Near the Arctic Circle, an atomic bomb is detonated. This fearsome experiment disturbs the sleep of a giant Rhedosaurus encased in ice for more than 100 million years and sends it southward on a destructive, deadly rampage.
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is a film of firsts. It spawned a new era of atomic-age creature features, it was the first screen adaptation of a work by fantasy fiction titan Ray Bradbury, and it marked the first time Ray Harryhausen had control over special effects.
Harryhausen came up with a fantastic creature that swims down from the north to run amok through New York City after it attacks and destroys a lighthouse in Maine.
Intent on stopping it is the might of America’s military and the scientific minds of physicist Thomas Nesbitt (Paul Christian), palaeontologist Thurgood Elson (Cecil Kellaway) and his assistant Lee Hunter (Paula Raymond) who draw the beast to a spectacular Coney Island roller-coaster finale (actually The Long Beach Amusement Park in California).
Professor Tom Nesbitt
Paul Hubschmid Lee Hunter
Paula Raymond Dr Thurgood Elson
Cecil Kellaway Colonel John Evans
Kenneth Tobey Jacob Bowman
Jack Pennick Captain Philip Jackson
Donald Woods Corporal Stone
Lee Van Cleef Sergeant Loomis
Steve Brodie Professor George Ritchie
Ross Elliott Sergeant Willistead
Ray Hyke Nesbitt’s secretary
Mary Hill Dr Morton
Frank Ferguson Dr Ingersoll
King Donovan
Director
Eugene Lourie
Video
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