Wow! Such a good movie.

Sorry, this movie sucks

Simply Perfect

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Sadly, this is the best Roger Corman movie I have seen.It has all the things a normal Corman movie has like terrible acting, a worse plot and no budget but somehow it's not as bad as usual.Black and white was Corman's best friend, I bet he was mad when he had to start using color.So scientists with guns go to an island where they know other scientists have disappeared and then they all split up.You can guess what happens next.Of course Corman adds in some scuba diving, it seems to be in all of his movies.The Professor from Gilligan's Island is in this and he's by far the best actor.I really believe that never seeing a Corman film is the way to go but if you must see one, make it this one.

Here's another great title from Roger Corman, but it's a shame about the movie itself which has a lot of potential but doesn't really take that anywhere. The silly script and bizarre storyline seems to have been made up on the spot (knowing Corman's track record, maybe it was) and is a far cry from the acclaimed Poe adaptations he would be creating a few years later. Instead what we have is a campy, no-budget B-movie in which giant, poorly-designed crabs go around and kill a few people with their rubber claws. Oh, and they're indestructible and can communicate telepathically with people, okay? Still, it's not the worst film ever made and will pass the time moderately well for bad movie lovers, and the best thing is that it's admirably short.The strange storyline and ridiculous plot elements (the island on which our cast are stranded is shrinking all the while) make for one weird film which plays like a bad nightmare. To make matters even more bizarre, a scene halfway through the film which shows a man falling down a rope into a pit is actually tacked on to the beginning of the movie, so you start off in the thick of the action and wonder what the hell is going on! There is no explanation for this error and it just added to the experience for me.The cast will be an unfamiliar one to people who don't watch a lot of these type of films, although Mel Welles appears in a small supporting role as a scientist. Richard Garland is the boringly straight hero while Pamela Duncan makes for a voluptuous heroine who looks great in a swimsuit. The movie is surprisingly gory in places for the time in which it was made, with the standout being the discovery of a headless corpse. However, the crabs fail to be the least bit threatening - or even plausible - with one risible moment showing a crab apparently "snoring". That's a new one on me! It's a shame that the budget and technical proficiency behind this film was so low, as the spirit was indeed willing as you might say. This is a film which will only appeal to those devoted to Corman's career or crappy B-movies of the '50s in general.

People are trapped on a shrinking island by intelligent, brain-eating giant crabs...The film was written by Charles B. Griffith and produced and directed by Roger Corman. Not unlike other Corman productions, he gave Griffith the title before any writing even started. Like other films of the 1950s, the problem is traced to radiation, this time from the Bikini Atoll nuclear tests. But then we stray a bit -- there are not just mutated giant crabs, but ones who have gained intelligence by absorbing the minds of their victims.Interestingly, because the film is set on an island, one of the stars is Russell Johnson, best known for his role as the Professor on "Gilligan's Island". He had already made his mark in science fiction thanks to "It Came from Outer Space" (1953) and "This Island Earth" (1955).The film also stars Mel Welles before he became "known" (and I use that loosely) for his role in Corman and Griffith's "Little Shop of Horrors" and the much later Corman-financed cult classic "Chopping Mall". (He also wrote, directed and produced the 1971 Italian film "Lady Frankenstein".)This was Corman's most profitable film to date, and it is easy to see why. With a small cast and crew, but a unique plot and an inventive villain, this film is all about ideas and not about budget. For a perfect example of how Roger Corman became the king of low budget film, you need not look any further than this one.

Exactly what you'd expect from a Roger Corman cheapie circa 1957. Lousy special effects, awkward dialog, stiff acting and yet still plenty of entertainment. A group of military and science types descend upon an island in the south Pacific to try and determine why a prior party of investigators went missing. What they encounter turn out to be the title characters...not so convincing crabs who've grown to massive sizes thanks to some radiation fallout. At 62 minutes it's impossible for the film to be dull for even a second and there are plenty of cheap thrills (and laughs) as Corman's cast is picked off one by one. Richard Garland, Russell Johnson and sexy Pamela Duncan are the leads. Corman regular Mel Welles plays a French botanist(!) and producer/screenwriter Charles B. Griffith has a role as a navy seaman. Floyd Crobsy, who shot everything from HIGH NOON to HOW TO STUFF A WILD BIKINI was the cinematographer.