The Crater Lake Monster
Encyclopedia
The Crater Lake Monster is a 1977
B-rated
horror film
directed by William R. Stromberg for Crown International Pictures
, and starring Richard Cardella. The script was also written by Stromberg and Cardella, and their affiliation with The Crater Lake Monster marked the zenith of their careers.
The storyline revolves around a giant plesiosaur
, akin to the Loch Ness Monster
, which appears in Crater Lake, next to a small Oregonian
town. As people are attacked by the monster, the Sheriff (Cardella) investigates along with a group of scientists in order to stop the creature.
The film is mostly notable for being an example of David W. Allen
's early stop-motion animation, and "the best thing about the movie (make that the only thing)". Otherwise, the film was widely panned by critics, with DVD Drive-In calling it "one of the worst giant monster flicks of all time". The film suffered from financing and publication problems with Crown International; as Cardella recounts:
Despite being a critical and commercial flop, the camp
appeal of the film led to a VHS
release on United Home Video, and DVD
release on Rhino Home Video. In 2011, The Crater Lake Monster was used as fodder for the Rifftrax
comedy team.
1977 in film
The year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
B-rated
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by William R. Stromberg for Crown International Pictures
Crown International Pictures
Crown International Pictures is an independent film studio formed in 1959 by Newton P. Jacobs Jacobs was a former branch head of RKO Pictures until 1947 when he formed his own company "Favorite Films"; a film releasing organisation. Jacobs became one of the first franchises for showing American...
, and starring Richard Cardella. The script was also written by Stromberg and Cardella, and their affiliation with The Crater Lake Monster marked the zenith of their careers.
The storyline revolves around a giant plesiosaur
Plesiosaur
Plesiosauroidea is an extinct clade of carnivorous plesiosaur marine reptiles. Plesiosauroids, are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods...
, akin to the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
, which appears in Crater Lake, next to a small Oregonian
Oregonian
Oregonian may refer to:*Oregonian, a resident or native of the U.S. state of Oregon*the Oregonian , a train operated by the Oregon and California Railroad*The Oregonian, the daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, United States...
town. As people are attacked by the monster, the Sheriff (Cardella) investigates along with a group of scientists in order to stop the creature.
The film is mostly notable for being an example of David W. Allen
David W. Allen
David W. Allen was a film and television stop-motion model animator.Considered among the finest stop-motion model animators, Dave Allen has contributed some of the best stop-motion sequences to many feature films, rivaling the work of other premier model animators Ray Harryhausen and Jim...
's early stop-motion animation, and "the best thing about the movie (make that the only thing)". Otherwise, the film was widely panned by critics, with DVD Drive-In calling it "one of the worst giant monster flicks of all time". The film suffered from financing and publication problems with Crown International; as Cardella recounts:
Despite being a critical and commercial flop, the camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
appeal of the film led to a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
release on United Home Video, and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release on Rhino Home Video. In 2011, The Crater Lake Monster was used as fodder for the Rifftrax
RiffTrax
RiffTrax are downloadable audio commentaries featuring comedians Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett heckling films in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a TV show in which Nelson was the head writer, and later the host. The RiffTrax are sold online and delivered by digital...
comedy team.