Tentacles – 1977 Italian Film That Is a Rip-Off of Jaws

Sherilyn Connelly over at The Dark Room Theater’s Bad Movie Night alerted us to this 1977 Italian Jaws rip-off, with the satisfyingly cephalopadic moniker of Tentacoli (Italian for Tentacles, which it was named in the US).

The movie features a host of big stars, plus Sheriff Lobo plus an orca PLUS some very large arms. Yes, despite the film being called Tentacles, I said arms because the creature attached to them is an octopus, not a Giant Squid. Scientists make a distinction between the limbs of Octopuses vs those of a Giant Squid or Colossal Squid. Tentacles are longer than arms, and only have suckers on the end. Suckers.

I’m sorry, was I quibbling? They are both muscular hydrostats, so I should probably just shut up.

Full disclosure/plug, I will be performing at Bad Movie Night this Sunday in San Francisco, mocking another Jaws rip-off: Shark Attack 3: Megalodon. That’s all I’ll say about that.

Anyway, here’s a montage from Tentacoli, set to the original soundtrack. It’s… not good. There are cheerleaders though.