Hi..
I think this is the movie I saw when I was a kid. I must have been about 7 at the time and this movie still makes me think. But I want to make sure that I have the film. Do they carve their initials in the shell of the turtle that they played with as children?
Yes they do & even when the turtle grows to gigantic proportions the initials are still visible.
shareI can't believe I remember this film.. I was like 6 at the time. but that gigantic turtle had a profound effect on me
Ditto. I just posted my memory being fullfiled. I was 7 at the time I saw this. All i remembered was the initals and the end. I had no idea, actors, plot, whatever. Just those 2 items. I was so happy to find the title of this vision that was in my head.
Burn him again! - A Bug's Life - a fly at the circus after P.T. Flea gets set on fire.
I remember this movie as well and the only thing I ever really remembered was the carved initials at the end. I think the idea of this giant turtle lurking about in the depths has contributed to my adult shuddering every time I consider the deepness of the ocean. That one image alone messed with my 8 year old mind!
shareThat is a scream.. that is too funny...
What station ran this?
Same here ....could only remember turtle and carved initials
shareWow! Same as everyone else, I thought I was the only one who was haunted by this movie. I only saw it once when I was 11 years old and it often pops back into my head (the final scene freaked me out and is my only clear memory of the movie). For some reason, every time I hear "Thunder Island" by Jay Ferguson on the radio I am reminded of this movie. I don't think the song was used in the movie, but it was released around the same time and has a similar theme that jogs my memory. I am not sure if I ever want to see it again though. It's one of those memories of an 11 year old that I love and don't want to destroy it by watching it again at 38 years of age.
shareI am not alone. I am 32 now and I saw this movie when I was 6. For years I have asked peopel about this giant turtle movie and I remebered the house falling off of the cliff and the initials carved into the turtle that remained when it grew and the sadness that I felt after watching it. I remeber teh helicopter crashing into the turtle and the effects in general seeming much more realistic as a kid. I bought a copy on VHS from E-bay for 9.99 and just watched it (THe original airing was JAn 27 , 1979). It still gave me the same feelings that it initially invoked. Granted the effects were much different looking butbeyond that it is such an eerie piece of film. It also was cool to touch that far corner of my childhood brain that remembered this and hasn't seen it for so long. I just sat there going Whoa I'm not crazy I did see this 26 years ago. How strange that we all remember the same things about this. The initials and teh turtle.
shareI have to agree that it is strange that we all remember the same things about this movie. I wonder how many people actually watched this movie when it originally aired. Maybe it was like all 20 of us.. ?? my other thought is .. the rating system that they have on television today.. would we all have been able to watch this show if it was shown today? Obiviously it had an impact on all of us. ..
Strange film.. Strange thoughts
I completely remember this film. I saw it when I was six....... I think it was like a Friday night ABC film. Every Friday night they had a film that had do with the supernatural, mystical and paranorma. I loved this movie and I can't find a copy. I am so glad to find other people that remember this ......I remember the initials - they carved Jenny + ...... but I can't remember the other name.
shareAdd me to the list. I was about 9 years old living in the Bronx and have memories of this creeping me out. The music, the turtle, the initials and Connie Selleca's glowing eyes! I was searching for this title on IMDB and EBay. I finally found it on Horror Channel.com with an interesting review. My trouble was that I thought the girl was Jane Seymour! Oh well, I know it may have been cheesy to some, but it brought back alot of memories for me. I'd love to see it on DVD. And Connie Selleca? Bronx girl makes good!
kayjay
I am Canadian and it is very strange to think that we were all doing the same thing on that very night.
shareThere's a word for that shared experience, I just don't know what it is. The amazing thing is that the same things in the movie struck a chord with us at a young age.
shareSynchonicity
shareWanna hear something more creepy? I was around 10 when I saw this movie. What's creepy, I was living in the other side of the world (the Philippines). It was aired in Manila late one night, maybe a year or 2 after its original US showing.
I remember the turtle, the initials carved on the turtle's back, the strange woman. Does anyone remember the musical score, or song, or whatever? I remember a very haunting movie, especially while invoking that eerie song. One other thing, I was the only one still up and watching TV that night. No witnesses to the giant turtle movie.
Would love to see this movie again!!
Exactly the same for me!!! 7 yrs. old, all alone, no one else around so no witnesses. No one else remembered the movie at all whenever I brought it up later on. I told my DH about it ten years ago and how dreamy and cool I thought this movie was. I thought maybe is was in my imagination too. I love sea turtles now as an adult and I think this movie is why. Then I founf the movie after doing several searches online recently. But I had remembered a different ending that I must have made up in my childhood mind: Jennie and the turtle call to Magnus on the ferry and he jumps in and breathes from her lips and is magically converted into a being like herself to live forever under the water with her and the turtle.
My copy is missing a couple of scences. Is there a scene in the middle of the movie where Jennie and Magnus do swim with the turtle together?
Add me to the list too! I've been haunted by this movie for 28 years. I was 8 when I saw it and have been looking for it ever since. I have no idea why it has affected me so much.
share"My copy is missing a couple of scences. Is there a scene in the middle of the movie where Jennie and Magnus do swim with the turtle together?"
Yeah, my friend mentioned that most later versions he saw on the telly didn't even have many of the main scenes or even the original ending (or the revelation that Jenny was even real and had that tomb at the graveyard)
I'm from the Philippines and saw this when I was around 9 or 10 years old on late night channel RPN 9! The music is by VIVALDI . I remember this because my one dream was to grow up and be as pretty as Connie Seleca. We probably were watching it on the same time and day!
Yes, they do, but there is at least one version that doesn't have this at the beginning.
Actually, one of the main emotional impacts comes when the turtle at the end (in more complete versions) is revealed to be the same turtle from the beginning by showing the now giant initials.
I can't believe other people remember this movie! No one ever knows what I'm talking about and just look at me funny if I ask if they remember a movie like this.
shareThis week I was having lunch with my work group when one of them mentioned she remembered a movie with a giant turtle from when she was young.. and I just about jumped out of my seat. This movie has been lodged in my mind for almost thirty years now as well, and it was so shocking to realize I wasn't the only one.
It's astonishing that so many people online have the same experience. I find myself wondering why it's stayed with so many of us for so long, when we maybe saw it only once or twice. That's extraordinary. I don't believe in conspiracy theories like how they were broadcasting subliminal signals along with the movie, when the TV I was watching at the time was lucky if it could pull in local channels without ghost images. To me, it obviously had some sort of profound psychological effect, but why? If I were working on a psych major, I'd definitely do this for my thesis.
Wow!!! I didn't think there would be soo many people who remembered this movie. thought I was the only one to remember it. think I was 8 or so. And like everyone else it seems that this movie had a profound effect on me. Does anyone know the theme song of this movie? specifically the ending? I'm still haunted by it's melody....
Alberto
Too weird! I am in the same boat as no one I ever ask about the giant sea turtle movie ever knows what I am talking about or why it stuck in my head so many years. I was 10 watching it at home alone, I have no idea how that worked out anymore, but I could never remember the name, just the turtle, the initials, the creepy eyes girl, and the guy getting dragged down to drown scene too. Thought I was the only one it had that kind of staying-effect on. It's almost therapeutic to know I wasn't imagining it LOL
shareTHIS IS CRAZY!!! I am speechless.... I can't believe that so many people had the same experience. The memory comes back to me every once and a while and it just did like 10 min ago so I figured I would do a search and WHOA! here it is and you all have had the same experience... and all around the same age... I must have been 6 years old... the range here seems to be 6 - 11
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