The Killer Shrews (1959)

Director:

Ray Kellogg

Writers:

Jay Simms (story)
Jay Simms (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 April 1962 (West Germany)

Genre:

Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

All that was left after...THE KILLER SHREWS! (Used in conjunction with a woman's pink pump and splattered blood)

Plot:

On an isolated island, a small group of people is terrorised by giant, voracious shrews in the midst of a hurricane.

Plot Keywords:

Coward | Sea Storm | Hurricane | Independent Production | Peril

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 31

6:45 PM

TCM

Cast

James Best	...	Thorne Sherman
Ingrid Goude	...	Ann Craigis
Ken Curtis	...	Jerry Farrell
Gordon McLendon	...	Dr. Radford Baines
Baruch Lumet	...	Dr. Marlowe Craigis
Judge Henry Dupree	...	'Rook' Griswold (as J. H. 'Judge' Dupree)
Alfredo DeSoto	...	Mario

Also Known As:

The Attack of the Killer Shrews

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | UK:PG (video rating) (1996) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #19311)

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Hollywood Pictures Corporation (II)

Trivia:

This film and its companion piece, The Giant Gila Monster (1959), marked the directorial debut of veteran special effects man Ray Kellogg.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Thorne and Jerry are fighting at the gate, Ann and Radford look out the window to see what's going on. In the close-up Ann is wearing a black top, even though she had just changed into a white blouse. When Thorne comes back into the house after the fight, Ann is again wearing the white blouse.

Quotes:

[while hiding under oil drums, the refugees are attacked by gigantic shrews]
Thorne Sherman: Don't let their head get under! They'll flip us over!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (2004) (V)

Scared me in 1959 - still fun to watch today!!!

This movie may seem hokey by today's standards: special effects, cgi, and all the things that make modern sci-fi/horror movies what they are. However that may be, I seem to remember seeing this movie for the first time,when it first came out in 1959, and let me tell you, it scared the bejesus out of me, as I watched through the crack between the theater seats in the row in front of me. I recently came across a 50 movie horror movie collection which, lo and behold, had in it "The Killer Shrews" and I promptly purchased it. I just finished watching the movie, and 47 years later, I still remember many different scenes like it was yesterday. That is the impression "The Killer Shrews made on my 10 year old self. Sure the shrew suits are primitive by today's standards, but in 1959 they were impressive let me tell you. Still fun to watch and reminisce.