Customer Reviews

Attack of the Crab Monsters [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Remember those hokey old "B" thrillers from the 50's? Remember your youth when it seemed like everyone had seen every 'monster' movie and loved to talk about it?

I remember having a friend over for the evening, watching our old B&W tv, and throwing a blanket over the monitor and ourselves -- we were in a drive-in *grin*. Shows like this were what we watched.

This film is a great 'time trip' back to those early days of monster movies when atom bomb testing (did we really detonate those things above ground?) was the cause for every mutation or monster loosed on humanity. As a young boy, it had scared me -- the voices in the night and an island which kept getting smaller gave me dreams. Of course, today's film crowd would hoot at it. But it's not the cinematography, special effects or even the story that makes this flick one worth adding to your library. It's the wistful return to our youth that gives it charm.

If you were born after 1970, you'll probably not have much in common with this film -- bypass it. However, if you grew up watching 'Chiller Theater' and 'Movie of the Week', this film will transport you back in time to the less complex world of our childhood.

I'm a big fan of the 50's monster movies. A test blast of the atomic bomb mutated the crabs into giant size. The first research party to study the island disapeared so they send in a second research party. Need I say more? I looked forward to watching this movie because it was my favorite as a kid. I just ordered this and was very disapointed with quality of this video. It was the worst quality video I have ever purchased. It looked like they copied off a TV that was on the runway of a large airport. The entire movie was fuzzy and a few times the whole picture was blanked out. Very disapointing. ...

If you see only one talking crab monster movie in your life then this 1957 bad B-movie from director Roger Corman is the one to check out. The monsters are stupid looking, the dialog is laughable, but just keep in mind the film's tagline--"From the depths of the sea... a tidal wave of terror!"--and enjoy the film. The idea is that some scientist types are off to a Pacific island to study the effects of atomic radiation (they are bad; worse than you can imagine). What they discover are a pair of giant crabs who (wait until you hear this) ate the previous group of scientists, thereby absorbing their knowledge and allowing them to imitate the voices of their human victims so they can get more people to munch on. Just to make things fair the humans have guns and grenades, but they are trapped on the island when their plane explodes and bad weather stops their radios from working. Oh, and did I mention that the island is slowly sinking into the sea?

Of course the scientists are mostly menu items, which leaves it to our hero, Hank (Russell "The Professor" Johnson), who proudly declares "I'm no scientist, I'm a technician and a handy man." Well, those are the people who made this country and most monster movies great. The human voices from the crabs are rather lame, but the clicking sound they make with their pinchers has its moments. This is a nice example of an early Corman quick and dirty production, the second of nine films the director made that year: "Not of This Earth," "Naked Paradise," "Teenage Doll," "The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent," "The Undead," "Sorority Girl," "Rock All Night," and "Carnival Rock." But none of those have fake looking talking crabs rolling around on wheels on a sinking island talking with the voices of the human beings they consumed. Look for screenwriter Charles B. Griffith as Tate and keep in mind that actors Beach Dickerson (Ron Fellows) and Ed Nelson (Ensign Quinlan) are doing double-duty as the operators of the crab monsters. "Attack of the Crab Monsters" definitely goes in the so bad it is good category. In fact, this one might become your textbook definition of bad Science Fiction B-Movie. It is a two-star movie but a four-star experience.

I've wanted to get this movie on video for years, and finally got one thanks to Amazon. A glorious low-budget Roger Corman piece that has some surprisingly clever ideas in its script, and a bit of genuinely creepy atmosphere. Sure, the crab monsters themselves are a bit naff, but that's exaactly what you expect when you watch a movie like this. If you can't appreciate the finer points of a B-movie, you should obviously stay well away. But if you remember watching this one on television when you were a kid, like me, you may find yourself drawn to it the same way I was.

The print used for the video is not very good, unfortunately. Too much contrast, and it looks like it's more than one generation down from the master video copy. It makes it difficult to see what's happening at times. I don't know if other editions have better video quality. Although the edition I have is recorded at SP, it almost looks as if it were dubbed from an EP tape.

But you know what? I'm still happy I have the video. Any Saturday morning I can escape back to my childhood by watching a cheap B&W monster flick is a good one to me, and this is a perfect movie to fit the bill.

The popular internet film database that everyone goes to for advice on films rates this as 3.7/10. For a B horror film from the late 1950's, I totally disagree. This film is between 7 and 8 out of 10. It blends the typical tale of the late 50's of scientists investigating strange happenings and reaping the effects of the nuclear age. The entire film is just over an hour in length, so it doesn't have a chance to drag. Until I saw it on TCM, I have only seen second-rate DVD copies since I first saw it on the late show on some UHF station back in 1972 when I was babysitting. The acting and dialogue are adequate enough, and you have your obligatory late 1950's beautiful female scientist thrown into the mix to add a touch of spice. The idea of mutated creatures growing gigantic in size and turning on the human population had been done before. The gimick that makes this film unique is that the giant crabs ingest the minds of their victims as well, including their knowledge and cunning which they now turn against their surviving former companions. The disembodied victims then "speak" to the survivors through metal objects, either trying to trick them or warning them that "resistance is futile". In the end, only two of the scientists survive - I won't tell you which two. Great fun and a good blend of camp (the rubber crabs and claws) and horror.

As far as video quality, the copy I saw on Turner Classic Movies last night is the best I've ever seen - video and audio-wise it was perfection. The DVD rights to Allied Artists' movies, of which this is one, belong to Warner Home Video. Thus I would not be surprised if this was a warm-up broadcast for a film to be released in Warners' Cult Camp Classics series, which is how they have been releasing the other Allied Artists B-rated horror and sci-fi films. Thus, I would advise waiting and seeing if Warner does indeed release the copy I saw last night. The wait would be worth it. The copies currently on DVD, including this one, just don't measure up.

Another Roger Corman classic staring monsters from the deep. This time we have a research team investigating an island for effects of radiation. We all know that radiation in a black and white film creates monsters. This time is no exception.

In typical Corman fashion, the plot is established and the terror begins and at first we only see the handywork of the monsters and not the monsters themselves. As quakes wrack the island, causing large sections to disappear, and scientists disappear, we become aware that there are some nast giant crabs on the island. They have been eating the scientists and causing the island to sink. If that wasn't enough, they have absorbed the knowledge, and voices, of those they have eaten.

The film climaxes with the final battle between the survivors and the crabs on all that remains of the island (about 10 yards across).

This is the type of movie that makes B-movies so much fun. Monsters, suspense, bad effects, melodrama and sinking islands. Great film.

I grew up on movies like this, so I'm a rabid fan. I mean, Giant, radiated landcrabs who devour humans and take on their personalities?? What could be better?! This stars Russell Johnson (It Came From Outer Space, This Island Earth) and is one of Roger Corman's best directorial efforts. However, this particular dvd release is awful! It's some dvd-r burned version of some vhs tape that must have sat melting in the hot sun! Too bad, as the movie itself is a personal favorite. Buyer beware...

This movie was another Grade B gem from the master of these
types of films Roger Corman.A rescue party is sent to an island
to rescue a group of scientists.The rescue party discovers that earthquakes are decimating the island. They make a scarier discovery in the forms of giant crabs who have undergrown a
tremendous growth cycle because of atomic testing.One by one
these monster crabs kill and eat the members of the rescue team.
It is an all out battle for survival.Who will win? The monster
crabs or the rescue team members.This movie stays exciting until
the ending. This is a unique film that you will enjoy.

I once had a wisdom tooth extracted and, in trying to tell my dentist the title of this movie, after completely describing the plot, all I could only say was, "It Happened One Night." Yeah, I told him, "Hey, no more Nitrous Oxide" but it made me wonder....had seeing this movie on TV 20 years ago when I was 10 leave me hypnotized? Had the Crab Monsters stolen my mind and replaced pertinent information with images of Clark Gable? It was the hideous effect of those dirty Reds, I was sure. So if you want to test the mettle of your mental faculties and your patriotism (plus have a great time) BUY THIS MOVIE! (Join us, Human! Give up your will and click "send video now" or die!)

This by far the the worst VHS mastering I have ever seen.
My comment on the movie itself is the story was effective the acting was a bit HAMMY, the special effects are Corman. In my Corman Rating scale the movie would be a three or a four.

When I was eight I would have been scared as hell!

The tape itself was impossible to play on a vcr!
Major problems!
Look for an other release or wait for the DVD!