Dagon (2001)

She's got tentacles for legs!
She’s got tentacles for legs!

Paul (Ezra Godden) is sailing around the Spanish coast when a storm causes the boat to crash onto offshore rocks. With two of his friends trapped in the boat wreckage, Paul and his girlfriend Barbara (Raquel Meroño) must go to a nearby village to find help.

Calm down - it's just a dream (at first)!
Calm down – it’s just a dream (at first)!

Paul soon realises that the village locals are rather odd and then he starts seeing a mermaid (Macarena Gomez), who had appeared previously in his dreams…

Mouthful of tentacles!
Mouthful of tentacles!

As the story continues, it is revealed that the villagers pray to an unholy sea god and there are shambling, hybrid offspring roaming about the place.

They definitely seemed to try and make the lead look like Jeffery Combs in this illustration
They definitely tried to make the lead look like Jeffery Combs in this illustration

Released in Spain as DAGON: LA SECTA DEL MAR, this horror film was directed by Stuart (RE-ANIMATOR) Gordon, written by Dennis (FROM BEYOND) Paoli and was produced by Brian (NECRONOMICON) Yuzna . This creative threesome definitely have a lot of experience producing Lovecraft-tastic horror flicks!

Spanish poster
Spanish poster

DAGON actually has more in common with H. P. Lovecraft’s novella ‘The Shadow Over Innsmouth’, rather than the titular short story. But, hey, so long as we get fishpeople, rainy village alleys, a monstrous sea deity and abundant tentacles, who’s complaining, right?

Peek-a-boo!
Peek-a-boo!

For me, the main selling point of Stuart Gordon’s low budget slice of Lovecraftian horror is the chance to see some cool prosthetic octopus/human hybrids. These practical makeups are effectively done.

Octo-face dude!
Octo-face dude!

Gordon also makes a real effort with the atmospherics, setting most of the movie during a heavy rainstorm. On the downside, though, I thought the lead actor was pretty poor (where is Jeffery Combs when you need him?) and the little snippets of CGI used in the film were of inferior quality, especially compared to the fine-looking prosthetics.

It's raining most of the time in Dagon
It’s raining most of the time in this movie
Wet, slimy and toothy!
Wet, slimy and toothy!

Fortunately, DAGON has more positives than negatives, featuring such horror highlights as an impressively gory skin-flaying scene and the human sacrifice finale.

Sacrifice time...
Sacrifice time…
...and here comes the tentacled god-monster!
…and here comes the tentacled god-monster!
Does the sacrificial victim survive? Erm... no!
Does the sacrificial victim survive? Erm… no!

And let’s not forget what is definitely my favourite moment in this Spanish production: an attractive woman called Uxía Cambarro, played by Macarena (SEXY KILLER) Gómez, lying on a bed… with tentacles for legs!

She has very flexible appendages!
She has very flexible appendages!

Let’s have a look at some DVD artwork…

US DVD cover
US DVD cover
French DVD sleeve
French DVD sleeve
UK DVD sleeve
Italian DVD cover
Czech DVD cover
Australian DVD cover
Australian DVD cover

Here’s a very lovely Blu-ray cover…

Niiiiiiiice illustration!
Niiiiiiiice illustration!

Okay, okay, let’s have one more look at the lady with the tentacle-legs…

Twitchy tentacles!
Twitchy tentacles!
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