"Mystery Science Theater 3000" The Killer Shrews (1992)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Jim Mallon

Writers:

Joel Hodgson (creator) &
Michael J. Nelson (head writer) (1989-1999) ...

TV Series:

"Mystery Science Theater 3000" (1988)

Original Air Date:

25 July 1992 (Season 5, Episode 7)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Directed By Star | Madman | Robot | Mad Scientist | Breaking The Fourth Wall

Cast

Joel Hodgson	...	Joel
Trace Beaulieu	...	Crow T. Robot / Dr. Clayton Forrester
Kevin Murphy	...	Tom Servo
Jim Mallon	...	Gypsy
Frank Conniff	...	TV's Frank
Mary Jo Pehl	...	Magic Voice

Filming Locations:

Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

Quotes:

Crow T. Robot, Tom Servo: [singing] Killer shrew, killer shrew / Don't know the difference 'tween me and you / He comes out at night to give you a fright / Don't look now, but he's gonna take a bite / Killer shrew, killer shrew / K-I-double-L-E-R shrew / He's scary and tough, if that ain't enough / He's augmented with bath mats an' stuff / Killer shrew, killer shrew / He's coming to your town to get you!

Movie Connections:

References "The Kids in the Hall" (1988)

"But I bet they can't play Dixieland jazz like..."

It's obvious from the outset that 1959 B&W horror stinker "Killer Shrews" is going to hurt bad with its ridiculously contrived premise, and because it's directed by Ray ("The Giant Gila Monster") Kellogg. It's something about some blizzard-marooned people who've been taken in by a doctor who's accidentally created man-eating, giant shrews. Whatever. James Best from the TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard" is the protagonist, which means that TV's Frank is happy. Joel and the bots aren't.

The Shrews themselves are laughable, which are either dogs in costume or stiff puppets. They're only seen towards the end, though; the majority of the film is set in a single room, dominated by melodramatic, banal dialogue. The riffing helps substantially, of course, but you really feel Joel and the bots' pain. To make matters worse, the movie's audio is godawful. Then again, that's probably a good thing.

There's also a short, "Junior Rodeo Daredevils": a dreary B&W documentary that predictably fails at making its subject matter remotely interesting. Joel and the bots take several potshots at machoism and conservatism here. In additional response, they parody cowboys in the second segment.

The opening segment has Crow feeling bitter for getting a pair of trousers from Joel while Gypsy and Tom receive their 'dream' presents. The invention exchange has Frank go on about Forrester's being humiliated in high school. Elsewhere, Joel/bots sing "The Killer Shrews" to the MST3k theme and create a board game based on the film. Crow nearly cracks.

"The Killer Shrews" isn't a bad episode, but it's one for the patient. While the film itself may seem like good Z-grade fun, it isn't. To quote a better episode "Hercules Against the Moon Men": it's all about 'DEEP HURTING!'