Sh! The Octopus

Sh! The Octopus
Sh! The Octopus
	Promotional release poster
Directed by	William McGann
Screenplay by	George Bricker
Based on	The Gorilla (1925 play) by Ralph Spence; and; Sh! The Octopus (1928 play) by Ralph Spence; Ralph Murphy; Donald Gallaher
Produced by	Jack L. Warner
Starring	Hugh Herbert; Allen Jenkins; Marcia Ralston;
Cinematography	Arthur Todd
Edited by	Clarence Kolster
Music by	Heinz Roemheld (uncredited)
Production; company	Warner Bros.
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	December 11, 1937;
Running time	54 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Sh! The Octopus is a 1937 American comedy mystery film produced by Warner Bros., directed by William McGann, and starring Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins and Marcia Ralston. While contract players Herbert and Jenkins frequently appeared in the same picture, this is the only film to present them as an actual team.

Sh! The Octopus features two detectives in pursuit of the animal-themed villain Octopus. The case leads them into a haunted lighthouse, where they realize that the villain is an actual octopus.

In 2023, the film garnered attention on social media for the scene in which the villain's identity is revealed; the character undergoes a transformation that was accomplished using practical effects—specifically, a combination of makeup and graduated filters.^[1]^[2]

Plot

Two bumbling detectives are in pursuit of a master criminal, The Octopus. They find themselves inside a haunted lighthouse full of suspicious characters, including the titular character, who appears to be an actual octopus.

Cast

Hugh Herbert as Kelly
Allen Jenkins as Dempsey
Marcia Ralston as Vesta Vernoff
John Eldredge as Paul Morgan
George Rosener as Captain Hook
Margaret Irving as Polly Crane
Elspeth Dudgeon as Nanny
Lew Harvey as Sinister plotter
Frank Hagney as Sinister plotter
Ed Biby as Sinister plotter
Molly Doyle as Nurse
Jack Jorgensen as Sinister plotter

Other media

In 2010, the film was released by Warner Archive as part of the six-film DVD-R collection Warner Bros. Horror/Mystery Double Features.^[3]

It also airs occasionally on Turner Classic Movies.

References

^ "How the 1937 'Witch' Movie Visual Effect Shot Was Achieved". Snopes. 18 February 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
^ "How They Shot That Transformation Scene in 'Sh! The Octopus'". Film School Rejects. 13 June 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
^ "Warner Horror Mystery Double Features". DVD Beaver. Retrieved August 15, 2019.

External links

Sh! The Octopus at IMDb
Sh! The Octopus at the TCM Movie Database

This article about a comedy horror film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "How the 1937 'Witch' Movie Visual Effect Shot Was Achieved". Snopes. 18 February 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.

[2] "How They Shot That Transformation Scene in 'Sh! The Octopus'". Film School Rejects. 13 June 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.

[3] "Warner Horror Mystery Double Features". DVD Beaver. Retrieved August 15, 2019.

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