The Crater Lake Monster

The Crater Lake Monster is a 1970's monster themed b-movie but alas not one of the better ones.

It tells the story of a meteor that awakens something ancient beneath a lake which proceeds to chomp on the locals.

I was drawn to the movie because of the cover art but shortly into the film you'll realise that it's not being entirely honest with you.

The movie itself looks and sounds great, in fact I was stunned to discover that it's as old as 77 so for that it gets a remarkable thumbs up. The SFX however leave a lot to be desired even for it's time. The "Monster" looks like it's straight out of Jason & The Argonauts movie (The original ones) and for that reason it's very hard to take seriously.

One stand out part of this film is a couple of comedy characters who actually make the film somewhat watchable to a degree. I actually laughed but was frustrated that even the dreadful finale had to screw that up.

With more plot holes than you can shake a stick at this should have been better but poor writing and laughable sfx ruined it.

The Good:

Some oddly good comedy

Looks ahead of its time

The Bad:

SFX are unintentionally funny

Cover is deceptive

Weak finale

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Bray Wyatt has come a long way

Stars are easier to see during the day

Dying underwater will cause your blood to teleport onto your boat

No need to recap the plot. Okay, the film's no classic. In fact, someone in production borrowed the bulldozer vs. monster from 1960's schlock comedy Dinosaurus. But, in my book, the 80-some minutes isn't bad enough to rate among the truly bad, e.g. Manos: The Hands of Fate {1966}. Catch the photography, which is pretty good (of course, post- production bungled day-for-night, but that's not photographer Gentry's fault). Then there're the lush colors, about as vivid as any I've seen. Add Cardella's sturdy performance as the take-charge sheriff, along with some pretty good stop-motion, and you've got genuine compensations that lift results from the truly bad.

Of course, the intended comic relief is pretty lame, along with a script that appears almost thrown together. But perhaps most disappointing is the utter lack of tension. Monsters should generate tension. However, director Stromberg fails to build suspense, which requires a better sense of structure than what's provided here. Instead, the production goes for quick shock, which itself doesn't work very well. All in all, the movie's too good to be truly bad, and too bad to be good. I like what another reviewer observed, namely the results look like they were made by erratically skilled amateurs.

In a rural part of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, a meteor falls into a nearby lake shortly after some archaeologists have uncovered cave paintings showing early man fighting what appears to be a dinosaur. In the months after the meteor's impact. Strange happenings are noticed by the two boat renters Mitch (Mark Siegel) and Arnie (Glenn Roberts) as well as the local Sheriff Steve Hanson (Richard Cardella) which may point to a creature long believed to be extinct.

The Crater Lake Monster is a 1977 independent monster film directed and produced by stop motion animator Willaim R. Stromberg who co-wrote the film with star and lifelong friend Richard Cardella. Inspired by his love of monster films of the 1950s, Stromberg had wanted to make a more family oriented horror film in contrast to the rising popularity of more extreme horror of the 70s. The film is noted for its troubled post-production thanks to interference and ineptitude by distributor Crown International who pulled funding for several scenes as well as deleting expository ones that would've expanded on the plot, locked Stromberg out of the editing process, and didn't bother to correct several day for night shots so scenes set at night took place in broad daylight. The movie made a little over $1 million which tanks to a low budget cited under $200,000 most likely yielded a profit even if critical reception hasn't been kind to the film with some ranking it among the worst monster movies. While The Crater Lake Monster does have some glaring flaws as a result of the Crown debacle, there's an undeniable passion and energy on screen that makes this nowhere near the worst monster movies ever made (not even close).

While the titular Crater Lake Monster certainly feels like a "man out of time" given the technical revolution of Star Wars during the same year, given the tone the movie goes for it's rather fitting and shows some impressive utilization of stop motion techniques to bring the creature to life. The script is basically written and acted like a 1950s type monster film complete with some silly reasons why there's a monster as well as the occasionally stilted acting, but all these elements add to that underlying charm of the movie. The funniest aspect of the film for me is the fact comic relief characters Arnie and Mitch played by Glenn Roberts and Mark Siegel are given more screentime than the movies hero and co-writer Steve Hanson, but there is a strange quality that makes them kind of endearing if slightly schticky and I was usually amused by their antics (even if they also result in the movie ending on kind of a downer note). The biggest issue with the movie is the glaring post production issues and that really speaks more to Crown's incompetence than the movie itself, and in spite of those glaring issues I was still amused by the movie.

If you've seen a 50s monster movie, that's basically what this is only dressed up in 70s attire. It's a fun little oddity that never overstays its welcome and will be welcome viewing for bad movie fans and MST3Kers alike (this movie deserves its own episode featuring it). Dim the lights, get some popcorn, and have a good time.

Deep in an old mine, an archaeological team makes a groundbreaking discovery. Then, by some serendipitous happenstance, a meteor strikes in nearby Crater Lake! Later, as fate would have it, THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER emerges, hunting for human snacks. When the local hillbilly population starts to dip, Sheriff Steve Hanson (Richard Cardella) is on the case.

Packed with non-actors delivering their lines with enough wood to build a barn, and "comedy" so unfunny it may cause brain hemorrhaging, this movie is a true blunder to behold! Then, it gets "serious", with a dramatic side story, and that's even worse!

One particular day-for-night scene has the "actors" point out how lovely the stars look, while the sun blazes down. There was absolutely no attempt to make it seem any darker than noon! There are several such scenes, made especially hilarious when someone uses a flashlight to illuminate something -already well lit- in plain sight!

The only thing worth watching is the monster itself, as it's a fairly decent stop-motion creation. No, it's not as good as Ray Harryhausen would have done, but it's still better than anything else in this shambles!

EXTRA POINTS FOR: #1- The ludicrous liquor store robbery! #2- The "scientific" explanation for the creature's sudden appearance! #3- The sheriff's sideburns! #4- The fun-filled finale!

A spectacular movie event for the true schlock-o-holic!...

In Oregon, a meteor crashes into Crater Lake and heats the water, hatching a dinosaur egg. Months later, fishes have vanished from the lake and a huge dinosaur hunts cattle and human to feed. The local Sheriff Steve Hanson (Richard Cardella) investigates the mysterious disappearance of tourists and even a criminal. He also tells to the rednecks Arnie Chabot (Glenn Roberts) and Mitch Kowalski (Mark Siegel) that they shall not rent their boats to the tourists. When he discovers the dinosaur, his friend Richard 'Doc' Calkins (Bob Hyman) and two scientists asks him to leave the animal alive for the scientific community. Will Steve let the dinosaur live?

"The Crater Lake Monster" is a terrible and lame dinosaur film with awful story, screenplay, performances and special effects. The characters Arnie and Mitch are annoying and unfunny. There is a thief and murderer that appears in the middle of the story only to be eaten by the dinosaur in one of the most ridiculous scenes. When the sheriff discovers the existence of the dinosaur, he does not summon the army or the National Guard and prefers to confront the animal with a revolver and a bulldozer. The DVD from Rhino is very poor, without subtitles or extras; therefore adequate for this shameful flick. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): Not Available on Blu-Ray or DVD (fortunately)