Movie Reviews

‘Tentacles’ Blu-Ray Review – It’s Man Vs. Octopus In Cheesy Creature Feature

By Dillon Gonzales
April 18, 2022
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It’s angry. It’s hungry. It’s extremely well-armed—and it’s descending on a small seaside town to sample the local cuisine! When a giant, bloodthirsty octopus emerges from the deep, John Huston (Winter Kills), Shelley Winters (Bloody Mama), Bo Hopkins (White Lightning) and Henry Fonda (Meteor) do all they can to keep the marine menace from turning their sleepy village into a one-stop snack-shop. Cult movie maven Ovidio G. Assonitis, the twisted mind behind Beyond the Door, The Visitor, Madhouse and The Curse, serves up a slimy scare-fest with a pounding score by Italian genre great Stelvio Cipriani (A Bay of Blood, What Have They Done to Your Daughters?). It’s a fast-paced thriller that’ll grip you with relentless terror—and never let go!

For thoughts on Tentacles, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.

Video Quality

Tentacles comes to Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1 and is not advertised as being from a new scan, leading me to believe it is derived from the same master MGM used on the previous Shout! Factory double-feature release with Reptilicus that is out of print. The release does not appear to be plagued by digital tinkering, as this transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation, even if it can be a bit loose. The picture occasionally runs slightly on the soft side, most likely due to limitations of the original source material. Colors could be a bit more well saturated compared to what we get, and instances of print damage are pretty consistent with specks and marks visible. Overall clarity and detail is pretty decent, and skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels could be stronger with crush becoming an issue in some of the darker moments. This presentation from Kino Classics gets the job done, but there is room for improvement if it is ever given a new scan.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that preserves the artistic intention of the film. The bizarre score from Stelvio Cipriani sounds great throughout the duration of the film, even if it does not quite match the presumed tone of the feature. There is never a moment where it threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. Environmental sounds such as the waves of the ocean are rendered well alongside the bustling of the citizens on land. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. Kino Classics has given this film the perfectly preserved, faithful audio presentation it deserves.

Special Features

Radio Spot: A minute-long collection of radio spots are provided here.

Trailers: The minute-long trailer for Tentacles is provided here. There are also trailers provided for The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Parasite, Tintorera…Tiger Shark, Zoltan…Hound Of Dracula, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, Without Warning, Deepstar Six and Deep Rising.

Final Thoughts

Tentacles is more than a bit cheesy, but it is a mostly enjoyable one if you approach it with the right attitude. The film leaves you wanting more creature carnage, but there are at least a handful of memorable moments that will stick with you for better or for worse. The actors involved would rightly consider this among the lows of their careers, but they provide a level of spectacle that keeps you more invested in the proceedings. In terms of Jaws ripoff movies, this does not hold a candle to Alligator, which is genuinely a good movie. Kino Classics has brought this one back to Blu-Ray with a pretty good A/V presentation and next to nothing in the way of special features. If you are a fan of ridiculous creature features from this period, grab a group of friends and throw this one on.

Tentacles is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

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