The Killer Shrews is pretty excellent considering most of the movie takes place in one room. In the Killer Shrews this tome around on that deserted tropical island as seen a hundred times we have mutated shrews threatening to chomp down on our trapped scientists and a boat crew unlucky enough to be carting supplies to the island. Dan Whitehead , Let's face it folks. 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. Unfortunately, his experiments have also created some giant shrews. The shrews are left to cannibalize themselves on the remote island. Usually with some hope of rescue or escape in a given time limit. This goofiness coupled with shallow characters… The killer shrews were very creepy with the long hair and the almost metallic sound they made. repeatedly with a stupid look on his face.Of course, the downer for the film is the special effects. The creation of the Killer Shrews was actually an experiment to study the effects of overpopulation, an experiment which has (everybody say it with me) Gone Horribly Right. Somehow, they also add in that the shrews now have poison in their saliva, thanks to ingesting poisoned food set out as a trap (figure that one out).The shrews escape thanks to a boozed-up scientist played by Curtis. The Killer Shrews is a 1959 science fiction film directed by Ray Kellogg. 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. Derek Eaten Killer Shrews Yes 14. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? The Killer Shrews is a 1959 American science fiction/horror film directed by Ray Kellogg and written by Jay Simms. 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!" Principal photography took place outside of Dallas, Texas. Top stuff! The head of a major cosmetics company experiments on herself with a youth formula made from royal jelly extracted from wasps, but the formula's side effects have deadly consequences. It has been released on DVD and is considered a cult classic. 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. “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. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. The Killer Shrews (1959) Plot. Except, of course, for the people.The movie starts off too slowly. Thorne, Ann, and Marlowe meanwhile manage to reach the shoreline and after ditching the armor they swim out to the boat. Despite mixed reviews, the movie was a commercial success. Trapped on a remote island by a hurricane, a group discover a doctor has been experimenting on creating half sized humans. Shot in Texas, the film is about a group of scientists on a deserted island who inadvertently breed giant, poisonous shrews. Back at Deep 13, Frank also drinks some, only to wind up with a sugar rush. In the 1959 film, their vocal sound effects were provided by the late Milton Citron. James Best is very good, although he admitted later to only doing the movie as a favor to his friend Curtis. Members: Gary Lucas, Jon Langford (2), Tony Maimone. Discover something for everyone this month with some choice picks for the best movies and TV to stream in April. The Killer Shrews is a fast paced tale of Captain Thorne Sherman (James Best of 'Dukes of Hazzard' fame) and his beautiful Swedish passenger Ingrid (Ann Craigis) stranded on a small island with snarling genetically mutated rodents. The opening, for instance, hooks you immediately while giving you the premise in a nutshell. As the shrews run out of smaller animals to eat, they move in on the people in the house. Scientists become trapped on a shrinking island with intelligent, murderous giant crabs. Taylor Eaten Killer Shrews Yes 12. As more and more of the giant shrews begin to chew through the now soft adobe walls, Thorne hits upon the idea to fashion impromptu armor by lashing together empty 50-gallon chemical drums and then duckwalking to the beach. The sequel Return of the Killer Shrews was produced in 2012, again starring Best as Thorne Sherman. The film was shot in the middle of White Rock Lake in Dallas, but the camera does a good job of not showing the opposing shoreline and making it look like the island is really in the middle of nowhere. Science strikes again. 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.. 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 (1959) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. 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 movie also stars John Schneider and Rick Hurst, Best's co-stars in The Dukes of Hazzard. 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. Take a look ahead at some of our most anticipated superhero series arriving in 2021 and beyond. 4 talking about this. The film co-stars Gordon McLendon, Baruch Lumet and "Judge" Henry Dupree. The satirical TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 riffed on the movie in an episode during its fourth season. [5], Leonard Maltin awarded the movie 2.5 out of 4 stars, calling it "an inventive but silly sci-fi tale".[6]. 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. On an isolated island, a small group of people are terrorized by giant voracious shrews in the midst of a hurricane. The film co-stars Gordon … The Killer Shrews was filmed outside of Dallas, Texas back-to-back with The Giant Gila Monster. Unfortunately, his experiments have also created giant shrews, who when they have run … Just a scratch from one of them were lethal which added to the suspense. Use the HTML below. As Thorne explains, while the main building's floor is indeed too hard for the shrews to dig through, the walls of the building are adobe and at the current rate, the storm will soon turn it to soft mud making the Doctor's plan to simply wait out the shrews impossible. 2. 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! Captain Thorne Sherman (James Best) and first mate Rook Griswold ("Judge" Henry Dupree) deliver supplies by boat to a group on a remote island. Curtis shows what kind of a coward he is and we almost wish he'd get fed to the shrews. 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. The island was rented and they could only film on the backside of it, but since most of the action takes place either at the compound everyone's trapped in or along the path to the water, it doesn't hurt.But, like I said at the beginning. This, apparently, will help prevent over population. This, apparently, will help prevent over population. Gradually as they talk Thorne and Ann become more and more attracted to each other, causing Jerry to become jealous. After dragging Jerry back into the main building the survivors regroup to try and come up with another plan. 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. Julie Eaten Killer Shrews … NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE. Ingrid Goude is one hot babe, but she can't act, but she's European and that's what counted to Kellogg (he used a French actress who couldn't act in "Giant Gila Monster").The only part I hated was Dupree as Rook, the engineer. They meet a professor (Baruch Lumet, veteran Broadway actor and father of director Sidney Lumet), his nubile Swedish daughter (Ingrid Goude, Miss Sweden 1957) and a shotgun-toting Ken Curtis. Grab an Ice'd Tea, pop some Orville Redenbacher, sit back and enjoy 90 minutes of B-ness. United National Film Corporation Studios - 2312 Grand Avenue, Dallas, Texas, USA. I recommend these films whole heartedly!! Hey, it beats big budget bombs like "Glitter" and "The Mod Squad.". Here is a surprise, the attractive European blonde lady wasn't exactly a damsel in distress. 1. 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. The black and white, stormy environment, being on an island, all helped to create a surreal atmosphere when watching. 4. Shrews have a speedy metabolism and can be ready to reproduce in less than a month. The Killer Shrews In the 1959 film, their vocal sound effects were provided by the late Milton Citron. With anything from zombies, to dinosaurs, to cannibalistic hill-billies trying to kill them. It concerns seven people trapped on a remote island during a hurricane. In this case it’s giant killer shrews. 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. 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