Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

kevin olzak Completed in April 1964, "Surf Terror" had to wait over a year before finally being issued under the more exploitive title "The Beach Girls and the Monster," quickly making its way to TV screens under still another, "Monster from the Surf" (this version featuring about 7-8 minutes of added footage). Former matinée idol Jon Hall, remembered for "The Hurricane," "Invisible Agent," "The Invisible Man's Revenge," and numerous camp vehicles opposite Maria Montez, stars in his final screen appearance, doubling as both director and cinematographer. Following on the heels of Del Tenney's better known "The Horror of Party Beach," both films' reliance on black and white contrast with the sun drenched colors of AIP's 'Beach Party' series. After a nice opening murder done by the titular monster from a cave, the film quickly bogs down with the silly beach antics of the teens, the lowest (or highest) camp moment coming when 'Kingsley the Lion' does his rendition of "There's a Monster in the Surf," joined by super cutie Elaine Dupont, courageously squealing with abandon. The domestic drama finds Richard Lindsay (Arnold Lessing) losing interest in following in his father's footsteps after a car crash that cripples his artist friend (Walker Edmiston). His disapproving father, eminent oceanographer Dr. Otto Lindsay (Jon Hall), suggests that the marauding creature may be an African fantigua fish, which he says is capable of walking on land, and can grow to 100 lbs. Otto believes that those harmless teens are capable of murder, while his wife of five years (Sue Casey) rejects him while flirting outrageously with all the other males around, even her stepson Richard. Judging by these events, the twisted climax is perfectly fitting, almost apologizing for the lame monster suit. Hall still looked fit and trim just seven years earlier in "Hell Ship Mutiny," here nearly unrecognizable, sluggish and overweight. No great shakes in terms of acting or directing, an almost appropriate conclusion to his career, low brow adventure films and the cheesy series RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE, Hall's one last acting credit a 1965 PERRY MASON (he committed suicide in 1979, suffering from terminal cancer). Vanishing from the airwaves by the 1980s, "Monster from the Surf" made its lone appearance on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater June 29 1968, followed by second feature "The Magnetic Monster."

drystyx The title tells you what to expect, just not how to expect it.Made in 1965, one expects the upside to be the characters, camaraderie, maturity of emotions, and logical directing. One would expect the downside to be a poorly explained monster with poorly explained motivation.Later monster movies would have little upside, and keep the same downside.What we get here is little downside. The only downside is the way the movie tries to make a few characters seem like the only ones in what appears to be a fairly metropolitan area. We get a sheriff and a few lawmen, for instance, which looks very "small town" in scope, but at times they seem to be in a larger area. The disparity here is the downside.The cheesy scenes on the beach work well, because they're directed well. This film is unjustly maligned by a certain rich brat breed of modern reviewers. By that, I mean the reviewers who simply decide ahead of time to malign a movie. You've probably taken a seat next to such people before. Before three lines are ever spoken, before three actions take place, these people have already panned the entire movie, and you know they decided to do it before the opening credits.This film flows very well, and has all the atmosphere it promises. This is a good monster film, with lots of surprises.

dbborroughs Beach set horror film about a monster stalking and killing kids in around the coast.Its an okay (at best) little film with lots of music, a rather dumb, but fun looking monster and just a touch of mystery. In all honesty the best way to view this film is as the model for every Scooby Doo episode ever made. I know I just ruined this for about six of you but for the rest of you I probably just saved you from wasting 65 minutes of your life. It's a film that is just as clever as Scooby. Beyond that the film really doesn't have much to recommend it. If you're in the mood for a the live action Scooby Doo film (sans the dog) give this a shot otherwise take a pass.

CromeRose I love this movie. It's one of my favorite really bad films ever. I first saw this on TV while growing up in Melbourne Australia. It was called Monster From the Surf on TV. My best friend and I used to sit up all night on Saturday's and watch The Late Movie, The Late, Late Movie, The Late, Late, Late Movie (I kid you not) and The Early Movie. I think this one was The Late, Late, Late Movie. It was one of our favorites - and I'm sure there were more scenes with the monster than there are on the DVD version; however my memory could be flawed as it was over three decades ago since I first saw it. Sure it's really cheaply done and very B Grade, maybe even Z Grade, but I love it and will always have fond memories of it. **UPDATE** as of watching this again a couple days ago (it's now April 8, 2017) My goodness it's cheesy and slow-paced, and the monster is laughable...but I still love it! I've got the US release on DVD, but I originally saw the international cut which was called Monster from the Surf. The differences? Well, the opening titles of the US version feature the Watusi Dancing troupe from the Whisky-A-Go-Go club wiggling in their bikinis to a slightly faster version of the surfing music - while the international opening credits has a slower version of the music playing over the surfing footage that is watched by Rich and Mark during the movie. Personally, I prefer the US version with the girls wiggling in their bikinis. Another thing I noticed during my latest viewing was that when the "kids" are partying on the beach, they play that surf music on their boom box A LOT! In real life, they'd get bored with it real quick, especially the girls. But all-in-all... as bad as this movie is, it's still great.