Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

Directed by: Roger Corman

Starring: Richard Garland, Pamela Duncan, Russell Johnson

Man, even for Corman this movie is really bad. I know he’s an extremely economical filmmaker, but usually he’s able to keep a story together while the same five people move back and forth between the three sets they had for the entire movie. This thing… I’m just amazed anyone looked at this along the path of it’s production and said “yes, this is good. I like the way this is going.”

A group of scientists (including Russell Johnson, the Professor from Gilligan’s Island!) visit an island which was near where they did some nuclear testing to find that the previous expedition sent there had all disappeared or died. Strangely enough, they start hearing the disembodied voice from one of the assumed dead people and follow it down a hole… where it turns out to be owned by a giant crab monster which is made of electricity and is able to absorb people’s minds when it kills them. Also I think the crabs are blowing up the island with dynamite, for some reason.

This synopsis was only able to be brought to you after a lot of thought about this piece of shit, because it’s so full of stupid, contradictory information it’s nearly impossible to piece together while you’re watching it. Also, the whole thing that the crab monsters are made out of “negative energy” and they can just zap them with normal electricity to completely vaporize them is… it’s just so goddamn idiotic. And after they figure this out, it still takes them a half hour of trying other ways to kill it before they remember that they found the perfect weapon already. Arrgh, this movie pisses me off.