Attack of the Crab Monsters starts as a team of scientists are dropped off on an island where a previous team of scientists studying the effects of H-Bomb testing in the area mysteriously disappeared. Nuclear physicist Dr. Karl Weigland (Leslie Bradley) & his team consisting of geologist Dr. James Carson (Richard H. Cutting), botanist Dr. Jules Deveroux (Mel Welles) plus biologists Martha Hunter (Pamela Duncan) & Dale Drewer (Richard Garland) are on hand to continue the previous teams work. Navy man Hank Chapman (Russell Johnson) is on hand as well. The team quickly discover that they are not alone on the island as the radiation from the nuclear testing has created giant mutant psychic brain eating crabs who can absorb the thoughts & personality of those whose brain it eats! These killer crabs can also psychically shift land, as the island becomes smaller & more people fall victim to the crabs is there anyway the few remaining survivors can make if off the island alive & warn the rest of humanity about the killer crustaceans?
Produced & directed by Roger Corman I quite liked Attack of the Crab Monsters for what it was. The script by associate producer Charles B. Griffith tries just that little bit harder than most of the cheap monster films from this period, I don't think it would have made much difference if these were just 'ordinary' giant man-eating crabs but the whole psychic power they possess & the fact they can steal their victims personalities give Attack of the Crab Monsters something a bit different. The concept isn't exactly used to any great effect & as a whole the film is pretty straight forward but at least it tries. At an extremely short 60 odd minutes long Attack of the Crab Monsters moves along at a nice pace & it's never boring. The character's & dialogue are OK, it's all a bit clichéd & basic but everyone serves their purpose well enough. The climax feels a bit rushed & abrupt, I'd have liked to have seen more crab monsters too, I mean two crab monsters is a bit tight & the absolute minimum number of crab monsters you would need in a film called Attack of the Crab Monsters as any less the film would have had to have been called Attack of the Crab Monster, right? Anyway, this is probably one of the better 'giant monster on the loose' type films from the 50's & 60's, out of the ones I've seen anyway.
Director Corman knows how to make a film, I'm not saying he knows how to a make a good film but for the most part it's as good as one can expect & indeed hope from such a poverty stricken production. The crab monsters themselves (all two of 'em) look OK when they're static & not moving, unfortunately the special effects on them are awful, they don't so much as walk as glide across the floor, they're legs never move an inch! There is a scene with a headless body & a surprising bit when someone has their hand severed but generally speaking Attack of the Crab Monsters is pretty tame.
With a supposed budget of about $70,000 Attack of the Crab Monsters is a competent enough film when all things are considered, I've certainly sat through worse. The acting was rather stiff & static but then that's par for the course with these low budget monster films, isn't it?
Attack of the Crab Monsters is a decent way to pass an hour, it's by no means the best film ever made, far from it but it provides a certain amount of entertainment & fun if approached in the right frame of mind. Definitely worth a watch.
Produced & directed by Roger Corman I quite liked Attack of the Crab Monsters for what it was. The script by associate producer Charles B. Griffith tries just that little bit harder than most of the cheap monster films from this period, I don't think it would have made much difference if these were just 'ordinary' giant man-eating crabs but the whole psychic power they possess & the fact they can steal their victims personalities give Attack of the Crab Monsters something a bit different. The concept isn't exactly used to any great effect & as a whole the film is pretty straight forward but at least it tries. At an extremely short 60 odd minutes long Attack of the Crab Monsters moves along at a nice pace & it's never boring. The character's & dialogue are OK, it's all a bit clichéd & basic but everyone serves their purpose well enough. The climax feels a bit rushed & abrupt, I'd have liked to have seen more crab monsters too, I mean two crab monsters is a bit tight & the absolute minimum number of crab monsters you would need in a film called Attack of the Crab Monsters as any less the film would have had to have been called Attack of the Crab Monster, right? Anyway, this is probably one of the better 'giant monster on the loose' type films from the 50's & 60's, out of the ones I've seen anyway.
Director Corman knows how to make a film, I'm not saying he knows how to a make a good film but for the most part it's as good as one can expect & indeed hope from such a poverty stricken production. The crab monsters themselves (all two of 'em) look OK when they're static & not moving, unfortunately the special effects on them are awful, they don't so much as walk as glide across the floor, they're legs never move an inch! There is a scene with a headless body & a surprising bit when someone has their hand severed but generally speaking Attack of the Crab Monsters is pretty tame.
With a supposed budget of about $70,000 Attack of the Crab Monsters is a competent enough film when all things are considered, I've certainly sat through worse. The acting was rather stiff & static but then that's par for the course with these low budget monster films, isn't it?
Attack of the Crab Monsters is a decent way to pass an hour, it's by no means the best film ever made, far from it but it provides a certain amount of entertainment & fun if approached in the right frame of mind. Definitely worth a watch.