The first few times it works, but given the prevalence of the murderous mole-like mammals, this often breaks the momentum in service of repeating a joke. But the biggest obstacle in its way is, . For reasons beyond me, the phones are cordless. Drugs (both street and over-the-counter), sex, alcohol, cigarettes,... Film Threat cares about your privacy and the security of your information. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. Movie starlet Fiona Rae, Sheriff Martin Blake and others defend the world from an onslaught of giant killer shrews. We are shown parts of an obviously model – but very intricate – graveyard, then stop motion shrews who burst out of the ground and head for a nearby cardboard town where they bloodily attack action figures. But. Both set out to do similar things within the franchise’s constraints, by playing up the camp nature and utilizing purposely bad effects. : THE DISILLUSIONMENT OF MIKE & EVA. . THE BOOTLEG FILES: "DICKSON EXPERIMENTAL SOUND FILM", H.O.L.E. Add short-tailed shrews to the growing list of animals that are making themselves at home in the big city. That marks one of the most prolonged periods of time between the original film and a sequel! It’s possible that the screenplay was thought up extremely quickly, but that’s not really a good enough excuse. The aim was to make a parodic semi-remake of the 1959 flick. A barber polishes someone’s bald patch amidst squeaky sound effects. Attack of the Killer Shrews! Official Facebook page of ATTACK OF THE KILLER SHREWS! One character constantly says: “What the f*** is that?”. Despite being made back in 1956, Lionel Rogosin’s study of the denizens of New York City’s skid row has not lost a shred of its ability to provoke and... BOOTLEG FILES 207: “Dickson Experimental Sound Film” (an 1894 attempt to synchronize sound and motion pictures). Energetic and amusing, with plenty of horror nods to, , and several other horror classics, it sets the bar quite high for. It’s always easy to fall into the trap of mocking the movies you’re spoofing too much, so that so there doesn’t seem to be much actual affection being shown, and to its credit Attack Of The Killer Shrews doesn’t really do that. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Though I most certainly 'have a life', I tend to go to the cinema twice a week! They were attempting to find a cure for rabies, which isn’t anywhere near as daft as in the 1959 film – a film which is played straight – where a scientist was looking for a way to shrink humans down to half their size to solve overpopulation [!]. As soon as Fiona is inside and safe, Blake heads back out on patrol. On an isolated island, a small group of people are terrorized by giant voracious shrews in the midst of a hurricane. The opening title sequence is stop-motion animated and is freaking amazing! This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb. Meatball. That marks one of the most prolonged periods of time between the original film and a sequel! In his research to cure rabies, the doctor created the ravenous beasts. boasts energetic directing, a lively cast, and a few choices jokes about 1950s b-movies. What is the real motivation behind Dr. Murdock’s work? One character becomes a kind of were-shrew but spends the majority of the film not interacting with anybody. No, it's the giant killer shrews that are going to be the most dangerous for the people who soon find themselves trapped inside a house with the creatures trying to get it. I try not to over analyze the old B horror movies such as this. He thinks it’s actually a good idea because the shrews can’t sneak up on them. Personal Details Born. This goofiness coupled with shallow characters (save for Captain Thorne) and ham-fisted dialogue delivered in an over the top fashion, all combine to make it one of most fun unintentional comedies of that era. Visit our full length Privacy Policy to get informed on our policies regarding the collection, use and disclosure of information we receive from users. The fourth wall is sometimes broken. | May 26, 2018. Along the way we also meet Wilkens, a Scotsman who offers up an alternative origin for the shrews, and some army folk who think they’re all tough but whom we know may soon meet their match in the shrews, whose attacks are pretty constant. Attack of the Killer Shrews! Charles is super rich and unable to recognize that just because he has read a lot of books doesn’t qualify him as an author. Attack Of The Killer Shrews boasts energetic directing, a lively cast, and a few choices jokes about 1950s b-movies. But, just as he attempts to leave, a gravely wounded Dr. Murdock (Mick O’Keefe) runs in screaming about killer shrews. Her car is broken down on the side of the road, so a friendly sheriff, Blake (Bill Kennedy), offers her a ride. Depending on the scene the shrews can be a person in a suit, a dog wearing half a costume, a stuffed version mounted on wheels, or a puppet. Wilkens gets a funny moment when he leads his group into a barn where they would obviously be trapped against a wall if the shrews show up. It’s quirky and charming and a lot of work was obviously put into it. In any case, the makers of Attack Of The Killer Shrews have commendably decided to try to realise their overgrown rodents in a similar fashion; dogs wearing masks with a little help from some puppets , though it’s probable that only one or two dogs and only one or two puppets were used considering that we only ever see one ‘shrew’ at a time. Related News. Will Blake and Fiona act upon their mutual attraction before time runs out? ", "Everyone ends up in the same damned place. Your email address will not be published. The other major trap films of this ilk tend to fall into is that the laughs cancel out the scares and vice versa, the result ending up not working too well either as a comedy or a horror. He has trouble keeping it still and makes one particular chase sequence an eye-hurting blur, but this does give the proceedings a ‘found footage’ feel which may appeal to fans of that genre. eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'filmthreat_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_9',112,'0','0'])); “…the dinner party must escape not only the house but the town in one piece…”. After the main characters escape the professor’s house and get into town, a barbershop is one of the locales. Dr. Murdock and his assistant are doing something to a brain when something suddenly kills the assistant. Dr. Murdock and his assistant are doing something to a brain when something suddenly kills the … It’s far less fun these days when CGI seems to be ‘go to’ method for similar films, and I would make a claim for cheap CGI often looking worse than cheap handmade effects. The show that celebrates the best in independent film! Required fields are marked *. These costumes were ill-fitting, and they did not resemble the faces of the hand puppets very well. I’ll say one thing though: this film begins with an opening scene that is rather neat. “…opening title sequence is stop-motion animated and is freaking amazing!”. I just felt dizzy for much of the time. . Then we go into the film ‘proper’ and two scientists fiddling around with a brain [which looks surprisingly convincing] before something off screen kills one of them. to Historical Epics. Copyright © 2020 HorrorCultFilms - Horror Movie Reviews, News and Interviews. Hand puppets were used for the close-ups of the shrews, while costumed hounds were used for the wider shots. But therein lies the rub. Unless you really are sensitive it’s impossible to be offended and I’ll happily admit I chuckled at the absurdity of it, but sadly the laughs thereafter only materialise very occasionally as Fiona, Sheriff Blake, Lewis, Cheryl, Perry and Blake’s deputy Wayne split up into two groups [for some reason] as they flee the shrews. Thanks for the review! Unfortunately, I can’t really say that Attack Of The Killer Shrews, a film which I was much looking forward to checking out, is very worthwhile. As far as I can tell, the basic premise has been retained, as has of course the method of creating the creatures, though the characters and storyline are quite different.