Octopus (2000 film)

Plot

In October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a Soviet submarine carrying nuclear material to Cuba is pursued by an American submarine. After the captain shoots a crewman who suggests slowing down, the submarine is hit by torpedoes and damaged, drowning the crew and releasing radioactive material into the water. The radiation causes an octopus to grow to monstrous size, attacking submarines and naval vehicles off Cuba's coasts.

In 2000, in Sofia, Bulgaria, CIA officials Roy Turner and Henry Campbell discuss files before a bomb disguised in a bag kills everyone inside the American embassy. Roy captures the terrorist leader, who is taken into a submarine, but her henchmen hijack the vessel. The submarine is then attacked by the giant octopus.

Production

Octopus was in development as early as 1999. Director John Eyers was approached by David Varod, Danny Lerner and Boaz Davidson of Nu Image with a treatment, and a screenplay was developed quickly. The film was shot in Bulgaria with a 36-day shooting time and a $5 million budget. The octopus was created through a combination of CGI, miniatures and animatronics, including a 30-foot section of animatronic arm.