Arrow Video, out now

When treasure hunter Frye accidentally awakens an ancient sea monster that has been lying dormant on a Greek island, the inhabitants are forced to resume the practice of sacrificing virgins to placate the demonic creature.

This really is a poor movie, on all levels, plumbing new depths for underwater monster movies, and worst of all, squanders a great cast. Made in the same year that he filmed Conan the Barbarian in Spain, one can only assume that James Earl Jones (Star Wars) fancied some more time in Europe, whatever the project. He’s a cliched, Shakespeare-quoting adventurer, but has nothing interesting to say or do.

The location shooting is vibrant, indeed the movie’s sole plus point is selling the Greek Islands as a tourist destination, but the sea monster is woeful. You see it for mere seconds, and in even that short period of time you can tell it’s a man in an unconvincing rubber suit. Because we’re in the early 80s, we linger on skimpy bikinis, wet t-shirts and witness crop-top beach aerobics, but even this is coyly done, as if the film-makers are embarrassed about any titillation.

Director Richard Jeffries co-wrote the screenplay with Nico Mastorakis, better known for ‘Video Nasty’ Island Of Death. His cast features 80s stalwarts Deborah Shelton (Body Double), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid) and even Jose Ferrer (Dune), but it’s a monster movie that fails to offer a decent monster – and that’s unforgivable if there’s no payoff after all the dull shenanigans on the island.

Arrow’s release features a new restoration from a 4K scan of the original camera negative and there’s a new audio commentary with director/co-writer Richard Jefferies and interview with producer/co-writer Nico Mastorakis. The first pressing also includes new writing on the film by Mike Gingold.

Verdict: Neither so bad it’s good or an exercise in nostalgia, this is a poorly paced adventure that’s more of a yawn than a yarn. One hopes that the cast and crew benefitted from a healthy paycheck and tan for their efforts. 3/10

Nick Joy