{{short description|1937 film by William C. McGann}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | image = File:Sh! The Octopus.jpg | alt = | caption = Promotional release poster | director = William McGann | producer = Jack L. Warner | screenplay = George Bricker | based_on = ''The Gorilla'' (1925 play) by Ralph Spence<br>and<br>''Sh! The Octopus'' (1928 play) by Ralph Spence<br>Ralph Murphy<br>Donald Gallaher | starring = {{Plainlist| * Hugh Herbert * Allen Jenkins * Marcia Ralston }} | music = Heinz Roemheld (uncredited) | cinematography = Arthur Todd | editing = Clarence Kolster | released = {{Film date|1937|12|11}} | studio = Warner Bros. Pictures | distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures | runtime = 54 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = }}
'''''Sh! The Octopus''''' is a 1937 American comedy mystery film produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, directed by William McGann, and starring Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins and Marcia Ralston. While contract players Herbert and Jenkins frequently appeared in the same picture, this is the only film to present them as an actual team.
In 2022, the film garnered attention on social media for a character transformation scene that was accomplished using practical effects with a combination of makeup and graduated filters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.snopes.com/articles/395819/1937-movie-witch/ |title=How the 1937 'Witch' Movie Visual Effect Shot Was Achieved|accessdate=June 11, 2023 |work=Snopes|date=18 February 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/sh-the-octopus-transformation/ |title=How They Shot That Transformation Scene in 'Sh! The Octopus'|accessdate=June 11, 2023 |work=Film School Rejects|date=13 June 2022 }}</ref>
==Plot== Two bumbling detectives are in pursuit of a master criminal, The Octopus. They find themselves inside a haunted lighthouse full of suspicious characters, including the titular character, who appears to be an actual octopus.
==Cast== *Hugh Herbert as Kelly *Allen Jenkins as Dempsey *Marcia Ralston as Vesta Vernoff *John Eldredge as Paul Morgan *George Rosener as Captain Hook *Margaret Irving as Polly Crane *Elspeth Dudgeon as Nanny *Lew Harvey as Sinister plotter *Frank Hagney as Sinister plotter *Ed Biby as Sinister plotter *Molly Doyle as Nurse *Jack Jorgensen as Sinister plotter
==Other media== In 2010, the film was released by Warner Archive as part of the six-film DVD-R collection ''Warner Bros. Horror/Mystery Double Features''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/dvd_reviews52/warner_horror_mystery_double_features.htm |title=Warner Horror Mystery Double Features |accessdate=August 15, 2019 |work=DVD Beaver}}</ref>
It also airs occasionally on Turner Classic Movies.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|0029541}} *{{TCMDb title|89703}} {{William C. McGann}}
Category:1937 films Category:1937 comedy horror films Category:1930s comedy mystery films Category:American black-and-white films Category:American comedy horror films Category:American detective films Category:American films based on plays Category:American haunted house films Category:Warner Bros. films Category:Films set in lighthouses Category:American comedy mystery films Category:Films directed by William C. McGann Category:1937 English-language films Category:1937 American films Category:Films about cephalopods Category:English-language comedy horror films Category:English-language comedy mystery films Category:Films about witchcraft
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