The Creeping Terror (1964)

After a couple of days of Italian Horror, I decided to venture back into one of the box sets that I have been going through. This one is from the 12 Creature Features set and it is the 1964 entry The Creeping Terror. 

Plot/ A newlywed sheriff tries to stop a shambling monster that has emerged from a spaceship to eat the citizens of an American town.

Some movies are bad, and yes, some are really bad. Then you get to movies like this one that take you to a new low. If you have read my blog regularly, you already know hat I am a sucker for classic sci-fi and horror from the 1950s and 1960, and that I can often look past the inherent flaws that comes along with those creature feature. Unfortunately, this movie, while hilarious, has no such appeal. Honestly, this may be the worst movie I have ever watched regardless of the budget. There is really nothing that it can lean on to save itself. The acting, the lighting, the cinematography, the sets, and the effects are absolutely laughable and do not have any redeeming qualities. Yet, there is something with this one, and the bizarre nature of the entire production that makes it a fun watch every so often. In the end, if you decide to make the jump and give this one a shot, then be warned, it is nowhere near a good movie (although the MST3K edition is decent) and you may regret your decision.

The Wasp Woman (1959)

After diving into the They Crawl set yesterday, I decided that I needed to find something mindless to help me truly process the end of Twin Peaks: The Return. With that in mind, I dove back into the 12 Creature Features set for the 1959 Roger Corman entry, The Wasp Woman.

Plot/ A cosmetics queen develops a youth formula from jelly taken from queen wasps, failing to anticipate the typical hoary side effects.

No one can draw me into classic no-budget horror/sci-fi than Roger Corman. I know that I grew up a little late to enjoy the classic Saturday afternoon matinee, but I did have a chance to enjoy the afternoon and midnight Horror Hosts and his movies were a staple. This one may be one of his more creative efforts and a flick that is extremely entertaining. Most importantly, it has become a staple on multiple box sets that are readily available. This one has an interesting, yet predictable storyline that actually shows some depth with some small subtle twists. It also features some solid performances, decent pacing, and some suspense. Yes, there are some uneven effects that push the limits and the overall cinematography does suffer from the extremely low budget, but what else would you expect from the era of schlock-filled sci-fi gems. In the end, this one is better than most flicks on this latest box set and a movie that those who enjoy classic sci-fi schlock should enjoy. If you are a Corman fan or a person who just loved the classic creature feature, check it out.

Horrors of Spider Island (1960)

It was such a dreary day outside today. Fortunately, that gave me a chance to kick back and watch so no budget creature features. The first one up is the 1960 entry Horrors of Spider Island (AKA Body in a Web).

Plot/ Survivors of a plane crash on a remote island find spiders cover it. When bitten, the survivors start turning into spiders!

When I decided that I needed a trip into the classic era of low budget cinema tonight, little did I expect to take a trip into the abyss of the no budget misery? This one is bad; maybe the worst flick in either of these creature feature sets. While the cast was intriguing, there was not a lot of depth for them to work with. The movie features terrible editing, a ton of filler, and many of the effects are below low budget. Sure, the spider man make-up is decent for that era, but that in no way is enough to save this one. The unfortunate part is that the movie had potential and would be an interesting flick to see rehashed by the creativity defunct studios in Hollywood. In the end, this one is nowhere near a good movie; unless you are looking for a schlock-filled way to pass some time, stay away.

Attack of the Monsters (1969)

As I said yesterday, I needed something mindless and turned to my 12 Creature Features set. Even after the first movie from the set I watched last night, I needed more. That is when I broke down and continued a Gamera marathon with Attack of the Monsters (AKA Gamera vs. Guiron) from1969.

Plot/ Aliens kidnap two children and take them to another planet for the purpose of getting knowledge from their brains, but Gamera follows and tries to rescue them.

So, I went down a Gamera rabbit hole last night and did not come out until I was two movies into it. Incredibly, this flick was even more ludicrous than the first one, but it was also quite entertaining and laughable. This entry had everything fans of this genre will appreciate including crazy monsters made from rubber suits, uneven audio dubbing, and a fascinating storyline that goes off in multiple directions when you least expect it. More of a kid-centric film than the tamest Godzilla entry, this schlockfest is both entertaining and comical, plus it features some decent acting and decent cinematography for what it is. Yes, all of those technical aspects could be considered flaws (and will be from those who didn’t grow up with these creatures), but they are part of the charm. In the end, while I did like Gammera the Invincible more, this one was rather entertaining and did a great job taking me back to my youth. If you are like me and a fan of 1960s monster driven schlock, give this one a shot. It is a blast and kept me entertained.

Gammera the Invincible (1966)

All right, I had planned to review a film that I rented at Family Video, however, that movie was even worse than some of my latest selections. Needing to clear my mind, I decided to head back into some of the schlockfests that came with my 12 Creature Features set, after some debate, I decided on the 1966 American release Gammera the Invincible.

Plot/ An atomic explosion awakens Gammera--a giant, fire-breathing turtle monster--from his millions of years of hibernation. Enraged at being roused from such a sound sleep, he takes it out on Tokyo.

Fans of no-budget monster flicks from the 1960s and 70s should already know what expect from this one; a lower budgeted Godzilla type flick full of cheese and schlock. In fact, this one offers that and more. Yes, there are the cheesy effects with a rubber suit and miniature cities, the storyline is unfathomable and hilarious, the dialog and dubbing while bad and uneven make this one extremely entertaining and laughable. Plus, the soundtrack is awesome and the Cold War tensions are perfect! Of course, for non-fans of this genre, they will say this is a miserable movie with very few redeemable qualities; to them, I say grab some popcorn and free your mind. In the end, technically, there are definitely many flaws, but then again, that was part of the charm of these movies when watching them on the Saturday morning creature features on a UHF channel. If you are from that generation, you should definitely agree with me on that. This one is easy to find in the bargain bins, find it and check it out.

Kong Island (1968)

As I lay here relaxing after spending some time in the hot tub here in Columbus, I figured it was time to jump into the blog. My next selection for review is a movie that I believe no one else should ever suffer through, the 1968 creature feature Kong Island (AKA King of Kong Island).

Plot/ A group of mad scientists travel to Kong Island where they implant receptors into the brains of gorillas planning to create a gorilla war for world domination. Out to break a few heads is a descendant of King Kong.

I decided to go back to the no-budget creature feature collection I picked up, but I definitely picked the wrong movie. There is really nothing I can say about this film that could make me feel better about watching it. Yes, it is THAT bad. There is no coherent storyline, there is no Kong (or island), the effects are beyond bad, and the performances are not even uneven (terrible comes to mind). Yes, there are some good-looking women sprinkled throughout the film, but even that cannot do anything to stop the train wreck. While I understand that there were tremendous budget constraints, but even that cannot be used as an excuse for this miserable piece of cinema. In the end, if this wasn’t part of this set, I doubt I would have ever heard about it. Unfortunately, I sat through it, now I hope to stop you from suffering the same fate. Stay away!

The Crater Lake Monster (1977)

Yesterday, I decided to pick up a great collection of low budget gold in the 12 Creature Feature box set. For me, this is a perfect set of movies that fit with the mindless entertainment binge I have been on when not watching Twin Peaks: The Return. The first movie from that set that graced my screen was the 1977 entry The Crater Lake Monster.

Plot/ A meteor that crashed into Oregon's Crater Lake unearths a dinosaur egg. The heat from the meteor causes the egg to hatch, and the emerging dinosaur takes to snacking on the locals.

Before I start this review, if you watch this and expect something phenomenal and/or Oscar caliber, it is time for you to turn away. That is not saying that this is terrible, but it is a no-budget creature feature from the 1970s and it definitely comes with the typical flaws that plague this type of schlockfest. There was a lot to like with some tremendous stop-motion animation considering the budget and the era. Plus the decision to use a Plesiosaurus was awesome considering the connection to some of the Loch Ness Theories that exist. Yes, the performances the film feels dated, were uneven, the lake is definitely not the real Crater Lake, and the storyline is all over the place and incoherent at times, but that just adds to the classic drive-in campiness that came with this eras low budget creature features. In the end, this is a movie that any fan of 1970s stop-motion animation will love. Sure, the schlock factor is high, but if you can suspend reality for a short period of time, you may get a kick out of this sci-fi creature feature.

Horror of the Zombies (1974)

I hate rainy, dreary days because it keeps my daughters stuck inside the house. To pass some time (when I had a small window, I ventured into the cheesy Drive-In Classics Box Set for something a bit different. I chose Horror of the Zombies (El buque maldito), being in an undead mood. This 1974 version of devil worshipping undead Knights Templar seemed like just the ticket.

Plot/ Two models are stranded in a motor cruiser in the middle of the ocean. It's only meant to be a publicity stunt, a way of stirring up interest in the boat itself; but they soon prove to be in real trouble. They're set upon by a 16th century galleon enshrouded by a fog. They each board the ghost ship, and each one disappears. Soon, the sporting goods magnate who hired the two girls sets out to find them. He is joined by his conniving right-hand man; the head of the modeling agency; a third model who is a lover to one of the missing girls; and a scientist from the weather bureau who is convinced something supernatural is going on. They all end up on the galleon, where they discover its crew are the undead Satan-worshiping Knights Templar.

Horror of the Zombies is a interesting film because it definitely has its extremes. However, I honestly believe that it will put most people to sleep. I found it interesting because of the tremendous atmosphere that was created in the scenes shot on the galleon, much of it had a unique quality that is often overlooked in movies. On top of that, the Knights Templars really look the part of evil undead. Unfortunately, that is where the positives stop. The rest of the film lacks quality, and is rather slow and gore free with some of the worst special effects I have ever seen (the miniature ghost galleon in the bath tub is terrible). These effects are so bad that they almost totally ruin the film, couple that with terrible acting and audio and you have a true snoozer (I guess that is why it was on the Drive-In Classics Box Set). In the end, there are good and bad elements scattered throughout, but it is definitely not worth anything more that a rainy afternoon fill-in if there is nothing else on. To save you the trouble of searching for it, you can watch it here if you are interested.

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful, but the Snowbeast Inside is Delightful.

As I sit down and prepare to be blanketed by another snowstorm (at least I should be off work for a couple days), I decided it was time to hit the Drive-In Movie Classics 50 Movie Pack I grabbed a few weeks ago to see what it had in store. That is when I saw the classic, made-for-TV Bigfoot flick, Snowbeast. As the snow starts to fall, what else could I choose to keep me company until the wife finishes the design project she is working on.

When I was kid, the made-for-TV movies were all the rage on our three channels (four if you count UHF)  and there was part of me that could remember Snowbeast. As I stated in one of my earlier blogs, The Legend of Boggy Creek was one of my favorites and this film was on par with that. In fact, in many ways it was better because you actually get to see the monster on different occasions throughout the film.

As the movie moves along, it is clear that Jaws  was a major influence behind the idea of making the movie. The basic premise is an ex-Olympic skier and wife (complete with a troubled marriage) go up to a ski lodge for him to find a job and save their marriage. Fortunately, the creature steps in and sets the stage for all of that plus more to come true. It did help that the resort owner and her grandson decided to keep the suspicion of the existence of the monster under-wraps so their Winter Carnival could be a success (Weren’t they in for a shock)!

Yes, the movie has is flaws like focusing in on the underlying soap-opera with the couples marriage, and it  had the typical plot twist fueled by money and greed, but with all that being said, it was definitely worth the time I spent watching it. Of course, as a person that loves to reminisce about my youth by watching cheesy 70s “B” movies, I am a bit biased. The movie does offer some interesting twists and the bloodshed was actually a lot more than expected from a TV Movie. Now, I wouldn’t tell you to run out a buy it, but if it is part of a collection you picked up, give it a chance, there are many worse films out there.

vote it up!