- For the episode, see MST3K 407 - The Killer Shrews.
The Killer Shrews is a 1959 science-fiction film directed by Ray Kellogg and written by Jay Simms.
Plot[]
The Killer Shrews
The captain of a supply boat, Thorne Sherman, and his Dixieland-Jazz-loving first mate and engineer "Rook" Griswald land on a remote island to deliver provisions to a research team that is using shrews as test subjects. Their goal is to find ways to extend life, reduce consumption of resources. and prevent global overpopulation.
The ensemble includes a German scientist, his attractive daughter, a servant named Mario, an additional scientist, and Jerry the research assistant.
It is soon discovered that Jerry is prone to irrational behavior. He and the scientist's daughter were engaged to be married, but she has broken the engagement after Jerry displayed cowardice and selfishness. Later, Jerry gets drunk and leaves the shrew cages open, releasing several hundred starving giant shrews all over island. Jerry then threatens his ex-fiance.
The radio is broken, a hurricane is approaching, and the house is made of easily-chewed adobe. The shrews devour the first mate and then advance on the livestock and the people in the house. Jerry becomes ever more hysterical. The survivors construct a crude armored transport that enables them to escape on Sherman's boat.
Cast[]
- James Best as Thorne Sherman
- Ingrid Goude as Ann Craigis
- Ken Curtis as Jerry Farrell
- Gordon McLendon as Dr. Radford Baines
- Baruch Lumet as Dr. Marlowe Craigis
- Judge Henry Dupree as "Rook" Griswold
- Alfred De Soto as Mario
Notes[]
- This was one of two features produced by an independent company in Texas and intended to be distributed as a double feature. The other feature was The Giant Gila Monster. These films marked the directorial debut of veteran special-effects man Ray Kellogg.
- The production manager was Ben Chapman, who held the same position on The Giant Gila Monster. However, this was not the same Ben Chapman who played the titular monster in The Creature from the Black Lagoon.
- Several dogs were used to play the killer shrews for some of the scenes. In other scenes, the shrews are evidently rat puppets.
- In 2012, a sequel was released entitled Return of the Killer Shrews. James Best co-wrote the film and reprised his role of Thorne Sherman. Bruce Davison appeared as Jerry Farrell (replacing the deceased Ken Curtis). It also featured Jon Schneider, who had co-starred with Best on the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard.
- This film was "top-matted". Normally films are center-matted—when projected in a theater or drive-in a proportion of the top and bottom of the frame is covered to present a widescreen picture. The full frame of a center-matted film will also appear reasonable on a television broadcast. A top-matted film only has the top of the frame covered when projected. This presents the top quarter of a television screen with nothing of interest while the actors occupy the lower three fourths of the screen. Filming this way also forces the boom mikes to remain far above the actors so they won't appear in the frame. This often causes the audio to sound distant and echo-y if it is not dubbed later. This accounts for much of the unintelligible dialog in this feature.
- Was nominated in The Golden Turkey Awards series for Worst Rodent Movie of All Time. It lost to The Food of the Gods.
MST3K Connections[]
- Director Ray Kellogg was also director and story writer for The Giant Gila Monster.
- James Best also portrayed the kid who gets slapped in I Was a Teenage Werewolf.
- Actor and producer Ken Curtis was also producer for The Giant Gila Monster.
- Actor and executive producer Gordon McLendon was also narrator executive producer for The Giant Gila Monster.
- Composer Emil Cadkin was also song writer for The Hellcats, stock music composer for Terror from the Year 5000, and music cue composer for Century 21 Calling and Robot Rumpus.
- Cinematographer Wilfred M. Cline was also cinematographer for The Giant Gila Monster.
- Editor Aaron Stell was also editor for The Giant Gila Monster and Beginning of the End.
- Production manager Ben Chapman was also production manager for The Giant Gila Monster.
- Sound technician Milton Citron was also sound technician for The Giant Gila Monster.
- Sound technician Earl Snyder was also sound technician for The Crawling Hand and The Giant Gila Monster, as well as sound engineer for Radar Secret Service and sound mixer for The Amazing Transparent Man.
- Stunt coordinator Fred Graham also portrayed Sheriff Jeff in The Giant Gila Monster.
- Camera operator George Gordon Nogle was also camera operator for The Giant Gila Monster.
- Music editor Gilbert D. Marchant was also for supervising sound editor for Outlaw and music editor The Amazing Transparent Man.
- Script supervisor Audrey A. Blasdel was also script supervisor for The Giant Gila Monster.