Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

Movie Info

They’re coming!!!

A research team heads to a remote island to follow-up the disappearance of a previous research team.  Set to uncover the effects of fallout radiation from the detonation of the bombs from World War II, the island is rocked by strange earthquakes.  As the island seems to collapse from beneath, the researchers uncover that the radiation has created giant crab monsters that threaten to kill them all as the island gets smaller and smaller.

Directed by Roger Corman, Attack of the Crab Monsters was a low budget B-Movie from Corman’s golden age.  The movie was, like most of Corman’s stuff, written off by critics, but has since gathered a cult following along with many of his films.  The movie was originally released as a double feature with Corman’s Not of This Earth.  A DVD collection containing Attack of the Crab Monsters, War of the Satellites, and Not of This Earth contains special commentaries on the films and bonus material.

If you couldn’t get those jerks off the island, you’re not stopping the giant crabs Professor

Attack of the Crab Monsters is a very typical, but fun ’50s sci-fi B-Movie.  Corman is a master at capitalizing on popular trends and this movie gets into the whole “giant-monster created by radiation” trend that was big in movies when this was released.

If this movie was just about giant crabs, it would probably be a lot better.  Instead there is this subplot about “ghosts” that call and summon the people on the island using the voices of the dead.  It is revealed that the crabs gain the power to channel their victims’ voices…they also have powerful explosive abilities that can destroy the island…somehow.  Fortunately, the crabs are very susceptible to electricity…once again, for no real reason.

Oh no!  He has garlic butter!!!

Corman has become a legend for his low-budget beyond reason approach to film making.  Even if Corman could have gone “bigger” with this movie, he probably wouldn’t have.  In its cheesiness, the movie is more fun than if the effects were a bit better…I’m actually surprised there was a giant crab constructed and that he didn’t just use crabs in scale models.

Attack of the Crab Monsters is a goofy B-Movie with not much plot, so-so acting (yep, that’s the Professor from Gilligan’s Island), and a movie that even at just over sixty minutes is on the verge of being too long.  Despite that, it works because is it cheap and more ridiculous than anything else.  Are there better movies?  Yes, tons…but this has a nice simple charm.