We are dutifully informed that while Martin and Barney are searching, the monster is "making its way to the community dance hall." Did it crawl out from under the ship too?) Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. This, *ahem*, "Special Unit", arrives in a ramshackle pickup accompanied by the "ratta-tat-tat" of a snare drum on the sound track in an effort to convey an atmosphere of military might. Dr. Richard Marlowe uses a combination of voodoo rite and hypnotic suggestion, attempting to revive his beautiful, but long-dead, wife, by transferring the life essences of several hapless ... See full summary ». Yet when we first saw the monster, it exited the ship via a door in the side. ("Or one of theirs"…remarks Brett.) Martin and Brett (WTHISDT) jump out of the patrol car and cradle the dying scientist in their arms. While his uncle cries for help, Martin retreats to the relatively safety of the patrol car and reports the incident to the police station. "Ben could not understand why the craft was not severely damaged", the narrator tells us while Ben silently talks to Martin. (Which makes me wonder what it was that actually ate Uncle Ben since of the only two monsters we ever see, one is bound to the wall and the other is roaming the countryside, but nevermind…), The two soldiers return from exploring the craft and report the presence of the second beast to Colonel Caldwell. After that, the investigation is taken over by the military; a top space scientist, Dr. Bradford (William Thourlby), arrives to study the ship and, if possible, communicate with its passenger. Should we place the blame fully on Arthur Nelson’s shoulders? The monster puts the flat tip of it’s head under the car, flips it like a pancake, and laboriously crawls over to eat the unconscious occupants. . and is to maintain security and wait for a one Dr. Bradford to arrive. Bradford speaks to Martin while Colonel Edwards walks off-scene with Brett. Then to top it off, the UFO is a truck that drives by (also out of focus). Just wanted to let you know that Colorado-based director Pete Schuermann is currently filming a documentary on “The Creeping Terror”, which will establish this shlockfest once and for all as the worst movie of all time–and Art Nelson as the creepiest director. AVOID THIS FILM BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY! This tactic does however make it much easier to climb into the monster’s mouth. To simulate being struck by bullets, the monster has been dusted with talcum powder (or flour, whichever was cheapest, most likely). The man was clearly shown running away, so wouldn’t he have made a "Monster On The Loose" report? This lack of synchronization between the narration and the action on the screen is both humorous and disconcerting. A shot of a dancer’s jiggling bottom cuts to the writhing tendrils that crown the monster’s “head.” Subtle, it is not. And even over 40 years later I think Shannon O'Neil is still beautiful. A newly married couple arrives at the home of the husband's late wife, where the gardens have been maintained by a gardener faithful to the dead woman's memory. The Dead Next Door: A Field Guide to Regional Horror Films. (Men on the other hand, are devoured with much less footage.). After waiting on the sofa while Martin and Brett kiss in the kitchen, Barney loses patience and gives a loud "AHEM!". You could, say, buy a bed sheet, paint it black, and stick lights through it. Yes. Bradford was pessimistic, but implied that maybe all was not lost. I am looking forward to seeing that. of his two close friends." The selection we received was... well.. profoundly awful by any measure one might choose to evaluate a film. Regardless, it’s morning. !The movie starts with stock footage of a space shuttle lifting playing backwards. [He didn’t have time to help?] Every time we cut back to the crashed alien ship, we are treated to the same repeated shots of two soldiers pacing back and forward in front of it and of the same wobbling alien creature inside. Well, at least he doesn’t take his work home with him. Martin and Brett (WTHISDT) hop into the squad car and, after nearly stalling the car when putting in the clutch, give chase. I just happened to catch this movie one Saturday afternoon on TV, just a month or so ago, and regretted that I hadn’t had time to record it to DVD for my family of bad movie lovers. There is a point to this scene, right? A newlywed sheriff tries to stop a shambling monster that has emerged from a spaceship to eat the citizens of an American town. …but it doesn’t even agree with who is actually talking, e.g., we hear Brett speaking while Dr. Bradford’s lips are moving, or Dr. Bradford is speaking when nobody’s lips are moving, and so on. [4] Die Kostüme schuf Rebecca Boltres, die Filmbauten stammen von Bud Raab; für die Spezialeffekte war Clifford Stine zuständig. Yet I would argue that it is an interesting film in its own right, with some effective moments that are overshadowed by its reputation (and yes, there are some jaw-droppers as well). My sojourn in this demonic deep has been completely unenlightening and extremely terrifying. I loved this show as a kid but all I remember about it is that it had a cool main titles sequence and a great theme by Leonard Rosenman. Unnerving really. The soldiers discover the monster’s whereabouts and move in for the attack, all 7 of them. Shannon O’Neil (her real name Shannon Boltres), the lead actress, was White’s girlfriend at the time, even while he was still married to Lois, who had returned to him with the promise of better behavior after one of their splits; were the scenes of newlywed bliss meant to rub his infidelity in Lois’ face, or was he imagining the married life–he upstanding and virile, she nubile and obedient–that he would have preferred? Ben agrees and suggests that it could be "one of our missiles". It’s like some sort of ventriloquism show from Hell. The narration continues: "Martin was outraged by the government’s intellectual approach to a monster that had already killed and caused the disappearance (??) Sonofagun, years later I read that the director had hired some college kids to do just that.That, and the fact the the people made hardly any attempt to escape, left me rooting for the creature, as those people were too dumb to live.The concept of digesting the locals and sending the info back home was a precursor to one of the Martian landers scooping up some soil, digesting it, and sending the results back to Earth. When the smoke clears, the monster lies motionless on the ground looking like, well, a pile of old carpets. After Bobby is eaten by the beast (off camera), Grandpa also sees it. With Vic Savage, Shannon O'Neil, William Thourlby, John Caresio. (Only afterwards did I find out that The Creeping Terror had been featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000; I could have saved myself a lot of trouble but I had stopped watching the show by the time that episode aired.). One shot of a bikinied girl being swallowed up and her screams continuing to emit has an audience in laughter. Introductions are made via dubbed in dialog that does not match the characters lips. Bradford smiles. Inside the ship, a flashlight plays over bank after bank of instruments. Breaking off the kiss, Brett greets Barney and makes him a drink. Martin knew what he had to do.". and it looks interesting.I’m sure it’ll go straight to dvd instead of playing in theaters.. For what it’s worth, I had seen The Creeping Terror and found it interesting before I heard about its origins; I don’t think White’s scamming and abuse make his movie “cool” or “edgy,” and there were plenty of earnest, would-be professional filmmakers involved with the production. Needless to say, the space craft shown here has absolutely no relation to the space ship shown, *ahem*, landing, earlier in the film. Caldwell conceded to the point of assuring Bradford that they would not destroy the monster if they could avoid it.". Global panic ensues when it is revealed that a mysterious UFO is actually a giant bird that flies at supersonic speed and has no regard for life or architecture. The sense of unreality is increased when not only is the dialog out of sync with the actor’s lips, but it doesn’t even agree with who is actually talking, e.g., we hear Brett speaking while Dr. Bradford’s lips are moving, or Dr. Bradford is speaking when nobody’s lips are moving, and so on. This site is dedicated to our mentor and hero, Forrest J. Ackerman, who gave us Famous Monsters and fed our little hungry minds with needed nourishment! Martin orders Barney to organize a search party, but don’t search near the space ship "because of security reasons". Thanks for the fun article. The last she saw of them was when they went to go fishing at "Willow Creek". Two thirds or more of the plot is told in narration – the reason for this being that the film’s soundtrack was lost and so director Art J. Nelson dubbed the entire thing himself. Back at the ship, we are informed that Barney has received a frantic call from "Mrs. Brown" who has not heard from her husband or grandson. The romantic afternoon is interrupted by a lion’s roar (!! Such characterization! This lack of synchronization between the narration and the action on the screen is both humorous and disconcerting. She doesn’t have any later screen credits, so it’s hard to say what she might have done in a better film. There's even a documentary about the fact that this trainwreck was an actual con-job. Add the first question. But I must admit I’m more than a little curious how the "creeping terror" manipulated all the buttons and dials since it has no arms (or appendages of any sort). An update, sort of, on CREEP! Thanks again for the fun blog. Barney quietly sits on the sofa as Martin tip-toes into the kitchen and sneaks up behind Brett. (How one could be victimized by the creature’s fears is unexplained.). I can only assume that the scene where Ben enters the ship was filmed before the scene where the monster left the ship (thus requiring a door to be made to facilitate its egress). A couple and a cop decide to investigate, blah blah blah monster eats people, blah blah blah monster explodes. After a couple futile swings, Guitar Dude lays down on the ground and lets the monster devour him. An uncharacteristically long buildup shows the dance in progress, the crowd made up of a range of ages; while the band plays a repetitive twist tune, dancers fill the floor while others sit at tables and the bar. Bradford told Martin what he had just confirmed. Which morning is this? music plays in the background. Back at the ship, Dr. Bradford continues his examination of the alien controls. For one thing, leading man “Vic Savage” and director “A. A woman shouts, “My God, what is it! Back at headquarters, the narrator continues by informing us that Colonel Caldwell has received his orders from "the highest possible authority" (now that’s high!) Amazingly, Bradford manages to crawl away, which is more than fast enough to escape the monster. Using only her wits and what's around her, Arisa must uncover the secrets of the mansion, and figure out how to escape...before it's too late. drive up and converse with Caldwell and Bradford. I mean, this is the quality of movie we are seeing here, folks. Theme By. Anyway, after the attack on the dancers, the military has decided to destroy the monster and Martin is called in to help. To give you a quick idea of the overall quality of this movie, imagine that you are a film maker and need a shot of a ‘UFO’ flying through a star field. I imagine that they intended to shuffle in unison to give the monster a semblance of mobility, however it was probably all they could do not to be overcome by heat stroke.