The opening is classic and there is no escaping that fact. It starts with stock footage of exotic predator fish and an insane sounding man doing narration over the scenes professing his adoration of them. Then it shows probably the least threatening looking man to ever be born staring at the water. As he shuffles slowly back to his lab, the credits role and they are bright yellow letters and have the kind of font you'd expect in a campy beach comedy/musical from the 60s. While they roll, an embarrassingly dramatic sounding folk song is playing. As the character slowly (he almost looks like he struggles) makes his way back to his lab, the lyrics "sashay through the sarcasm" and variations to that grab your attention. You have three genres colluding at once now all driving the viewer to think something different! Comedy, drama or horror? Never has a film done that!! Then the mad doctor is in his lab as the credits and folk music stop. The lab has all the usually goofy sounds and machines that look like they were broken pinball machines. The narration picks up again. He desires to be turned into a half man half walking catfish. Finally, he makes his preperations. You see this same unfortunate man unfortunately strip down to his boxer shorts, lay on a stretcher hooked up to a pully then dunk himself into a pool. The score by this time is heavy droning electronic music which adds to the, uh..mm, menace of it all. He transforms into a giant goofy looking monster and exclaims when seeing himself in the mirror "NOTHING AT ALL LIKE A CATFISH BUT ITS BEAUTIFUL!!" There is nothing like this opening. Thst alone gets it 9 stars. It is beyond classic.
After that, the movie slows way down and gets dull when it was supposed to be thrilling. I imagine this film sold really well in Europe because it has the kind of enigmatic ending their films are known for and perhaps that was always going to be the intended market. And of course that opening is......everything.
After that, the movie slows way down and gets dull when it was supposed to be thrilling. I imagine this film sold really well in Europe because it has the kind of enigmatic ending their films are known for and perhaps that was always going to be the intended market. And of course that opening is......everything.