Welcome one and all back to the page.
For those of you who read over last week's Italian Exploitation
Week...let's just say I do not want to have to give further examples
of such for a bit. No more requests for that for a few, please.
This time around I thought it would be fun to dust off these
particular films and give them a view. I speak of..THE RETURN OF
CULT CLASSICS!!!!
That being said I checking out films
that have been requested or some that have been deemed too obscure
for the readers of younger ilk and will spark memories for those of
you that are 40+. Today's cinema treat hails from an old friend of
ours on Rotten Reelz Reviews, Roger Corman
and you cannot get more cult than the man with the nose for talent.
Howabout a movie with atomic mutations? Tough, that is the film of
the day. Lump it. This is Attack of the Crab Monsters.
 |
| Get me, I'm attacking the credits. |
A
gathering of scientists are off exploring a remote island (Santa
Catalina Island in the Channel Islands in Cali)
to observe, record and document the effects of nuclear weapons
testing on the island's fauna and flora. Well this is the fifties,
so bound the be radioactive giant monsters one would think. Trolled
in via boat and seaplane, our team of fact finders is lead by Dr.Karl
Weigand (Leslie Bradley of
The Crimson Pirate, Attack of the Crab Monsters, Tarzan and the
Trappers and Teenage Cave Man).
His team consists of: geologist James Carson (Richard H
Cutting of Magnificent Obsession, South Pacific, The Monolith
Monsters, Attack of the Crab Monsters, Wagon Train and The Green
Hornet),biologists Jules
Deveroux (Mel Welles of Abbot and Costello Meet the
Mummy, The Little Shop of Horrors, Wolfen, Chopping Mall, Lazer Tag
Academy, Commando Squad and Invasion Earth: The Aliens Are Here)
Martha Hunter (Pamela Duncan of The Ring, Fireside
Theater, Dragonfly Squadron, Return from the Sea, The Undead, Blondie
and My Gun is Quick) Dale
Drewer (Richard Garland of Dragnet, Friendly Persuasion,
Attack of the Crab Monsters, The Undead, My Gun is Quick, Lassie, 26
Men and Cheyenne) and
technician/handyman Hank Chapman (Russell Johnson of
This Island Earth, Lux Video Theatre, Badman's Country, Black Saddle,
Gilgan's Island, Gunsmoke and The Horror at 37,000 Feet)
 |
| Staaaaaay..on those results, dear. |
No
sooner have they landed on the island that earthquakes start sheering
the island down and one of the sailors falls in the water and he
dies. Shocker. Dale and Martha go for a dip behind the rocks when
Martha hears a voice from the distance sounding like an old
colleague. One believed to be dead from the previous expedition.
She and Dale explore a cave (That is the fricking Bronson
Caves of Bronson Canyon of Griffith Park!!!)
to find two energy based, giant crabs that seem to have the
intelligence of their former friend.
 |
| Folks, back in the boat. This is Dinosaur Island. |
Yup, crabs that
hunger for brains and assimilation. Giant Zombie Borgs...that are
crabs. Immune to conventional firearms (because every expedition
needs guns and rifles) our plucky collective have to thing fast on
how to handle these creatures before there is no more island from
them to hatch a scheme to leave. What if the crabs mate? Will their
brood be able to get to the mainland, scuttling from the bottom of
the ocean?
Interesting side
note is this film was released to the drive-ins as a double feature
along with the original Not of This Earth. VHS, LaserDisc, DVD and
even Blu-Ray have done the very same thing. Well DVD usually lumps
the two movies in with some other Corman flicks but those are the
less than official releases. Standard Black & White 35 mm, this
film had a budget of 70,000 and the effects for the creatures are
really not bad for the time period. The print was so bad I had to
take screen captures from one of the many trailers I found on
Youtube.
Actor/Producer
Beach Dickerson was the crab operator and it was said that Jack
Nicholson was bored being nothing more than a gaffer at the time
also was a crab wrangler as well. One could say The Irishman has
come along way since that. You gotta feel for Corman not being able
to afford have Jack back on the sets. Many of you MST3K fans will
recognize Richard Garland as Pendragon and Pamela Duncan as
Diane/Helene from Season 8 of the title, The Undead. STAAAAAAAYYY!!!!!
 |
| I still feel a sonic screwdriver made of coconuts is the answer. |
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