Attack of the Crab Monsters

A bunch of people are on a remote island. They're there to study the effects of an H bomb explosion that took place nearby (uh oh). There was a former group there--but they disappeared without a trace (double uh-oh). Then they start to hear the voices of the former crew call to them at night...

I'm making this sound creepier than it actually is. This is basically a low LOW budget B movie with an admittedly novel idea (which I won't reveal). The cast of characters are the usual assortment we get in movies like this--a bunch of scientists (including Russell Johnson years before he played a scientist on "Gilligan's Island"), a muscular hero type (Richard Garland) and a hot woman (Pamela Duncan). The acting is actually good and the script pretty literate for this type of film. As for the giant crabs-----well it IS a Roger Corman picture! They're pretty funny--they look like they're made of paper mache and move VERY awkwardly. They're more funny than anything else. Still, this is a fun if silly B picture. You could do worse. I give it a 6.

I've got to tell you right from the start; I'm not a fan of these giant monster films. I am, however, a big fan of Roger Corman - and even though this silly flick isn't anything near as good as films such as his 'Edgar Allen Poe series', The Attack of the Giant Crab Monsters is a worthwhile B-movie. The film is typically low budget and not very well made, and it's not hard to believe that Roger Corman churned out dozens of these films. As the title suggests, the film follows the idea of a bunch of giant crab monsters - and when Corman says 'Giant Crab Monsters', he really isn't kidding as these things are huge! Basically, we follow a bunch of scientists researching a nuclear bomb site. The plot is hardly original, but seeing the giant crabs is fun and the acting in this film is always going to raise a smile. Attack of the Crab Monsters does show some imagination with its monsters, however, as the crabs have the ability to take in their victims conscious. It's not the greatest idea in the history of bad B-movies, but it is strangely chilling and the film is better for it. I can't say that there's a lot here for people who aren't into B-movies, but those that are should check it out.

Whether Roger Corman likes it or not this is one of the movies he will always be remembered for. Radiation gets the blame again and spawns mutant crabs who can walk forward (something no real crab can do), talk, and absorb the brains of the people they eat. These ambitious soft shelled terrors want to conquer the world and digest the brains of several scientists to gain the know-how to do that. Believe me, a giant crab with a PHd. is a dangerous thing! Corman's usual stock company does very well here. Mel Welles and Leslie Bradley sport believeable accents, Richard Garland and Pamela Duncan (both of whom would be in THE UNDEAD the same year) are a fine couple, Russell Johnson is great and Beech Dickerson is the comedy relief. If we can believe Ed Nelson, he is the one who was under the giant crab and he also dimly recalled Jack Nicholson hanging around the location pestering Roger for something to do so maybe Jack was helping move the crab around too. Gore is non existant (it was 1957 for cryin' out loud!) except for a decapitation at the start of the film (interestingly (symbolically?) the victim is Charles Griffith who wrote the screenplay). Can I get serious for a moment now? Would someone get in touch with Roger and get him to round up the cast members who are still alive and release this on DVD with an audio commentary track? There IS a market for this movie out there and a 45th anniversary edition would, in my opinion, sell very well. Roger . . .er . . .Mr. Corman, if perchance you should read this, get in touch with me.

Having read many of the previous User comments, I'm glad that I am not alone in having enjoyed this interesting little film. FIRST and foremost to remember ... ROGER CORMAN! That's ALL you need to know! MR. CORMAN was the KING of Drive-In "B" Films during the 1950's and absolutely no KUBRICK, CAMERON, or SPIELBERG could compare with his success or impact in film history. His films were FUN, HARMLESS and MEMORABLE! They weren't Box Office bonanzas, blockbusters or star-laden, but he simply gave you the most BANG for your BUCK (which was probably sometimes his budget!) in entertainment. Not one of his films was a standout, true CLASSIC of Cinema Art, but by gum... I'll bet you can remember EVERY damned ONE of his many films, who starred in each one, and each thinly disguised storyline. "ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS" was a wonderful bit of schlock theater and I enjoyed every innocent minute of it (read the other reviews for details). His great Monster Movie Posters lined the hallways of many a cinema, and not one of them told the truth, but the truth was ... they were fun to watch! Remember - if you can't see the STRINGS on the Flying Saucers, or the ZIPPER on the CREATURES back ... it ain't worth the time.

Roger Corman's Attack of the Crab Monsters is just one of many cheapo monster movies from the 50s to blame nuclear fallout for messing up nature, and features lots of the elements one might quite rightly expect from the genre—a team of brave US scientists (including the obligatory pretty female doctor), wooden acting, unconvincing locations, and crummy effects. However, it also manages to present a few unique ideas that elevate it above many of the standard 'mutated monster on the loose' creature features of the era.

The critters that grow to massive proportions in this film are land crabs that have been exposed to radiation from A-bomb tests, but rather than simply being scaled-up versions of regular crustaceans, these guys possess an atomic structure consisting of liquid in a permanent form, making them extremely hard to destroy; they also have the ability to assimilate their victims, absorb their knowledge, and lure further victims to their death by talking to them telepathically. Pretty far-fetched I know, but very creepy, the crabs eerie, echoey, disembodied voices being surprisingly effective.

Of course, given the movie's low low budget, the monsters themselves are pretty rubbish—awkwardly moving lumps of papier-mâché with gangly legs dangling uncontrollably, coat-hanger antennae, and massive human-like eyes that look really daft—but I wouldn't have it any other way: a badly designed, poorly constructed monster is half the charm of a B-movie like this.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for a couple of surprisingly nasty moments (a decapitated body and a severed hand—in black and white, but still pretty gruesome) and the somewhat unnecessary but enjoyable underwater swim by Pamela Duncan.