Devil Monster
A low-budget South Seas horror film now in the public domain.
The film *Devil Monster* began production in 1936 as an American action-adventure horror movie directed by S. Edwin Graham. It was first called *The Great Manta* and later released in Great Britain in 1938 under the title *The Sea Fiend*. That same year, a Spanish-language version titled *El diablo del mar* came out in the United States through Cinexport Films, directed by Juan Duval and reusing some of the same actors and footage. In 1946, an edited cut was released as *Devil Monster*, a low-budget South Seas drama that added stock footage, including scenes of half-dressed native women. The Hays Code banned nudity in American films but allowed partial nudity in “ethnographic” depictions of native life. This 1946 version is now in the public domain and can be viewed for free at the Internet Archive. The cast includes Barry Norton, Blanche Mehaffey, Jack Barty, Terry Grey, Jack Del Rio, Mary Carr, William Lemuels, Maya Owalee, and Donato Cabrera.
- Release Year
- 1938
- Director
- S. Edwin Graham
- Genre
- Action-adventure horror
- Working Title
- The Great Manta
- Alternate Title (UK)
- The Sea Fiend (1938)
- Spanish Version
- El diablo del mar (1938, dir. Juan Duval)
- Public Domain Status
- Yes (1946 edited version)
Quick Facts
- Director
- S. Edwin Graham / Juan Duval (El Diablo del Mar only)
- Producer
- Adrian Weiss (supervising producer) / Louis Weiss (producer)
- Writer
- Thelma Brooks (story) · Juan Duval (adaptation) · S. Edwin Graham (adaptation) · Terry Grey (story) · Tom Hubbard (narration)
- Starring
- See below
- Cinematography
- Herbert Oswald Carleton
- Editing
- Adrian Weiss
- Studio
- Louis Weiss Productions
- Distributor
- Excelsior Pictures / Cinexport Films (El Diablo del Mar only)
- Released
- 1936
- Runtime
- 63 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In 1946, an edited version of the film was released as Devil Monster, a low-budget South Seas drama enhanced with stock footage inserts featuring half-dressed native girls, who also appeared in the film's trailer. The Hays Code, which banned nudity in American films, apparently tolerated partial nudity in 'ethnographic' scenes of 'native' life. This 1946 version is now in the public domain and is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
Reader's Guide
Devil Monster is significant primarily as an example of low-budget filmmaking in the 1930s and 1940s, illustrating how studios repackaged and re-edited existing footage to create new releases. Its multiple titles—The Great Manta, The Sea Fiend, El diablo del mar—reflect its distribution across different markets and languages. The film's use of stock footage and its exploitation of ethnographic nudity under the Hays Code highlight the era's censorship practices and the ways filmmakers circumvented them. The 1946 version's public domain status has ensured its continued availability online, making it a case study for film historians and enthusiasts of obscure cinema. Its legacy lies in its representation of the intersection between adventure, horror, and exploitation genres in early American cinema.
Did You Know?
- The film's working title was The Great Manta.
- It was shown in Great Britain as The Sea Fiend in 1938.
- A Spanish-language version, El diablo del mar, directed by Juan Duval, was released in 1938.
- The 1946 edited version is in the public domain and available at Internet Archive.
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