In this episode of Pop Culture Beast’s Halloween Horror Picks, I talk about campy cult favorite The Killer Shrews (1959), starring James Best, Ingrid Goude, and a bunch of dogs covered in furry bath mats!
Ken Curtis, Gordon McLendon, Baruch Lumet, Judge Henry Dupree, and Alfredo DeSoto round out the assorted cast of characters, with special effects pioneer Ray Kellog in the director’s chair.
A group of scientists, a boat captain and a pretty Swedish gal are trapped on an island during a hurricane while giant mutant shrews chew through the crumbling adobe walls of the island’s only besieged structure in this classic hunk of regional cheese!
I’m a fan, and not just because MST3K made fun of it. In fact, I actually think it’s an effective little horror movie. Sure it’s silly, but it also has a lot going for it, including an entertaining plot, some fun special effects and a creepy sound design. If you’re looking for something fun and campy to watch this Halloween, look no further than The Killer Shrews, an undeservedly maligned siege movie that I unashamedly rate 8/10!
Look for new episodes of Pop Culture Beast’s Halloween Horror Picks every Monday and Thursday from now until Halloween. And be sure to check out the other episodes in the series:
Episode #1 – Shivers (1975)
Episode #2 – Strange Behavior (1981)
Episode #4 – The Antichrist (1974)
Episode #5 – Don’t Panic (1988)
Episode #6 – Spider Baby (1968)
Episode #7 – Targets (1968)
Episode #8 – Feast (2005)
Episode #9 – The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Episode #10 – Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Please also take a minute to support my own horror movie: Eggs – A Horror Movie starring Lynn Lowry (Shivers, The Crazies, Cat People, etc.) and Duane Whitaker (Pulp Fiction, Feast, The Devil’s Rejects, Halloween 2, etc.), now funding on Kickstarter! As always, there’s a contest at the end of the video: Be the first person to make a pledge and leave a comment on Kickstarter with the correct answer to get a bonus prize added to your reward.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hollywoodpsychic/eggs-a-horror-movie
Ryan Stockstad is a Los Angeles filmmaker with a passion for horror, documentary and experimental cinema. He has written articles for HC Magazine, Mostly Harmless Magazine and various blogs and websites. He has lectured on topics as diverse as low budget filmmaking, short story structure, and the influence of the Spanish Civil War on surrealist cinema. He hosts new episodes of Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in October.