Humanoids from the Deep
Monsters kill the men and rape the women.
Humanoids from the Deep is a 1980 American science fiction horror film distributed by New World Pictures and directed by Barbara Peeters, with uncredited additional direction by Jimmy T. Murakami. Roger Corman served as uncredited executive producer. It was the last feature film directed by Peeters.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Barbara Peeters; Jimmy T. Murakami (uncredited)
- Producer
- Martin B. Cohen
- Screenplay
- Frederick James
- Story
- Frank Arnold; Martin B. Cohen
- Starring
- Doug McClure
- Ann Turkel
- Vic Morrow
- Lynn Schiller
- Music
- James Horner
- Cinematography
- Daniel Lacambre
- Editing
- Mark Goldblatt
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In the fishing village of Noyo, California, anglers catch a monster. A boy falls into the water and is dragged under; a flare gun accidentally ignites gasoline on the deck, destroying the boat and killing everyone aboard. Their dog is later found dismembered on the beach. Teenagers Jerry Potter and Peggy Larson swim; Jerry is pulled under and mutilated. A humanoid creature drags Peggy across the sand, tears off her bikini, and rapes her. That night, another humanoid kills a teenage boy and chases his girlfriend onto the beach, where a second monster rapes her. Few witnesses survive; only Peggy is found alive, traumatized. Jim's brother is attacked, prompting Jim to investigate. A company called Canco plans to build a cannery near Noyo. The humanoids are mutations resulting from Canco's growth hormone experiments on salmon; the salmon escaped during a storm, were eaten by large fish, and mutated into brutal, sex-hungry humanoids. Jim and scientist Dr. Susan Drake deduce the cause as the village's annual festival begins. Many humanoids attack, murdering men and raping women. Jim pumps gasoline into the bay and sets it on fire to cut off the humanoids' retreat. Carol kills two humanoids at home before Jim arrives.
Production
The script was originally titled Humanoids from the Deep, intended to update old monster movies like The Creature from the Black Lagoon with modern concerns such as pollution. New World Pictures bought the script and filmed it as Beneath the Darkness. Joe Dante turned down the directing offer, feeling it was too similar to Piranha. Barbara Peeters, recovering from an illness and unable to find other work, accepted. She had just joined the Directors Guild of America; because New World was not a DGA signatory, she was fined $15,000 for making the film. Shooting began in October 1979 in Mendocino, Fort Bragg, and Noyo, California. Uncredited director Jimmy T. Murakami directed portions of the film. The monster costumes were designed by Rob Bottin. Gale Anne Hurd worked as a production assistant. Executive producer Roger Corman felt Peeters' version lacked exploitative elements; he wanted monsters that 'kill all the men and rape all the women'. Corman said Peeters filmed death scenes well but left rape scenes shadowy or cut away. Second unit director James Sbardellati was hired to film explicit rape scenes without informing most of the cast and crew, who expressed shock at the released film's nudity and sexual exploitation.
Reception
Humanoids from the Deep turned a tidy profit for New World Pictures, pulling in $1.3 million in rentals by May 1980 and an extra $2.5 million later. Critics mostly panned it. The Los Angeles Times admired Peeters' knack for portraying small-town life without sneering and called the cinematography "interesting, stylised, liquid," but dismissed the film as a "mangled monster horror" lacking tonal consistency. Paul Taylor in Time Out slammed it as a nasty, misogynistic exploitation flick that laid on gore thickly and lacked the humor of something like Piranha. Dan O'Bannon, writing in Fangoria, claimed Corman's team swiped the chestburster idea for this movie. Phil Hardy's horror encyclopedia noted that extra sex and violence were spliced in behind Peeters' back, and deemed the whole thing a hopeless case weighed down by clumsy ecology and Indigenous themes. Leonard Maltin gave it three out of four stars, calling it fast, occasionally hilarious gutter trash. Nathaniel Thompson on Mondo Digital said Peeters blamed Corman for adding explicit nudity, but the movie needed the boost; he found it competent but visually flat, slow, and lacking intentional humor. Michael Weldon's Psychotronic Encyclopedia observed that many took offense at the rape elements, yet admitted it was a hit and never dull. Rotten Tomatoes scores it 50% from 12 reviews. In 2019, Barbara Peeters simply said, "I don't talk about that film."
Aftermath
A sequel starring Malcolm McDowell was announced but never made. In 1996, a remake was produced for Showtime by Corman's Concorde-New Horizons, starring Robert Carradine, Emma Samms, Justin Walker, Mark Rolston, Danielle Weeks, and Clint Howard; it was released on DVD in 2003. In 2010, Shout! Factory released a 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray with a new anamorphic widescreen transfer, interviews, and a collectible booklet; this edition uses the on-screen title Monster and presents the uncut European version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in Humanoids from the Deep?
Humanoids from the Deep stars Doug McClure, Ann Turkel, Vic Morrow and Lynn Schiller.
When was Humanoids from the Deep released?
Humanoids from the Deep was released on 16 May 1980.
Who composed the music for Humanoids from the Deep?
The music for Humanoids from the Deep was composed by James Horner.
Who wrote Humanoids from the Deep?
Humanoids from the Deep was written by Frederick James.
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