Plot summary

We see a series of nuclear blasts followed by footage of men in radiation suits measuring the damage. The camera pans back to show a lecturer Steven Karnes (Gene Evans) explaining the images.The lights come up to show a group of scientists watching the lecture. We are told that since the invention of atomic bombs, over a 150 have been tested. He explains his concern for the amount of radioactive material being buried at sea. There is also concern for how the radiation is being transferred up the food chain. He then warns that his concern is centered about what might eventually emerge from the sea as a result of the contamination.We cut to a small fishing boat coming onto a beach in Cornwall, England. A young girl, Jean Treventhan (Leigh Madison) and her father Tom (Henri Vidon) begin to sort their catch. He sends her to the house with a particular fish he wants cooked.As she leaves he continues to clean the catch when he sees something strange in the water. His face becomes puzzled then bathed in a bright light. He screams in pain as the screen whites out, leaving us wondering what has happened and what is his eventual fate.At the fisherman's home, his daughter becomes concerned that hes not home and heads to the local pub to find him. At the pub she meets John (John Turner) he tells her hes not been seen all day. John offers to go with her to search the beach. John stumbles across the badly burned man. He tells them it was from the sea, burning like fire, the behemoth, and promptly dies.At Tom's funeral, the priest reads the story of the behemoth from the story of Job in the Bible. After the service Jean doesn't want to go home and John takes her for a walk. From a cliff top they spot a huge number of dead fish washed onto the shore. Investigating they discover a pile of pulsating mass. When John touches the substance he becomes badly burned on the hand.In London, Karnes is waiting at his hotel for a confirmation of a flight. On TV he sees news of the strange events in Cornwall. He immediately sees the implication and contacts Professor Bickford (André Morell) at the institute for a meeting. Bickford fills Karnes in on the rest of the story. Especially the death of the fisherman; and the apparent radiation burns on the mans body.Karnes wants to rush down to Cornwall to investigate. However Bickford tells him a Royal Commission has already been established and Bickford invites Karnes to travel with him to the site of the strange events.Arriving at the town, the mood by the locals is extremely aggressive. The fishermen refuse to go out, and want the government to do a lot more than just tests. One of the fishermen (Arthur Gomez) explains that dead fish have been found all over the ocean. The boats have not been out for five days, and concern is growing about how they are supposed to feed their families.Bickford questions the men about the dead fish and is disappointed to find there are no samples. The men don't seem to have seen anything unusual till one steps forward and talks about strange lights hes seen beneath the water.John then takes the Bickford and Karnes to meet the town doctor, who explains Tom was covered with 2nd and third degree burns, with some sort of shock. The doctor thinks it might have been an allergic reaction to a jellyfish sting.He then recalls John has a similar burn on his hand. Showing Bickford and Karnes examine the wound and recommend John be taken up to London for treatment.John offers to lead the men to the cove where the dead fish and strange substance was found. Examining the beach with a variety of instruments turns up no residual radiation or evidence of what might have happened.Returning to London, the two men are soon overwhelmed by samples of seawater being sent in from up and down the coast. So far nothing is turning up to explain the radiation burns, or the report of the monster associated with it.Karnes still puzzled by the lack of evidence begins preparing tests on a number of fish sent in. Using a process akin to reverse x-ray they begin photographing the fish for any residual radiation that should have accumulated in the bone structure.One of the fish shows a strange glowing mass inside similar to the substance that burnt Johns hand in the beach. It seems they now have the evidence they are looking for.Karnes decides to go to Plymouth where the sample was found, and hire a boat to try and identify the exact spot where the contaminated fish was caught.Cruising back and forth in a small fishing vessel, the Molly T reveals nothing. Karnes tells the captain to cut the engines while they try and decide what to do next. Over the radio a report that a cargo ship, the Valkiria, is overdue and all vessels to keep a watch.Unexpectedly the radiation counter on the ship begins to sound an alarm and the captain spots something in the ocean. Karnes briefly sights a strange creature diving under the waves. They chase the creature but it quickly out distances them and the signal is lost.News comes through the Valkiria has been washed up and abandoned. Karnes goes to inspect the wreckage. The ship appears to have suffered a tremendous impact. Quarter inch thick steel plating has been crushed and the bodies of the crew show evidence of horrific injuriesKarnes returns to London, none the wiser after the inspection. He meets with Bickford. The navy has no cause for the loss, Karnes offers his own theory of a huge marine creature being behind the attack. Bickford backs Karnes, the sample taken from the fish at the lab showed cells of the stomach lining of an unknown beast. The British Admiralty decides to begin searching for the creature and begins contacting the other NATO nations of what they have learned.A remote farmhouse sees a family sitting down for dinner. In the yard a dog is frantically barking. The farmer and his son go to investigate and come face to face with the unseen creature. Both a killed instantly by a blast of radiation from the creature.Back in London, news reaches Bickford of the attack and a photo of a massive footprint, many times larger than a car is received from the farm. Karnes cant identify the footprint and suggests contacting Dr Sampson (Jack MacGowran) of the British museum.The doctor quickly identifies the creature as a specimen from the paleosaurus family only significantly larger than any specimen ever found. He believes the creature to be between 150 and 200 feet long.Sampson is shocked to learn the footprint is not a fossil but something currently living. Bickford tells him of sightings of the Essex coast. Sampson thinks this means the creature is moving into the Thames, probably to die in the shallows. All the bones ever recovered have been in that area. Some instinct convinced the creatures to go there to die.Sampson warns Bickford they know the creature is electric as found in some eels. Sampson however is unable to explain the radiation.Bickford and Karnes go to the Admiralty to try and convince them to close the estuary. The Admiralty refuse, and show the men the wide radar tracking system that controls all traffic in the Thames.Sampson arranges a helicopter to try and spot the creature, within minutes they spot a luminous shape moving through the water. The helicopter gives chase as the watch station reports they see nothing but the helicopter is suddenly bathed in radiation, brightens, and then explodes in mid air. Alerted to the probably location of the creature, the navy swings into full search mode.At Woolwich, the car ferry John Benn sets out for Greenwich across and downstream on the Thames. Passengers settle in for a quiet ride as fog begins to move up the river.Passengers begin to scream as the Paleosaurus (seen for the first time) rears out of the water, attacks and sinks the ship with over 80 people killed or missing. The police immediately close of the river to all traffic as news of the incident spreads. Military specialists begin deploying units along the river to combat the creature if it re-emerges. Civilians are evacuated from any river front homes and the army moves into fortify various positions.At a conference the Admiralty wants to use bombs and explosives to destroy the creature. Bickford argues this is a dangerous move. Blowing the creature up will spread radioactive material all over London. Bickford explains the creature is already dying from the intense radiation inside its body. He feels they may be able to accelerate the process if they can inject a lump radium into the creature. It is decided to use a mini sub with a modified torpedo to attempt the attack.On the Thames near Tower Bridge, the creature is seen coming ashore. It begins by attacking the docks before moving in around the East End, forcing the population to flee in panic. Large numbers of civilians and troops are killed by the radiation the creature emits.As the attack continues the sub and modified torpedo are readied for a counter attack. Through the night the creature rampages through the city till while on a bridge, the structure collapses spilling the paleosaur back into the Thames.Finally the mini sub is ready, and the animals luminous body is seen deep under the Thames. Without hesitation they go in for the kill. After a protracted chase the monster turns on the sub and tries to destroy it before the torpedo can be fired.Surviving the attack, the sub maneuvers again to try and take a shot. At the last second the torpedo is released and scores a direct hit on the creature.As Bikford and Karnes get into a car to drive off. A news report announces huge numbers of dead fish are washing ashore on the east coast of America. Both men give each other a look of, "I know what that means."Chapman_glen@yahoo.com