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3.5/10
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A meteor that crashed into Oregon's Crater Lake unearths a dinosaur egg. The heat from the meteor causes the egg to hatch, and the emerging dinosaur takes to snacking on the locals.A meteor that crashed into Oregon's Crater Lake unearths a dinosaur egg. The heat from the meteor causes the egg to hatch, and the emerging dinosaur takes to snacking on the locals.A meteor that crashed into Oregon's Crater Lake unearths a dinosaur egg. The heat from the meteor causes the egg to hatch, and the emerging dinosaur takes to snacking on the locals.
Glen Roberts
- Arnie Chabot
- (as Glenn Roberts)
Michael F. Hoover
- Ross Conway
- (as Michael Hoover)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to lead actor/writer Richard Cardella, Crown International Pictures took over production and did very little post-production work. For example, many of the day-for-night scenes were not tinted.
- GoofsThe Conways' boat trip and the subsequent monster attack are described as happening on a moonlit night, yet all scenes take place in broad daylight.
- Quotes
Mitch Kowalski: I've been stuffin' my shoes with newspaper for so long, my feet know more about what's goin' on than my head.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Fantastic Dinosaurs of the Movies (1990)
Featured review
A messy homage to 50s monster movies that when you overlook the post production problems is quite entertaining and enthusiastic
In a rural part of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, a meteor falls into a nearby lake shortly after some archaeologists have uncovered cave paintings showing early man fighting what appears to be a dinosaur. In the months after the meteor's impact. Strange happenings are noticed by the two boat renters Mitch (Mark Siegel) and Arnie (Glenn Roberts) as well as the local Sheriff Steve Hanson (Richard Cardella) which may point to a creature long believed to be extinct.
The Crater Lake Monster is a 1977 independent monster film directed and produced by stop motion animator Willaim R. Stromberg who co-wrote the film with star and lifelong friend Richard Cardella. Inspired by his love of monster films of the 1950s, Stromberg had wanted to make a more family oriented horror film in contrast to the rising popularity of more extreme horror of the 70s. The film is noted for its troubled post-production thanks to interference and ineptitude by distributor Crown International who pulled funding for several scenes as well as deleting expository ones that would've expanded on the plot, locked Stromberg out of the editing process, and didn't bother to correct several day for night shots so scenes set at night took place in broad daylight. The movie made a little over $1 million which tanks to a low budget cited under $200,000 most likely yielded a profit even if critical reception hasn't been kind to the film with some ranking it among the worst monster movies. While The Crater Lake Monster does have some glaring flaws as a result of the Crown debacle, there's an undeniable passion and energy on screen that makes this nowhere near the worst monster movies ever made (not even close).
While the titular Crater Lake Monster certainly feels like a "man out of time" given the technical revolution of Star Wars during the same year, given the tone the movie goes for it's rather fitting and shows some impressive utilization of stop motion techniques to bring the creature to life. The script is basically written and acted like a 1950s type monster film complete with some silly reasons why there's a monster as well as the occasionally stilted acting, but all these elements add to that underlying charm of the movie. The funniest aspect of the film for me is the fact comic relief characters Arnie and Mitch played by Glenn Roberts and Mark Siegel are given more screentime than the movies hero and co-writer Steve Hanson, but there is a strange quality that makes them kind of endearing if slightly schticky and I was usually amused by their antics (even if they also result in the movie ending on kind of a downer note). The biggest issue with the movie is the glaring post production issues and that really speaks more to Crown's incompetence than the movie itself, and in spite of those glaring issues I was still amused by the movie.
If you've seen a 50s monster movie, that's basically what this is only dressed up in 70s attire. It's a fun little oddity that never overstays its welcome and will be welcome viewing for bad movie fans and MST3Kers alike (this movie deserves its own episode featuring it). Dim the lights, get some popcorn, and have a good time.
The Crater Lake Monster is a 1977 independent monster film directed and produced by stop motion animator Willaim R. Stromberg who co-wrote the film with star and lifelong friend Richard Cardella. Inspired by his love of monster films of the 1950s, Stromberg had wanted to make a more family oriented horror film in contrast to the rising popularity of more extreme horror of the 70s. The film is noted for its troubled post-production thanks to interference and ineptitude by distributor Crown International who pulled funding for several scenes as well as deleting expository ones that would've expanded on the plot, locked Stromberg out of the editing process, and didn't bother to correct several day for night shots so scenes set at night took place in broad daylight. The movie made a little over $1 million which tanks to a low budget cited under $200,000 most likely yielded a profit even if critical reception hasn't been kind to the film with some ranking it among the worst monster movies. While The Crater Lake Monster does have some glaring flaws as a result of the Crown debacle, there's an undeniable passion and energy on screen that makes this nowhere near the worst monster movies ever made (not even close).
While the titular Crater Lake Monster certainly feels like a "man out of time" given the technical revolution of Star Wars during the same year, given the tone the movie goes for it's rather fitting and shows some impressive utilization of stop motion techniques to bring the creature to life. The script is basically written and acted like a 1950s type monster film complete with some silly reasons why there's a monster as well as the occasionally stilted acting, but all these elements add to that underlying charm of the movie. The funniest aspect of the film for me is the fact comic relief characters Arnie and Mitch played by Glenn Roberts and Mark Siegel are given more screentime than the movies hero and co-writer Steve Hanson, but there is a strange quality that makes them kind of endearing if slightly schticky and I was usually amused by their antics (even if they also result in the movie ending on kind of a downer note). The biggest issue with the movie is the glaring post production issues and that really speaks more to Crown's incompetence than the movie itself, and in spite of those glaring issues I was still amused by the movie.
If you've seen a 50s monster movie, that's basically what this is only dressed up in 70s attire. It's a fun little oddity that never overstays its welcome and will be welcome viewing for bad movie fans and MST3Kers alike (this movie deserves its own episode featuring it). Dim the lights, get some popcorn, and have a good time.
helpful•00
- IonicBreezeMachine
- Aug 19, 2023
- How long is The Crater Lake Monster?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- El monstruo del cráter
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $100,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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By what name was The Crater Lake Monster (1977) officially released in Canada in English?
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