Review of Sh! The Octopus

A spooky lighthouse is the setting for this enjoyable but mindless nonsense about two wacky detectives (Hugh Herbert and Allen Jenkins) on the search for a criminal mastermind known simply as the Octopus. Yes, there is a real octopus present (one of the silliest looking ever on-screen until Bela Lugosi went up against one in "Bride of the Monster"), and it never is made clear whether or not the octopus tentacles which keep appearing mysteriously are actually those of the one who gets Herbert in his grip or some man-made contraption. There's all sorts of wacky characters including a sinister looking man known as "hook" the sinister villain whose face changes upon their revelation. That sequence alone is frightening enough but funny and is straight out of the exit given to the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz". Jenkins and Herbert together are pretty much Warner Brothers' version of the Two Stooges. George Rosener and Elspeth Dugeon are among those who stand out among the supporting cast. Still, with all the excitement in the film's short running time, the conclusion is a major let-down, making it seem like an extended short rather than a feature which obviously played on the bottom of a double bill.