Friday night at the home drive-in: Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

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Poster for Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957) Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957) by #RogerCorman
w/#RichardGarland #PamelaDuncan

Scientists trapped on an island with intelligent, deadly giant crabs.

“From the depths of the sea… a tidal wave of terror!”
“We are unquestionably on the brink of a great discovery. It is not likely that that discovery will be of a pleasant nature…”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957) is another early-ish sci-fi horror film by Roger Corman. It stars Richard Garland, who was married to Beverly Garland for a few years. I’ve mentioned her before, as the star of The Alligator People (1959). Richard and Beverly divorced in 1956, the year before Attack of the Crab Monsters came out. Coincidentally, the movie was released as part of a double feature with Not of This Earth (1957), which starred Beverly Garland. 

Sadly, Richard Garland’s career seemed to fizzle after he developed a problem with alcohol, and he died In 1969, at the age of 41.

Also appearing in Attack of the Crab Monsters is Russell Johnson, who some of us remember as The Professor on Gilligan’s Island (1964-1967). Funny that this movie and that TV show are both about a group of people stranded on an island. I used to watch reruns of Gilligan’s Island as a kid, and I thought it was pretty funny. But there were no giant mutant shellfish on Gilligan’s Island – at least not that I can remember – and as an adult, I would much rather watch Attack of the Crab Monsters.

Charles B. Griffith wrote the screenplay for Attack of the Crab Monsters, and he wrote a lot of movies for Roger Corman. He in fact wrote Not of This Earth (1957) for Corman, which is generally considered to be the better of the two movies. But Attack of the Crab Monsters contains a lot of interesting ideas – perhaps too many, as one of my Twitter acquaintances suggested. But too many ideas is far better than no ideas at all, so I say bravo.

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957) is a fun example of a late 1950s sci-fi horror movie about giant bugs/beasts/seafood – whatever. It manages to be fairly different from most others, too. So once again, Roger Corman delivers a #NotQuiteClassicCinema gem that will always be a welcome inclusion on a #FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn.

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