The Killer Shrews
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Movie Reviews of The Killer Shrews
Movie Review: Some really good special effects
Summary: 3 Stars
The Killer Shrews is your typical drive-in movie with some of the worst special effects ever put in a movie, yet it is still an enjoyable movie. Captain Thorne Sherman and his first mate, "Rook" Griswold, must dock at an island to drop off supplies, but also to avoid being caught in a hurricane. Once there, they find a small team of scientists working on a secret project, only they can't figure out what. As night falls, the team insists they don't leave. It is revealed that there are 300 starving, killer shrews loose on the island. The result of a scientific experiment gone bad, the shrews must eat three times their body weight everyday. Will the team survive? Find out for yourself. The shrews are just dogs in hairy costumes with huge fangs. The close-ups of the "shrews" are even worse. Even with this ridiculously low budget, The Killer Shrews is still a lot of fun. I would categorize this movie as one of those that is so bad, it is good. James Best of Dukes of Hazard fame plays Captain Thorne Sherman who mishaps upon Shrew Island. Former Miss Universe Ingrid Goude is Ann Craigs, a scientist's daughter who falls for Cpt. Thorne. Ken Curtis stars as the cowardly Jerry, who will do anything to save his own hide. Baruch Lumet plays Dr. Milo Craigis, the leader of the scientists. The movie also stars Gordon McClendon as Dr. Baines, Alfredo DeSoto as Mario, and Judge Henry Dupree as "Rook" Griswold. The DVD is in black and white with standard presentation. For a really cheesy but fun drive-in horror movie, check out The Killer Shrews!
Movie Review: HOW DO YOU RATE A BAD MOVIE THAT ENTERTAINS?
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie somehow is terribly entertaining and I am not sure why. It does have monsters, mandatory in all epic B creature features, but what kind of monsters? Yes, special monsters! Giant killer shrews which are actually cute jumping puppies with silly rug-like rat suits. A best editing Oscar might have been won if anyone saw the movie when it was originally released, just for the way the scenes were cut just as the RAT PUPPIES were about to show their cute jumping puppy traits. Yes, if you watch the film closely you can actually see when these playful pups are about to show their true colors and betray their employers by jumping, licking and rolling over. Many an adult has enjoyed this seemingly forgettable flick enough to purchase it on DVD [after they wore out the VHS edition just like me]. What gives? Well, it can't be the plot. We can only be grateful to the filmmakers for not blaming atomic energy for this 1959 disaster, but would you believe that these mutant giant rats were part of a project to save the world from overpopulation? No, they were not supposed to eat the world's surplus people. You'll have to watch this epic to discover their true purpose. Warning, watching this terrible film can be contagious and habit forming. As a bonus, you can often find this classic on DVD mated to one of several promising epics of the same era. "The Giant Gila Monster" and "The Crawling Eye" are just the two I know about. I have a feeling there are more but you can't miss with either of these.
Movie Review: At Least The Dog Costumes Were Original
Summary: 3 Stars
Few things can be quite so entertaining as a bad 1950s horror movie. Then again, few things can be quite so paralysing. The 1959 THE KILLER SHREWS is a bit of both, at time excruciatingly funny, at times, well, just plain excruciating.
The story, such as it is, concerns a the captain of a small supply ship (James Best) who finds himself stranded on an island with a few nutty scientists, a blonde bombshell, and a bunch of dogs dressed up like killer shrews. They're all hankering to get away, of course, but wouldn't you know it, there's a hurricane a-blowing. While they wait for the weather to settle they drink a lot and worry about the dogs, er, shrews, which are trying to gnawn their way inside for lunch.
It's hard to say what is more abominable about this film: the story, the script, or the human cast. On the other hand, the costumed canine cast is actually quite a bit of fun. Love those tails in particular! Even so, I still found the sixty-nine minutes of this film rough going. I mean, really, now: just how long can YOU be amused by dog costumes?
Fans of this sort of thing will be impressed, but I was glad the DVD was inexpensive. The Alpha release seems to be the most commonly available; the picture isn't bad, but the sound is lousy. I give the whole thing three stars for the sake of fans, but I doubt I'll make any return trips to Shrew Island.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Movie Review: Unintentionally hilarious B-grade flick from 1959
Summary: 3 Stars
Killer Shrews is a classic B-grade b/w SF film from 1959 with James Best (Dukes of Hazard) and Ken Curtis (Gunsmoke). Though the film's running time is only a little more than one hour, it's padded with melodrama and endless scenes of the main characters drinking alcohol and standing around. These scenes are then punctuated by panic as the characters are preyed upon by small dogs dressed up as "killer shrews." It is hysterically funny all on it's own. If you also buy The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 7, you'll see that the MST3K crew raises the level of humor several notches more when they give this film their usual clever treatment. The MST3K version also includes the short film, Junior Rodeo Daredevils, and it is a classic MST3K bit that is referred to in many later episodes of the show (e.g., "old timer Billy Slater" is mentioned for years after this episode was made).
Either way (or both) you decide to watch The Killer Shrews, with or without the MST3K treatment, it is good for more than a few laughs!
Movie Review: The Taming of The Shrew
Summary: 3 Stars
Another One and A Half Star low-budget 1950s sci-fi movie that transcends its ridiculous self, THE KILLER SHREWS is about a strange experiment in enlarging this widespread, small, but incredibly vicious and venomous mammilian predator.
Why anybody would want to enlarge shrews is is a question I hope nobody can answer. These giant killer shrews are played by somebody's pet dogs who have been forced into zip-up fur suits that are topped off by dreadlock wigs and phony-looking fang extensions. The shrews snarl constantly on the soundtrack. The dogs never do. As a matter of fact, the poor dogs all have the grace to look embarrassed. Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, and Ol' Yeller would probably laugh themselves sick or call the ASPCA or at least the Screen Actors Guild if they could have dialed the rotary phones of the era. Unintentionally funny, THE KILLER SHREWS was a favorite on the Saturday night Creature Feature circuit.