Monster of the Day #21

The wildest and most vicious of animals is the tiny shrew. The shrew feeds only by the dark of the moon. He must eat his own body weight every few hours, or starve; and the shrew devours everything – bones, flesh, marrow, everything. In March, first in Alaska, and then invading steadily southward, there were reports of a new species: the giant, killer shrew!

  • BeckoningChasm

    Funny, he doesn’t look Shrewish…

  • Ericb

    Sssssnnnnausages!

  • I love everything about this movie.

    I also think it has some good moments, not just Jabootu-good, but genuinely successful. Such as the scientist recording his symptoms as he dies from the shrew’s venom.

  • One of several b-movie bits later stolen by Oscar winning screenwriter Sterling Silliphant for his The Swarm script.

    KS was made as a double bill with Giant Gila Monster. Again, tell me these are better days at the movies.

  • BeckoningChasm

    Well, I liked KS as I recall, but my main memory of GGM was: too many songs.

  • Ericb

    The Giant Gila Monster was one of the cutest giant monsters ever.

  • Rock Baker

    Word is the Gian Gila Monster was actually a Mexican Beaded Lizard, but don’t tell the Reptile Actors union!

    As for Killer Shrews, this is another movie I’ve always felt was unfairly ridiculed. I thought it was pretty fine for what it was. I will grant you, the puppets looked better on film when they were moving and you couldn’t just study them like you can with the above picture. Sadly, it looks like cousin Itt wearing a halloween mask.

    I think a nice quote here would’ve been the opening mention of a new breed of giant, killer shrews moving southward. It has nothing to do with the movie, but it makes a nice creepy opening. I did always think the music for the titles was an odd choice, it sounds heroic when it should be spooky, but it stays with you.

  • “The Giant Gila Monster was one of the cutest giant monsters ever.”

    It really is! I think it’s those beady black eyes.

  • Text altered for Rock.

  • Gamera

    What?!? No Roscue jokes yet????

    Was it last season on MythBusters the B team tackled finding a way to slip past a guard dog? I remember Tori’s solution was a fifty gallon drum with a eye slit and wheels on the bottum. It worked pretty well till the dog started trying to flip the drum over. I had to wonder if Tori had seen this film.

  • Rock Baker

    Why, thank you! Now I know I’ve found a real home on the internet…..

  • Mi casa es su casa.

  • GalaxyJane

    I have to agree that this is actually a far more effective little film than it has any right to be. In fact I was disappointed the first time I saw it as it’s risibility was far less than the Medveds had led me to believe.

    Damn you, Medved brothers, for leading me to a halfway decent film when I was looking for something to drink beer to and throw abuse at!

  • Petoht

    Yeah, but they can’t play Dixie-land jazz.