nubile young vixens getting their clothes torn off appear to be added just for the sake of more nakedness, which of course is a greatly appreciated fundamental aspect of B-movie bliss.

- The Massie Twins

Barbara Peeters classic 80's HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP is a real hoot from start to finish. A classic "B" movie with stalwarts like Doug McClure, Vic Morrow and Ann Turkel. Attempts to increase salmon production at a fishing town in the Pacific northwest has terrible results when the experimental fish escape to the open seas and are consumed by another fish -- which causes it to mutate and take on it's principal competitor: humans. It also drives it to mate with human females (well endowed human females I might add). The ending blatantly rips off ALIEN. The Noyo Festival featured a famous Monterey area Dixieland band, Jack Stock and the Abalone Stompers.