source: The Monster of Piedras Blancas

Trailer—The Monster of Piedras Blancas

The Monster of Piedras Blancas

I recently obtained a VHS copy of The Monster Of Pidras Blancas off E-Bay and was pleased I did, I had been after this movie for several years but could not get it anywhere. After several headless bodies are found washed up on the shore of Pidras Blancas, locals are baffled by these horrible deaths. There turn out to be the responsibility of a legendary monster, which lives in a nearby cave and is fed by the local lighthouse keeper. After the monster kills more people, there is a confrontation on top of the lighthouse at the end... The cast includes 50's sci-fi regular Les Tremayne (The War Of The Worlds, The Monolith Monsters), Forrest Lewis and John Harmon. The monster in this movie looks very similar to the Gill Man from Creature From The Black Lagoon. Although a little slow moving in parts, I certainly enjoyed The Monster Of Pidras Blancas and is rather creepy at times too. Quite good. Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Don Sullivan should be the star. He is the young handsome monster fighter. Others were better known at that time, perhaps. This is a good, but not great sci-fi B movie. It is entertaining and an obvious low budget quickie that might make back the investor's gamble. The monster is not totally ridiculous and the story is OK. The acting is better than most low budget films. Any of the main cast members, including the child actors could handle a Hollywood production. Camera work is better than adequate. This is not boring but sometimes it slips into comedy that is unintended.

1959's "Monster of Piedras Blancas" remains one of my favorite horror/sci-fi films from my childhood. I remember watching this film for the first time after school on N.Y's channel 9 during the early 1970's. It had such an impact on me. Loved the creature costume. (very convincing till this day!) I was quite surprised by the level of gore for a film of that period. The setting of a sleepy California coastal town and the impressive score, added to the films appeal. Some of the acting was fairly decent and the plot simple and straight forward. I understand the film is unavailable on DVD at the moment, but hope to find it soon. It is a must for mine as well as anyone else's collection.

The monster, which looks like a nastier version of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," invades a sleepy lighthouse town. The superstitious lighthouse keeper is worried for the safety of his beautiful teenage daughter, so he leaves food for the monster, who dwells in a nearby cave. As stated, this was clearly inspired at least in part by the Creature. And, as I understand it, there was some overlap in the makeup and costume department, so that is not altogether shocking. But the interesting part is that this "knock off" is at least as good. In fact, the entire film is just as good. Though not a celebrated classic, it is no worse than any other film of its era that is now considered a cult film. This really needs a new audience. Olive Films has released it, but only in a bare bones fashion... where is the love?

In THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS, a series of grisly decapitation deaths occur in a small seaside town. Suspiciously, the local lighthouse keeper has been feeding meat scraps to a certain big-clawed creature. Keeping his secret becomes increasingly difficult as the body count rises. Upon watching this movie again, it's interesting to notice the subtle influences it has had on other films, such as JAWS and THE FOG. It's also pretty grim and graphic for a monster movie from the late 1950's. Overall, the movie is very effective. The finale at the lighthouse is certainly memorable. Co-stars Don Sullivan (THE GIANT GILA MONSTER, TEENAGE ZOMBIES) as Fred and Les Tremayne (WAR OF THE WORLDS, THE SLIME PEOPLE) as Dr. Jorgenson.

There are some genuine frights in what could basically be called a rip off of that famous Universal sci-fi classic. A mysterious creature haunts an ocean front town, resulting in some extremely horrific deaths where victims are decapitated and their blood literally sucked out of the remains of their body. The local doctor and sheriff can't quite figure out where it came from, and only an old, crotchety light house worker seems to be aware of the truth, but he isn't saying anything. A Gothic feel aids in making this more intriguing than the usual low-budget drive-in fare, with some great character performances including Les Tremayne as the doctor and John Harmon as the light house keeper. A slight romantic subplot doesn't get in the way, keeping the focus on the mystery of what the creature is and how the authorities deal with it.

Mediocre acting. Great Man in a monster suit. A scaler version of the Creature from the Lost Lagoon. And some surprising for '59 gore featuring some.... yep decapitations with a little blood! In black and white. Light house keeper puts out food for legendary monster. Most people thinks he's crazy and of course ignore his warnings. Then some surfers wind up losing their heads. No real surprises. But if you're in the mood and want to see a pretty good man in a monster suit movie, this will fit the bill.