The Giant Octopus appears in It Came from Beneath the Sea. The Octopus from It Came From Beneath the Sea was a splendid example of stop-motion animation. It was based of the mythical aquatic creatures such as the Kraken and the existence-proven Giant Squid. The time the film was made, large quantities of the tentacles of giant squid were found in sperm whales. Sightings of giant squids from sailors from the past and the tentacles found by whalers helped develop myths of a gigantic creature. The finds and myths helped inspire the creature.
History[]
It Came from Beneath the Sea[]
A test mission on a new nuclear submarine was under way in the Pacific Ocean. The submarine came into contact with a large object on sonar. Unable to outrun or outmaneuver the object, the sub was stopped. However, it managed to free itself and return to Pearl Harbor. Tissue from a huge sea creature was discovered in the submarine's dive planes.
Marine biologists were called in to examine the tissue, Lesley Joyce and John Carter from Harvard University. They identified the tissue as belonging to a gigantic octopus. The authorities from the military were skeptical, but warmed up to the idea after hearing reports of missing swimmers and ships at sea being dragged down by a large creature. The location of the creature's origin was determined as Mindanao Deep, leaving due to radiation exposure from hydrogen bomb testing. Radiation had affected the diet of the animal.
The sinking of a Siberian seal boat and a Japanese fishing fleet were attributed to the creature by the scientists, although the Navy representatives were doubtful. However, a news report of a sunken Canadian freighter came in. Several men escaped in a life raft. The survivors were questioned by psychiatrists. When doubt was cast on the first man's description of the creature, the others wouldn't talk. However, Joyce was able to convince the man to give his account.
The United States government halted all traffic at sea in the North Pacific without a given reason. Carter flew out to sea to trace a missing ship, while Joyce and Matthews followed up on a report that five people were missing off the coast of Oregon. The local sheriff took them to the site of the attack, where giant suction cup imprints were found. The sheriff was attacked by the creature alongside the scientists. They quickly arranged for mines to be planted.
The Octopus attacking San Francisco.
An electrified net was strung across the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Carter took a helicopter along the shore, baiting it with dead sharks in hope to draw in the creature. Joyce demonstrated a special jet-propelled atomic torpedo, in which they planned to fire at the creature after driving it into the open sea. The creature demolished the net due to irritation from the electricity and made its way towards San Fransisco. The creature made its way to the Golden Gate Bridge, where it destroyed Carter's car. The creature also brought down a section of the bridge.
A mass panic started in San Fransisco, where the creature had now started to attack. The creature killed multiple people. Flamethrowers drove the creature back into the sea. When Matthews fired the torpedo at the animal, it grabbed the submarine he was in. Mathews, using an aqualung, swam up to the creature and put explosive charges on it. Carter swam out and shot it in an eye, making the giant octopus release the submarine. When the creature tried to return to the open sea, the torpedo detonated and killed the giant octopus.