Special photographic effects wizard Ray Kellogg (Demetrius and the Gladiators) directed this 1959 creature feature starring James Best (a ubiquitous presence on TV during the medium's Golden Age) as Captain Thorne Sherman, who delivers supplies to a research laboratory on a remote island. In short order, everything goes wrong: a brewing hurricane strikes, the people at the lab act furtive and mysterious, the head scientist's gorgeous daughter (Ingrid Goude) is bent on keeping Thorne from leaving and—oh, yes—there are a few hundred, toothy, poisonous shrews the size of mastiffs running amok in the surrounding forest, hungry for human flesh. The captain's bad day only gets worse as a macho staffer (Gunsmoke's Ken Curtis, producer of this potboiler)—who is more frightened of the monsters than anyone else—starts throwing his weight around. Made by Kellogg with a certain amount of wink-at-the-audience flair, The Killer Shrews is an entertaining public domain B-movie, unfortunately presented here with a disappointing transfer (despite the prominent “digitally transferred” tag on the cover). A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)
The Killer Shrews
Film Chest, 69 min., not rated, DVD: $9.99 Volume 30, Issue 1
The Killer Shrews
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