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Island Claws

  • 1980
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
4.3/10
694
YOUR RATING
Island Claws (1980)
HorrorSci-Fi

A biological experiment in Florida goes awry. The result: 8-foot long land crabs which roar loudly and kill everything in sight.A biological experiment in Florida goes awry. The result: 8-foot long land crabs which roar loudly and kill everything in sight.A biological experiment in Florida goes awry. The result: 8-foot long land crabs which roar loudly and kill everything in sight.

  • Director
    • Hernan Cardenas
  • Writers
    • Colby Cardenas
    • Hernan Cardenas
    • Jack Cowden
  • Stars
    • Robert Lansing
    • Steve Hanks
    • Nita Talbot
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.3/10
    694
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Hernan Cardenas
    • Writers
      • Colby Cardenas
      • Hernan Cardenas
      • Jack Cowden
    • Stars
      • Robert Lansing
      • Steve Hanks
      • Nita Talbot
    • 18User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos32

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    Top cast30

    Edit
    Robert Lansing
    Robert Lansing
    • Moody
    Steve Hanks
    Steve Hanks
    • Pete Adams
    Nita Talbot
    Nita Talbot
    • Rosie
    Jo McDonnell
    Jo McDonnell
    • Jan Raines
    Martina Deignan
    • Lynn
    Barry Nelson
    Barry Nelson
    • Dr. McNeal
    Tony Rigo
    Tony Rigo
    • Joe
    Raymond Forchion
    Raymond Forchion
    • Jean
    • (as Ray Forchion)
    Dick Callinan
    • Frank Raines
    Dolores Sandoz
    • Margarite
    Frank Schuller
    • Coy
    Mal Jones
    Mal Jones
    • Ames
    John Furey
    John Furey
    • Chuck
    Richard O'Barry
    Richard O'Barry
    • Charley
    • (as Ric O'Feldman)
    Will Knickerbocker
    • Garland
    Thomas Monahan
    • Ross
    • (as Tom Monahan)
    Dan Chandler
    • Dr. Mueller
    Ken Rahgers
    • Ken
    • Director
      • Hernan Cardenas
    • Writers
      • Colby Cardenas
      • Hernan Cardenas
      • Jack Cowden
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews18

    4.3694
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    Featured reviews

    6Chase_Witherspoon

    Colossal Crustacean

    Seaside community is besieged by a chemically enraged (and significantly enlarged) crab, that cuts of path of destruction and chaos. Various odd-ball characters are quickly dispatched, attracting the concerns of otherwise care-free locals, including Robert Lansing as the proprietor of the local saloon.

    "Island Claws" is by no means the worst "killer animal" movie on the block; some good sets, pleasant beachside scenery and Lansing's rendition of the bemused publican with an accent from parts unknown, almost (but not quite) compensate for the $2 special effects and banal dialogue.

    Throughout the movie, reference to the "mysterious" perpetrator is flagged by glimpses of a claw, or larger-than-usual sideways shuffle tracks in the sand. When the film's crowning glory is finally exposed in its entirety, it's easy to understand why the makers kept it concealed for 80 minutes. The concoction is laughable, but then, what would you expect?

    Aside from Lansing, whose trademark ambivalence has been a familiar character trait in his portrayals in other films of the ilk (see "Empire of the Ants" and "The Nest"), only Barry Nelson can rate a mention for being a known quantity. All the other faces are virtual unknowns, with the exception of Nita Talbot in a frivolous supporting role.

    Sometimes vaguely scary, but mostly puerile, if you happen to see a copy for less than pocket money, treat yourself and gain a new appreciation of the extent to which film-makers went to cash-in on the "killer animal" theme that was in vogue at the time.
    3eileenmchenry

    endearingly bad

    I gave this one a good rating because it is so incredibly funny. The script seems to have been run through a woodchipper before rehearsals started, and the characters are so idiotic I really wish more of them had been shredded by killer crabs. By far the best acting was done by "Trouble" the dog. Check out that great death scene with "Trouble" staggering out on the beach with ketchup poured all over him. I have to add that this movie has simply the most beautiful killer-crab effect in any movie, ever, even surpassing the giant crab in "Mysterious Island." And you have to love a crab that roars like a lion and sticks its tongue out at the camera.
    3Coventry

    Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap …. CRAB!

    Oh cool! A movie about mutated killer crabs! You don't encounter too many of those; especially in comparison with movies about spiders or rats or whatever. Like in most contemporary creature-features, the thematic animal species looks a lot more menacing in the stock footage (that the film probably stole from the National Geographic archives) than in the special effects version. It seems to take ages before anything significant happens and, in spite of a lot of crawling crab footage, it takes a while before you realize they're slowing heading towards town and plotting an attack against the community. First, though, you'll have to struggle through a god-awful and unnecessary "forbidden romance" sub plot and plenty of padding footage of a hillbilly dance festival. "Island Claws" is a boring film with practically no action, uninspired writing and zero attempts to insert any humor or cheesy atmosphere. The concept of genetically manipulated crabs running amok on an island holds a lot of potential, but the script (from the same people who made cult favorite "The Amazing Mr. No Legs") unfortunately doesn't even use up 5% of that potential. There are plentiful of weird sequences that are completely irrelevant to the plot, like the heart-breaking story of a family of Haitian immigrants stranding on the island and a totally random supportive character declining a wedding proposal. The few scenes that are relevant to the plot, however, are stupid and ridiculous. The body count is intolerably low for an 80's flick and the few deaths that are on display are tame and gore-free. Two little moments to illustrate just how stupid "Island Claws" is: 1) none of the crabs actually do any killing and 2) the island community is more shocked and upset regarding the death of a poodle, but nobody mourned for the town's banjo musician. Eventually a gigantic crustacean (thank you, Wikipedia) does show up, but it comes far too late to boost up the entertainment value.
    Dethcharm

    "Jan, Crabs Don't Just Attack People!"...

    Scientists working on the development of meatier crabs, use water from a nearby bay in their crab tanks.

    Oh no!

    A nuclear power plant has had an "incident", releasing radioactive water into the very same bay! Soon, the bay-area crabs are on the move.

    Meanwhile, it's crab-racing time down at Moody's (Robert Lansing) saloon. There's also a hoedown, complete with blistering banjo jams! Simultaneously, the crabs have gathered outside in the woods, and they look... crabby!

    A short time later, the banjo player -who lives in a school bus- has a crab problem, and must use his beloved banjo as a defensive weapon. Too bad there's a Crab Of Enormous Size in the mix, since banjos have no effect on them! It's not long before no one is safe from these sidling abominations and their gargantuan leader!

    ISLAND CLAWS is the perfect treat for fans of the giant crab sub-sub-genre. It falls somewhere between ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS and MYSTERIOUS ISLAND on the colossal crustacean chart. The mob of meandering crabs are reminiscent of the hopping amphibians in FROGS. As for the humongous horror itself, it's pretty much saved for the crab-tastic finale, which is -of course- the best part of the movie.

    EXTRA POINTS FOR: #1- Figuring out how / why the monster crab roars like the mutant bear in PROPHESY! #2- Discerning just what part of Ireland is represented by Moody's "accent"! #3- Resisting the urge to purchase a banjo by movie's end!...
    moonisgod

    Please talk through this movie

    This was perhaps one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. Because it was bad (of course!). There is no reason to sit through this movie seriously like you would with "Schindler's List" or even "Fletch". Talk with your friends through it. Laugh. Make comments. PLEASE!!!! The plot involves little crabs ganging up on people and killing a few (the best scene is where all the tiny crabs manage to overturn a trailer home and catch it on fire). There's a giant paper mache-looking crab too, but I wasn't too sure of its purpose. That goes to show how bad this film was. When you don't know why they had the giant crab (it appears on the box! grrrrr! beware humans!), then it's a bad bad movie.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed on a budget of $4 million with the giant crab alone costing $1 million.
    • Connections
      Featured in Vintage Video Minisodes: Island Claws (1980) (2021)

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    FAQ14

    • How long is Island Claws?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Giant Claws
    • Filming locations
      • Virginia Key, Florida, USA
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,500,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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