Details

Release year: 1989

Storyline

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.

Top credits

Directors

George P. Cosmatos

Writers

Cast

Peter Weller — Steven Beck
Richard Crenna — Dr. Glen 'Doc' Thompson
Amanda Pays — Elizabeth 'Willie' Williams
Daniel Stern — Buzz 'Sixpack' Parrish

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Did you know

• Director George P. Cosmatos granted Stan Winston and his creature effects team significant creative autonomy during production, often deferring to their expertise regarding the presentation of the monster. Winston also directed the second unit action sequences for the film. To prepare for the aquatic setting, members of the effects crew learned to scuba dive while living in Rome for four months, a hobby several team members maintained long after filming concluded.

• Production on the creature effects for the film faced significant linguistic and cultural hurdles while filming in Italy. Richard Landon, the lead creature effects mechanic, maintained a meticulous equipment log where he frequently substituted sketches of hardware, such as nuts and bolts, for written descriptions to overcome communication barriers with local suppliers. Additionally, the American crew noted a distinct cultural contrast regarding workplace alcohol consumption, as the Italian crew members routinely consumed substantial amounts of red wine during lunch breaks, a practice generally prohibited for the creature effects team.

• The movie takes place in the near future, specifically the year 2027. This setting is established through various on-screen displays and technical readouts throughout the underwater mining facility.

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