Month: November 2017

Claws (1977)

CLAWS (1977)
Article 2301 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-14-2007
Posting Date: 11-30-2007
Directed by Richard Bansbach and R.E. Pierson
Featuring Jason Evers, Leon Ames, Anthony Caruso

A killer bear is loose in Alaska and a logger sets his sights on killing him. However, the bear may be supernatural…

With a 2.8 rating on IMDB, there’s little doubt that this killer bear ripoff of JAWS has a mighty low reputation. In some ways, it quite deserves it; its gratuitous and confusing use of flashbacks during the first half of the movie is annoying, the acting is quite abysmal at times, and some of the dialogue is howlingly bad; if anyone can explain to me what the comment “I’m a rock singer, not Walt Disney” has to do with being able to tell if there’s a bear in your van, I’d certainly love to hear it. Fortunately, the imitation is not slavish, and I rather grew to like some of the main characters. At least one of the bear attacks did make me jump, and the ending, though confusing, does generate a decent degree of suspense and excitement. In the end, with all its faults, I found it quite watchable and entertaining, and the addition of a supernatural element to the proceedings was quite welcome by me. I may even like this one better than GRIZZLY , which is probably the better movie.

 

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Attack of the Swamp Creatures (1975)

ATTACK OF THE SWAMP CREATURES (1975)
aka Zaat, Blood Waters of Dr. Z
Article 2300 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-13-2007
Posting Date: 11-29-2007
Directed by Don Barton and Arnold Stevens
Featuring Marshall Grauer, Wade Popwell, Paul Galloway

A mad scientist changes himself into a catfish monster and begins committing murders. The sheriff, a marine biologist, and several INPIT agents investigate. Meanwhile, the monster is searching for the perfect woman to help propagate his giant walking catfish race.

My version of this movie is hosted by Elvira, and though watching a movie with a horror host really isn’t the ideal way to give a movie a fair shake, I do agree with her assessment that it’s one of those movies that is so bad, it’s good. The concept is ridiculous (let’s face it – catfish just aren’t scary), the plot is primitive, the acting is very weak, and the direction isn’t good. Nonetheless, the film is full of unintentionally funny dialogue, the use of sound and music is unique (if wrongheaded), and it’s more charmingly primitive then excruciatingly dull. The mad scientist is so dumpy-looking that his looks actually improve when he turns into a catfish monster, and although he admits that he doesn’t look much like a catfish (and, for reference, we see several shots of catfish), I wouldn’t exactly say he looks beautiful. There’s also something charming about the fact that the catfish monster’s homicidal tendencies are not an unexpected side effect; the scientist actually wanted him to be a murderous creature. As for the various titles of this movie, you won’t want to confuse ATTACK OF THE SWAMP CREATURES with CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE (a movie that is just as bad without being near as much fun). Nor would you want to confuse ZAAT with ZOTZ; the latter movie gave away plastic coins as a gimmick, and I’d hate to see what this movie would have given away. And don’t confuse BLOOD WATERS OF DR. Z with THE BLACK PIT OF DR. M, just because it’s not a good idea.

 

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Beast of Morocco (1966)

BEAST OF MOROCCO (1966)
aka The Hand of Night
Article 2299 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-12-2007
Posting Date: 11-28-2007
Directed by Frederic Goode
Featuring William Sylvester, Diane Clare, Aliza Gur

An architect, haunted by the guilt of the death of his family, goes to Morocco, where he meets a dark-haired woman who may be a vampire.

The movie opens with a dream sequence which is a bit of goofy fun, and I quite like some of the surreal and dream-like touches that pervade this movie. Some of the themes are also rather intriguing, and the ending is quite memorable. Nevertheless, this movie is a real slog; the acting is uneven, the score is terribly repetitive, and the direction is very flat. The script is also a little too obvious in its handling of its themes; it harps upon its darkness/light dichotomy so endlessly that it gets tiresome, so much so that even the fairly benign symbolism of making the good woman a blonde (for the forces of light) and the evil woman a brunette (for the forces of darkness) comes across as pushy. It’s a bit of a shame; the movie has a unique feel, and the Moroccan settings make it quite exotic. As it is, it’s a weak vampire movie that had the potential to be a lot better.

 

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