SH! THE OCTOPUS (1937)
Directed by William C. McGann
Fuji VHS
THE FILM
A bunch of random people, including two rather fun police detectives, end up in a lighthouse in the middle of a huge storm. There is a gangster called The Octopus somewhere in the area. Or there is a giant octopus trying to drag them away and kill them. I never quite figured it out and so I'm going to watch it a second time. And, after a second viewing, it doesn't really matter what's going on. The film is all about The Zany & Their Pals.
And, after a third viewing in three consecutive days, I think I figured out what this film is and I can see it being made in my mind. But, the rest of this review is a mix of what I wrote after the first viewing and the second because, frankly, I don't have the stamina to rewrite this a second time. I will throw in a few asides but, in the end, my third viewing thoughts are currently my own.
Not an Old Dark House but an Old Dark Lighthouse...and all the better for it. This lighthouse seems to be one large, long room that stretches all the way up to where the light room would be. I had thought that there must be a way up to the light itself. But, we never go there. (3rd Viewing: One of the cops does go there but we stay grounded.) The whole movie takes place, mostly, in the main room and in caves under the lighthouse. And, that sounds like it might be as boring as all get out.
But, something clued me in, early on, that this film was in its own special place. In the opening credits, we find out that it is based on "Plays". It doesn't say what plays, just "Plays". And, that's cool. Sh! is some sort of strange parody mangling of ODH films, which were mainly horror comedies to being with. But, someone involved, possibly the writer, goes just a little nutty. Everything in the film is a little too frantic or a little too vague or a little too odd. (3rd Viewing Note: This is something that really became apparent during this viewing.) And, I watch it and think "everyone was having a great time". Making a B-movie that does exactly what it needs to do...and just a bit more.
When I sat down to watch it, I didn't completely know what to expect. But, I was won over by the way it seems to be skipping itself off the top of the ODH genre and never quite settling. The characters are kind of interchangeable but it doesn't matter. The two cops are charmingly funny. The set is cool...and there are a few moments that made me say "Oh Wow!" One involves a corpse. And, the other involves the tentacles.
The tentacles are awesome. The film is just odd enough...and then the tentacles appear from doorways. And, it's cool because it's so strange. And, they pop up just enough to keep you wondering where they'll come from next.
Is there any tedium in the film? Well, possibly. Some of the scene with the cop in the caves by himself might go on too long but, for some reason, it didn't bother me. Is the fact that so much stuff happens and that the film's less than an hour long means that it cooks by? (3rd Viewing Note: That last sentence was written after the second viewing. I don't quite understand it but I stand by my belief that it meant something yesterday.) Well, not really, you still feel a lot of those minutes. (3rd Viewing Note: It did make sense. It was just worded strangely. Never second guess yourself, just correct your grammar, punctuation and syntax.) But, it's all so Manic, in the best possible way.
(3rd Viewing Note: I really like Detective Kelly.)
I know what you're thinking Sh! The Octopus. With that title, this has to be the most awesome film ever. Well, it's not. But, it is great fun. And, I am going to watch it again. And, the strange accumulation of characters and all the talk and all the strangeness, oddly enough, reminded me of Desperation Rising and its general insanity, but in a more 30s kind of way. (3rd Viewing Note: For some reason, I also thought of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. Something to do with the constant accumulation of insanity that doesn't always work towards the film's overall story, unless the purpose of the film is its excessive accumulation.)
That's good stuff.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Well, it wasn't that great. The print was too dark at times. I occasionally had to strain to pick out exactly what everyone was saying. But, it's a rare film and I watched it. At this time, those are the criteria.
EXTRAS
Knockout, a 1941 boxing picture with Arthur Kennedy. That was at the start of the tape. It was a recording made off of "TNT Overnight". We get two movies, commercials and occasional moments that date the recording. First, there were commercials for the 1951 A Christmas Carol in color. So, I'm dating this to December. Possibly early December as that's the only Christmas stuff I see. Second, a Consumer Reports commercial advertises the 1989 Consumer Reports Digest. I'm not sure if that came out at the end of 1988 or 1989. So, this was taped in either December 1988 or 1989. This is an old recording.
I didn't watch Knockout.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All right...The Monster of Piedras Blancas, Tormented, Horror of Fang Rock and Lighthouse Ron & Susan. I'm not terribly enamored of those first two but the others are superb and they make me immediately love anything set in a lighthouse. I love first and judge later. Sh! The Octopus really moves along and goes nowhere at the exact same time. And, I really enjoyed it. I'd love a nice copy of this.
(3rd Viewing Note: WB Archives has the movie available on a WB Horror Mystery Double Features set. And, although I would never say anyone should buy BS lovely Christmas gifts, I can imply it...Imply...Imply...Imply... Actually, I may "Treat Myself".)
— Dan Budnik, 11.24.10 |
|
