Behemoth, the Sea Monster
Entry updated 3 January 2017. Tagged: Film.
Film (1959; vt The Giant Behemoth US). Diamond/Allied Artists. Directors Douglas Hickox, Eugène Lourié. Written by Lourié. Cast includes Gene Evans, Jack MacGowran, Leigh Madison and André Morell. 80 minutes, cut to 72 minutes. Black and white.
Lourié made several Monster Movies during his career, including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953), of which Behemoth, The Sea Monster – his least successful – is a partial remake. The story is the usual one – a prehistoric reptile is revived by atomic radiation and immediately sets out to demolish the nearest city, in this case London. There is a good build-up of suspense in some sequences but, despite the presence of the elderly Willis H O'Brien (designer of the original King Kong) on the team, the very low budget severely restricted the scope of the effects. [JB]
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