Tentacles(1977)
1977 · Ovidio G. Assonitis · 102 min
Several people disappear from and at the sea. Their bodies are found gnawed to the skeleton, even the marrow is missing. The scientists have no idea which animal could do such things. Dr. Turner begins to suspect that the company which builds a tunnel beneath the bay might have poisoned the environment and caused an octopus to mutate to giant dimensions...
Horror · Science Fiction · Adventure · Action
4.6122 votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How Tentacles scares
Tentacles plays like a cheesy 1970s creature feature riding the wave of Jaws copycats, with a giant mutated octopus picking off swimmers and boaters. The pacing is slow and talky between attack scenes, with the actual monster shown in a pretty goofy, low-budget way. It's more silly than scary, with rubbery effects and dated model work standing in for real dread. Good for fans of retro monster movies looking for a fun, so-bad-it's-good watch rather than anything genuinely unsettling.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Tentacles rates psychological 1/5, visceral 3/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 1 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 30 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 30 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 10 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow-building creature-feature that drifts through calm investigative stretches punctuated by occasional jolts, before ramping up to a busier, more frantic final act.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3.
How scary is Tentacles?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Tentacles rates 2/5 — moderately scary, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It attacks the body more than the mind — physical, in-your-face horror. Expect it to be moderately gory and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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