4 of 4 people found this review helpful. This, apparently, will help prevent over population. 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. Thorne however insists that the storm will be too severe for them to leave that night and so instead goes with the researchers to their compound, while Griswold stays with the boat, saying that he will come ashore later. The Killer Shrews (1959) Plot. Surrounded by the bloodthirsty beasts, he concocts a desperate escape plan that will keep viewers' hearts pumping with excitement. Later that night though one of the mutant shrews takes advantage of a broken window and makes its way into the basement. A giant lizard terrorizes a rural Texas community and a heroic teenager attempts to destroy the creature. More … These giant shrews have escaped and are overrunning the island, stripping it of food until the monsters must turn on the humans, trapping them in the small house/lab. 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. 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.. 1993 Preview SONG TIME We Know Your Secrets. The sequel Return of the Killer Shrews was produced in 2012, again starring Best as Thorne Sherman. 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. A disparate group are trapped on a remote island by a hurricane. Bruce Davison took the role of Jerry. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? This, apparently, will help prevent over population. On the island, a doctor works to make humans twice as small as we already are. 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. Taylor Eaten Killer Shrews Yes 12. 2. 5:32 PREVIEW Imp of the Perverse. 3:58 PREVIEW Bring Me the Fat In California. Poisonous and hungry these shrews are gonna clean the island and suck the marrow from your bones…burp. [1] Giant mollusk monsters attack California. In Stepin Fetchit-style roles, as played by Fetchit and guys like Mantan Moreland in the Charlie Chan movies, he talked ignorantly, walked jolly and, when in trouble, froze in place, acted stupid and cried out "Oh, Lordy!" It's a grade B movie and you're just supposed to have fun with it, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Written by The lighthouse keeper, widowed and estranged from the town folk, has been secretly ... See full summary ». The monster, which looks like a snarling "Creature from the Black Lagoon," invades a sleepy seaside town. Directed by Ray Kellogg. He's black and plays the part with that irritating, stereotypical Stepin Fetchit routine that persevered in Hollywood until Sidney Poitier and Woody Strode came along. Top stuff! On an isolated island, a small group of people are terrorized by giant voracious shrews in the midst of a hurricane. repeatedly with a stupid look on his face.Of course, the downer for the film is the special effects. The acting abilities of the shrews far exceeds the talent of the actors. The shrews are left to cannibalize themselves on the remote island. Director Willard Eaten Killer Shrews Yes 15. When the coast seems clear Jerry attempts to flee but is cut off and killed by another group of shrews. 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. 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. I won't spoil the ending except to say it involves some ingenuity and a makeshift tank, perhaps the most unique lifesaver in the history of horror/science fiction.The movie ultimately succeeds best with the actors. Now in the public domain, the film has had multiple DVD releases and was featured in the fourth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000. He had always wanted to make a movie and John Ford, for whom Curtis had made films like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," "The Searchers" and "The Horse Soldiers," encouraged him to go for it. In addition to the people, we have a few hundred shrews (although we never see more than a dozen or so) about the size of full-grown dogs. Mario and Thorne hearing the noise and realizing one of the creatures must have forced its way inside follow it downstairs. The shrews are poisonous dressed up dogs that attack buildings, trees and whatever moves. The Killer Shrews is a black and white, cheap, creature feature from 1959. A group of gold thieves pull of a heist and flee into the snowy wilderness, only to be pursued by a horrible, spider-like monster. Unfortunately, his experiments have also created some giant shrews. 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. We then have to watch them act scared and try not to reveal the shrews to Best. Here is a surprise, the attractive European blonde lady wasn't exactly a damsel in distress. GENRE: HORROR / THRILLER. Original theatrical trailer. Being the producer, he certainly could have made himself the leading man, but he wisely chose to be the villain. Just a scratch from one of them were lethal which added to the suspense. The opening, for instance, hooks you immediately while giving you the premise in a nutshell. Fifty-three years after being attacked by killer shrews on a remote island, Captain Thorne Sherman is hired by a reality television crew to return to the island in question. Meanwhile, the giant shrews having run out of smaller animals to hunt and devour become ravenous and begin to venture out during the day in a desperate attempt to find food. Mario discovers the mutant and shoots at it, but not before it bites him. 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. The giant shrew is subsequently finished off by Thorne who then attempts to treat Mario's wound only for him to die regardless. 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. Back at Deep 13, Frank also drinks some, only to wind up with a sugar rush. Tom and Crow are talking in a hip style and telling Joel the recipe for the drink. Unfortunately, Ken couldn't coach Ford into directing it.Next up...the plot. 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!. Discover something for everyone this month with some choice picks for the best movies and TV to stream in April. The black and white, stormy environment, being on an island, all helped to create a surreal atmosphere when watching. 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. It concerns seven people trapped on a remote island during a hurricane. 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 is a perfect example of what a "B" movie should be so if you want to really know what they are about, watch this one. The Killer Shrews (1959) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. 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. Unlike many American creature features of the time, it was released internationally adding to its profits. Hey, it beats big budget bombs like "Glitter" and "The Mod Squad.". Derek Eaten Killer Shrews Yes 14. I recommend these films whole heartedly!! 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. Also, they have to eat three times their own bodyweight every day or starve. For close-ups, you can tell someone offscreen is using a wooden head on the end of a stick. The shrews attack again in short order. Just view for yourself. NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE. Their goal is to find ways to extend life / reduce consumption of resources / prevent global overpopulation. The movie also stars John Schneider and Rick Hurst, Best's co-stars in The Dukes of Hazzard. Scientists become trapped on a shrinking island with intelligent, murderous giant crabs. 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. 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. James Best is very good, although he admitted later to only doing the movie as a favor to his friend Curtis. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. As a result when Griswold comes ashore, the mutants attack and kill him. Hand puppets were used for the close-ups of the shrews, while costumed hounds were used for the wider shots. Captain Thorne Sherman (James Best) and first mate Rook Griswold ("Judge" Henry Dupree) deliver supplies by boat to a group on a remote island. 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. The Killer Shrews is a 1959 film about a small group of people on an isolated island who are terrorized by giant voracious shrews in the midst of a hurricane. Take a look ahead at some of our most anticipated superhero series arriving in 2021 and beyond. The producer was Ken Curtis (Festus from "Gunsmoke"). Gordon McLendon as Radford is a little annoying and stiff, but he plays his death scene pretty well. During this time, they manage to drink up half the alcohol in sight.Only when the shrews finally show up and start picking off people does the action pick up. Title: Unlike other regional films, however, it received national and even foreign distribution.[4]. Curtis, of course, cut his teeth with the legendary John Ford. Are there problems with it? The Killer Shrews is a 1959 science fiction film directed by Ray Kellogg. 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. 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