Monster of the Day #31

Updated on May 21, 2010 By Ken Begg 15 Comments

“Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine names it ‘Shock Award Winner’…The World’s most shocking monster stalks its unsuspecting prey, feasts its eyes on the next victim to writhe in its slimy arms!  The screen’s most nightmarish beast!  A claw-fingered, scaly-skinned half-human crustacean, turning a lonely lighthouse village into into a frenzied bedlam of blood-curdling horror!”

We sometimes forget how violent ’50s horror sci-fi could get, and this is a prime example, with the monster walking around with his victims decapitated heads and so on.  No classic by any means, but one of the more successful Gillman knock-offs nonetheless.

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  • I first saw this guy in FMOF and was desperate to see the film, which didn’t happen till I was in my late 40s. My favorite part is that it is supposed to be a Diplovertebron, which if you google looks EXACTLY like the Monster suit. They did a great job.

    Some of those older films had what it takes. This one, really, did not, but it’s still a great costume.

  • BeckoningChasm

    As soon as the word “lighthouse” appeared, I knew which film this was going to be.

    You know, the only thing I remember from the film is when the little crippled boy discovered the store owner’s body, they sped the film up to show him running away, a la Benny Hill. Well, not quite like Benny Hill, but it did have the same effect of shattering the atmosphere.

  • This movie surprised the heck out of me when I saw the severed heads. I wanted to like it more than I did (I guess as a kid I found the pacing a bit too slow).

  • Like Sandy, I didn’t see this until a couple of years ago. Not the best movie ever, but a neat monster, and that’s good enough in my book.

  • fish eye no miko

    Could someone tell me what movie this guy is from? Thanks!

  • Rock Baker

    It’s been years since I saw this one! So many I don’t remember a thing other than the claws rising from behind a rock to claim a plate of food. Fantastic monster! You quickly forget his left-over, patch-work construction.
    Boy, I really need to track down a copy of this one!
    Maybe this site needs to develop some sort of Jabootu Tape Exchange program….

  • Rock Baker

    The name of the movie is The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1959) Starring Don Sullivan, pinup queen Jeanne Carmen, and Les Tremayne.

  • The Rev. D.D.

    I recognized the critter, although I have not seen the movie. Decapitating monster…you’d think I would have long ago.

    I do have The Hideous Sun Demon on DVR; does that count?

  • fish eye no miko

    Thanks, Rock Baker! I’ve read reviews of it, but I’ve never seen an image of the monster. I should see if my local video rental store has it.

  • I thought it was a pretty good monster suit, not made out of spare bits at all.

  • D

    Uh, Ken, Heads are severed, bodies are decapitated. Remember, to decapitate is to remove the head, so unless he monster took the heads off of the victims’ head, the heads are severed.

  • Rock Baker

    It looks great, it was built by Jack Kevan after all. The Mole Man hands and Metaluna feet are obvious in their origin, but they work so well!

    My pleasure Fish Eye! I hope they have it in stock and that you enjoy it! I’m still not sure how I’ve let this sucker remain absent from my library for so long! (current count: 1,821 features and serials, not counting teleseries)

  • I’m going to argue that even for the kind of pedants who frequent this web site (among whom I proudly take my place), the phrase “decapitated head” is hardly unclear or incorrect. It reminds me of the old argument about whether houses “burn up” or “burn down”.

    That said, I admit that I force my Master’s candidate students to know the difference between Hoard and Horde and use them correctly, or I dock them points.

    I also once docked a student a point for spelling Cthulhu wrong.

  • Rock Baker

    I think that’s a good thing. We have politicians who don’t know the difference between imminent and eminent.

  • One’ s a rapper, correct?