Tentacles (Tentacoli) (1977)

0% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
13% of users liked it
(269 ratings)

Italian filmmaker Ovidio Assonitis, who had ripped off The Exorcist with his successful Chi Sei? (1974) here turns his attentions to the post-Jaws ecokill film with silly results. The titular beast kills swimmers and divers before attacking a sailing regatta (an idea which, paradoxically, was… More Italian filmmaker Ovidio Assonitis, who had ripped off The Exorcist with his successful Chi Sei? (1974) here turns his attentions to the post-Jaws ecokill film with silly results. The titular beast kills swimmers and divers before attacking a sailing regatta (an idea which, paradoxically, was re-appropriated for the American Jaws 2). The film's most outstanding feature is its cast, which includes John Huston, Shelley Winters, and a phoned cameo by Henry Fonda. Bo Hopkins and Claude Akins are also along for the minimal excitement. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Oliver Hellman
Genres: Action & Adventure, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Feb 25, 1977 Wide
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A Jaw's rip-off.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Indesculpável.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
John Huston and Shelley Winters in a clunky monster movie? Even the Octopus is up in arms.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jason O

AMC was having an all-day marathon today of old horror classics. Among the ones I watched was "Tarantula," "The Deadly Mantis," "Frogs," and "Tentacles." Without a doubt, "Tentacles" was the worst one of the bunch, and it was the only… More
AMC was having an all-day marathon today of old horror classics. Among the ones I watched was "Tarantula," "The Deadly Mantis," "Frogs," and "Tentacles." Without a doubt, "Tentacles" was the worst one of the bunch, and it was the only one that I watched that day that I didn't like. "Tentacles" is about an octopus that scares people in a seaside community. It's pretty much a ripoff of "Jaws," and a TERRIBLE one at that! Even though it has a cast that consists of two or three credible people such as John Huston, none of the cast did that great of an acting job in this film. Also, since this movie was made in 1977, you would expect it to have pretty good special effects, but again, it's a disappointment. As for the movie itself, about the only redeeming quality I noticed the entire movie was the musical score, which wasn't bad. You don't get to see a whole lot of the enemy, the octopus, in "Tentacles," but when you do, it's always underwhelming. The octopus looks like an octopus, but the movie just isn't scary, exciting, or suspenseful at all. If you're a fan of horror movies, I recommend skipping "Tentacles." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2002.