RiffTrax Live: “Octaman” to be shown in select theaters from coast-to-coast on April 18 (with a pre-recorded encore on April 24)

Fellow “RiffTrax” fans and “Mystery Science Theater 3000” MSTies will be interested in a live movie-riffing event of a cult creature feature from coast-to-coast.

It’s time for “RiffTrax Live: Octaman”

Artwork for the upcoming “RiffTrax Live!” edition of “Octaman” (1971).

RiffTrax, in conjunction with Fathom Events will be presenting “RiffTrax Live: Octaman” in participating theaters from coast-to-coast with a live theatrical telecast on Thurs., April 18 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central (local time, according to Fathom Events’ site).  A pre-recorded encore will occur in participating cinema venues from coast-to-coast on Wed., April 24 at 7:30 p.m. (all times local, according to Fathom).

Featuring “Mystery Science Theater 3000”/MST3K alums Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett; the “RiffTrax Live: Octaman” presentation will be broadcast live to participating cinema locations throughout the country, via satellite from the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee.

The RiffTrax crew will be riffing the cult creature feature, “Octaman” (1971).  “Octaman” was directed and written by Harry Essex.  Essex was known for writing the screenplay for Jack Arnold’s Universal sci-fi classic, “It Came from Outer Space” (1953) and Arnold’s Universal monster creature classic, “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954).

The players who appeared in Essex’s 1971 creature feature entry were Pier Angeli (as Susan Lowry), Jeff Morrow (as Dr. John Willard, Morrow previously appeared in Joseph Newman’s 1955 Universal sci-fi classic; “This Island Earth” in the role of Exeter), Kerwin Matthews (as Dr. Rick Torres, Matthews previously appeared in the title role of Captain Sinbad in the 1958 Ray Harryhausen–Charles H. Schneer–Columbia classic, “The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad”), Read Morgan (as the “Octaman”), Jerome Guardino (as Johnny Caruso), David Essex (as an Indian, David Essex is the real-life son of Harry Essex), Robert Warner (as Steve), Buck Kartalian (as Raul).  According to Fathom Events’ official site, the creature make-up effects for the “Octaman” creature were created by a young Rick Baker; who went onto greater fame for his work in the fields of make-up and creature effects in modern cinema.