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Attack Of The Crab Monsters
[Allied Artists]
1957; b&w
Directed by Roger Corman
Starring: Pamela Duncan, Russell Johnson, Leslie Bradley & Mel Welles
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Another black and white classic from Corman's first decade in the director's chair. As with so many of his sci-fi-horror gems from this period, the man earns his paycheck by making so much out of so little. Set on a remote Pacific island (which, in reality, is various locales in L.A.'s Bronson Canyon and Griffith Park), Attack Of The Crab Monsters opens with a team of scientists arriving on the island to try to figure out how and why the previous group of eggheads disappeared without a trace. We get our first clue something's seriously amiss when a sailor on the supply boat falls overboard, just off the shoreline as the dinghy's about to dock. When his fellow crewmen haul him out of the water his head is missing! Then, as they all watch the seaplane that dropped them off fly away, it explodes leaving them essentially stranded. Oh, and did I mention the island has been subject to all kinds of crazy radiation and fallout from nearby nuclear testing? Well, now I have. And as we all know from Sci-Fi Movies 101, nuclear fallout always makes nature go crazy. (And this scenario is no exception.) The scientists start to explore the island, which seems to be plagued by constant earthquakes, tremors and aftershocks, and they soon realize the whole thing is beginning to crumble into the sea at an alarming pace. They also notice that even mother nature seems to have vacated the premises, as there are no birds, bugs or animals anywhere on the island. Except for a massive overabundance of land crabs, that is. As they probe the mystery of the disappearances further, not only do the new scientists begin to disappear as well, they discover even more crabs in the coves around the shoreline; giant land crabs. And by giant, I mean mutant to the point that their claws are big enough to grab and kill an adult human. (With a giant body to match.) Now, these scientists aren't exactly the most adept - with the exception of Russell Johnson, AKA the Professor on Gilligan's Island (who, in an oddly precognitive role, spends a good chunk of time rebuilding a radio with the hopes of contacting some form of rescue) - yet they manage to figure out the crabs are actually some sort of energy-absorbing beings who've found this shellfish form to be the most convenient for habitation, considering the surroundings. Then each dead scientist becomes a part of some sort of collective consciousness that variously appears as one or more giant crabs. (I know, it's a bit of a stretch but just go with it.) As the crabs begin to tunnel further under the island, causing the tremors and quakes, they become more and more aggressive in their attempts to kill the remaining scientists. It all boils down to a less-than-Earth-shattering conclusion, but one that clearly has the Roger Corman stamp all over it. (As does the rest of the film.) This is a classic not only for Corman fans but for '50s sci-fi and low budget fans as well. I know I'll be watching it again.
—the Kommandant
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