[3], This low-budget feature was regarded as one of the more successful "regional films". Now in the public domain, the film has had multiple DVD releases and was featured in the fourth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000. United National Film Corporation Studios - 2312 Grand Avenue, Dallas, Texas, USA. Get Ready for Halloween with Some Vintage Horror on Turner Classic Movies this September and October, Creature feature Return of the Killer Shrews gets a poster and trailer, You’re in for a “Shrewd Awakening” in Hysterical Music Video from Return Of The Killer Shrews Soundtrack, Sicko-Psychotic: Something Sick & Twisted This Way Comes. Hearing the sound and mistaking it for Rook, Thorne nearly opens the door to let him in but is stopped from doing so by Jerry and Marlowe who make him realize the truth of the matter. A group of drunken scientists battle with dogs dressed as rabid shrews in The Killer Shrews (1959). Killer Shrews Yes 10. Unfortunately, his experiments have also created some giant shrews. Also known as just The Killer Shrews, it was the brainchild of Texas millionaire Gordon McLendon. [2] Close-ups of the shrews were filmed using hand puppets, and for the wider shots, coonhounds were costumed as the shrews. [9], Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of films in the public domain in the United States, http://www.dallasobserver.com/content/printView/9208764, https://bloody-disgusting.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2162, https://cinespiria.com/2016/12/07/film-review-the-killer-shrews-1959/, https://diaboliquemagazine.com/return-killer-shrews-dvd-review/, http://buffalonews.com/2018/05/25/memorial-day-weekend-has-diet-of-movies-featuring-bagels-killer-shrews/, Bad Movies extended plot summary and review, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Killer_Shrews&oldid=1017173376, Articles needing additional references from October 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles to be expanded from October 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, McLendon-Radio Pictures Distributing Company, This page was last edited on 11 April 2021, at 08:03. Due to his claustrophobia though, Jerry refuses to get into the makeshift armor and remains behind, isolating himself on the roof and watching the mutants chase after the lashed-together drums. A disparate group are trapped on a remote island by a hurricane. As he dies, Radford, ever the dutiful researcher, records the symptoms of the venom on his typewriter, right up to the moment of his death. Unfortunately for the humans, the rains are weakening the house's adobe walls, allowing the Killer Shrews to burrow their way in. Special effects were provided by first-time director Kellogg, who served as the head of 20th Century Fox's special effects department throughout most of the 1950s. Global panic ensues when it is revealed that a mysterious UFO is actually a giant bird that flies at supersonic speed and has no regard for life or architecture. Scientists become trapped on a shrinking island with intelligent, murderous giant crabs. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. A disparate group are trapped on a remote island by a hurricane. This, apparently, will help prevent over population. The shrews are poisonous dressed up dogs that attack buildings, trees and whatever moves. The Killer Shrews are a dangerous group of gigantic carnivorous rodents that appeared as the titular main antagonists of the 1959 classic horror film The Killer Shrews, and its 2012 sequel Return of the Killer Shrews. I wish they'd not killed off the first mate so soon, now he was watchable. Gradually as they talk Thorne and Ann become more and more attracted to each other, causing Jerry to become jealous. The opening, for instance, hooks you immediately while giving you the premise in a nutshell. Enraged by the multiple attempts to kill him Thorne beats Jerry senseless and nearly throws him to the shrews but thinks better of it and spares him instead. On an isolated island, a small group of people are terrorized by giant voracious shrews in the midst of a hurricane. An overly chatty first two acts take place primarily inside the living room of the island’s house. The Killer Shrews is an independently made 1959 American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Ken Curtis and Gordon McLendon, directed by Ray Kellogg, that stars James Best, Ingrid Goude and Ken Curtis. Just view for yourself. Radford later discovers Mario's death was due to a highly toxic venom in the dead shrew's saliva, the result of the creatures adapting to the poisoned bait the researchers had placed in the wild in a previous attempt to kill them off. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? 2. I'm sure you could cry foul at this but if you do so then you'd be taking the film way too serious. The film also starred John Schneider and Rick Hurst, Best's co-stars in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). It has been released on DVD and is considered a cult classic. The Killer Shrews is so bad...it's good and, being one of Stephen King's favorite Horror flicks, it may be better than you think! During this mission, the two of them discover Rook has been eaten by the creatures and Jerry's jealousy over Anna's attraction to Thorne leads him to try and shoot his rival only for Thorne to disarm Jerry. [8], The remake/parody Attack of the Killer Shrews was released in 2016 by White Lion Studios. Bruce Davison took the role of Jerry. The black and white, stormy environment, being on an island, all helped to create a surreal atmosphere when watching. Before the two visitors can get too comfortable though the islanders, to their surprise, begin to insist that the ship leave immediately and take Anna with them, even though a hurricane is fast approaching the island. “The Killer Shrews” certainly has a thick slice of Swiss cheesing up the atmosphere, as it isn’t fooling anyone regarding where the production did not spend its money. The lighthouse keeper, widowed and estranged from the town folk, has been secretly ... See full summary ». Factory for not blocking it. [5], Leonard Maltin awarded the movie 2.5 out of 4 stars, calling it "an inventive but silly sci-fi tale".[6]. View production, box office, & company info. 1. A well meaning scientist guides an alien monster to Earth from Venus, so that he can rid mankind of feelings and emotions - but only death and sorrow results. Marlowe then attempts to reassure Thorne that they are safe in the building from the shrews but his attempts quickly falter when Thorne points out a fact the Doctor has overlooked. The captain of a supply boat, Thorne Sherman, and his Dixieland-Jazz-loving first mate and engineer "Rook" Griswald land on a remote island to deliver provisions to a research team that is using shrews as test subjects. Unlike other regional films, however, it received national and even foreign distribution.[4]. Unfortunately, his experiments have also created some giant shrews. Thorne, Ann, and Marlowe meanwhile manage to reach the shoreline and after ditching the armor they swim out to the boat. The giant shrew is subsequently finished off by Thorne who then attempts to treat Mario's wound only for him to die regardless. The film co-stars Gordon McLendon, Baruch Lumet and "Judge" Henry Dupree. On the island, a doctor works to make humans twice as small as we already are. Derek Eaten Killer Shrews Yes 14. I try not to over analyze the old B horror movies such as this. Back at Deep 13, Frank also drinks some, only to wind up with a sugar rush. A giant lizard terrorizes a rural Texas community and a heroic teenager attempts to destroy the creature. Shortly afterward the storm makes landfall and the shrews dig through the floor of the compound's barn and begin attacking the livestock. The monster, which looks like a snarling "Creature from the Black Lagoon," invades a sleepy seaside town. Later that night though one of the mutant shrews takes advantage of a broken window and makes its way into the basement. While there are many issues with some of them, the cast is still quite likable and that includes James Best as the leader, Ingrid Goude as the semi love interest and Gordon McLendon and Baruch Lumet as the doctors. A doctor experimenting with transplant techniques keeps his girlfriend's head alive when she is decapitated in a car crash, then goes hunting for a new body. Shot in Texas, the film is about a group of scientists on a deserted island who inadvertently breed giant, poisonous shrews. Unfortunately, his experiments have also created some giant shrews. On an isolated island, a small group of people are terrorized by giant voracious shrews in the midst of a hurricane. A group of people trapped on an island during a storm must contend with a bunch of whippets in wigs, in the anti-classic, Attack Of The Killer Shrews (1959)! The Killer Shrews (1959) *** (out of 4)You'd think a hurricane coming through would be the most dangerous thing for a small group of people on an island but it isn't. When the coast seems clear Jerry attempts to flee but is cut off and killed by another group of shrews. Here are some great movies worth streaming that you won't see at the Oscars this year. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Released in 1959 with a budget of roughly $123,000, this movie found its niche with cult horror fans of B-level movies. 5:32 PREVIEW Imp of the Perverse. The Killer Shrews uses the common horror trope of having a small group of people trapped someplace. The Killer Shrews opens on a stormcloud-filled sky, and stays there for a really long time as a voiceover narration most likely swiped from a lame biology film gives us enough information on the lowly shrew that I think I can now easily clone one of the little bastards.. [1] Taylor Eaten Killer Shrews Yes 12. The Killer Shrews is a 1959 science fiction film directed by Ray Kellogg. At just 68 minutes the film moves at a very good pace and even the dialogue is slightly entertaining in its own way. On the island, a doctor works to make humans twice as small as we already are. Bruce Davison took the role of Jerry. Safely aboard and confident that the giant shrews will eventually die out from consuming one another, Thorne and Ann share a long kiss. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Killer Shrews holds an approval rating of 50%, based on 10 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 4.6 out of 10. Official Facebook page of ATTACK OF THE KILLER SHREWS! A colorized version of The Killer Shrews was released on DVD by Legend Films as a double feature set with the creature feature The Giant Gila Monster. As day breaks and the storm fades, Thorne and Jerry attempt to scout the path out of the compound so the whole group of survivors can hopefully make a break for the boat. The Killer Shrews, however, is not an abomination and is actually an amusing and relatively fast-paced B movie where the glaring imperfections are part of the fun. In this case it’s giant killer shrews. Mario discovers the mutant and shoots at it, but not before it bites him. A sequel, Return of the Killer Shrews (2012), was produced in 2012, again starring James Best as Thorne Sherman. Original theatrical trailer. — Shannon Patrick Sullivan A disparate group are trapped on a remote island by a hurricane. As the shrews run out of smaller animals to eat, they move in on the people in the house. Their goal is to find ways to extend life / reduce consumption of resources / prevent globa… As the shrews run out of smaller animals to eat, they move in on the people in the house. (1959). On the island, a doctor works to make humans twice as small as we already are. The monstrous Ro-Man attempts to annihilate the last family alive on Earth, but finds himself falling for their beautiful daughter. The Doctor's purpose in these experiments is to isolate and manipulate the genes responsible for growth and metabolism in order to eventually shrink humans to half their size so as to reduce world hunger because (he reasons) being smaller, the modified humans will consume less food in a world with a limited food supply. [7] The length of time between the original movie's release and the sequel's release (more than 50 years) is one of the longest time periods in movie history between original movies and sequels. 4. The movie also stars John Schneider and Rick Hurst, Best's co-stars in The Dukes of Hazzard. After dragging Jerry back into the main building the survivors regroup to try and come up with another plan. How did the killer shrews get loose on the island? The sequel Return of the Killer Shrews was produced in 2012, again starring Best as Thorne Sherman. Official Facebook page of ATTACK OF THE KILLER SHREWS! It was featured in the fourth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000, as well as the first season of the similar show This Movie Sucks!. Due to this, the group must now barricade themselves inside their compound every evening before the sun sets due to the creature's nocturnal feeding habits, with the hope being that the shrews will inevitably kill and cannibalize each other once they have eaten every other living animal on the island. The Killer Shrews is an independently made 1959 American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Ken Curtis and Gordon McLendon, directed by Ray Kellogg, that stars James Best, Ingrid Goude and Ken Curtis. MST3K's version of The Killer Shrews was released on DVD by Rhino Home Video as part of the show's Volume 7 boxed set. This, apparently, will help prevent over population. The killer shrews were very creepy with the long hair and the almost metallic sound they made. No, it's the giant killer shrews that are going to be the most dangerous for the people who soon find themselves trapped inside a house with the creatures trying to get it.This film was shot around the same time as THE GIANT GILA MONSTER from the same production company who planned on using them as a double feature. The group, consisting of scientist Marlowe Cragis (Baruch Lumet), his research assistant Radford Baines (Gordon McLendon), the scientist's daughter Ann (Ingrid Goude), her former fiancée Jerry Farrel (Ken Curtis), and a servant Mario (Alfred DeSoto), welcome the captain and his first mate. Before they can do so though, another mutant shrew is able to get in and bites Radford before they can kill it. The shrews then suddenly attack the two and Thorne and Jerry race back to the compound. From "Dexter" to The Suicide Squad, here are our picks for the reboots and remakes we're most excited for in 2021 and beyond. 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