“One tiny little hole in a fucking toe of his suit, man. No bigger than your dick. Yeah, the way the ocean came in, the pressure just crammed his whole body up into his helmet in a matter of seconds. We just buried his helmet.” Too much information? Yeah, thought so. Join your faithful Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr – as they take a deep sea dive with Leviathan (1989), one of the many underwater-monster-themed films released during 1989-90.
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 204 – Leviathan (1989)
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Perched on the hull of a wrecked Soviet freighter, a team of deep-sea miners led by head oceanographer Steven Beck comes face to face with a mutant creature that’s the product of a failed genetic experiment.
IMDb
- Director: George P. Cosmatos
- Writers: Jeb Stuart & David Webb Peoples (screenplay); David Webb Peoples (story)
- Music: Jerry Goldsmith
- Cinematography: Alex Thomson (director of photography)
- Creature Effects: Stan Winston Studios
- Selected Cast:
- Peter Weller as Steven Beck
- Richard Crenna as Dr. Glen “Doc” Thompson
- Amanda Pays as Elizabeth “Willie” Williams
- Daniel Stern as Buzz “Sixpack” Parrish
- Ernie Hudson as Justin Jones
- Michael Carmine as Tony “DeJesus” Rodero
- Lisa Eilbacher as Bridget “Bow” Bowman
- Héctor Elizondo as G. P. Cobb
- Meg Foster as Ms. Martin
- Eugene Lipinski as Russian Captain
- Tom Woodruff Jr. as Lead Creature
Chad is a natural-born monster kid from way back so it’s not surprising that Leviathan is his pick. Even though it’s obviously derivative of several other SF-horror films, he still enjoys it. He loves the comedic moments and doesn’t get enough of the nasty, icky, gooey, and creepy Stan Winston Studios-designed creature.
Crystal liked Leviathan when she first saw it and she still likes it, for telling a compelling story that makes sense, for its effects work, and for its phenomenal cast, especially Peter Weller. On the other hand, Bill thinks Leviathan is a little too formulaic, holding very few surprises. Even though all the parts are there for an excellent movie — writers, directors, cast, cinematographer, and effects — it seems like there is something missing. Jeff had a fun time with Leviathan and he, too, loves the cast. He has no trouble believing they had spent six months together at 16,000 feet beneath the ocean’s surface. A dash of Alien, a pinch of The Thing, and a smidgen of The Fly all added to the fun for him.
If you’re pining for a sea monster movie, Leviathan is a fun ride. As of this writing, Leviathan is currently available to stream free with ads from Tubi & PlutoTV and on a variety of subscription and PPV streaming services.
Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Jeff will be Halloween II (1981). Spend mid-Halloween’s Eve with Laurie, Michael, Dr. “I shot him six times!” Loomis, and the gang for this fiery treat.
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Jeff has written for Horrornews.net and SQ Horror Magazine. He currently writes for Gruesome Magazine and is a co-host of the Decades of Horror podcasts - The Classic Era, 1970s, and 1980s - and the Gruesome Magazine Podcast.
