Scarecrow-88 Idyllic coastal setting, and I'm a sucker for lighthouses, is the setting for this "monster on the beach" outing that owes a bit to Creature from the Black Lagoon (the monster is basically a stripped down Gillman without the distinctive detail to the costume that made it so memorable and special). California coastal community of Piedras Blancas is suffering a string of beheadings to the locals (it literally goes for the jugular), and it's possible the lighthouse keeper (John Harmon) has known about its existence, living in a cavern nearby, and kept it secret. Forrest Lewis is the constable out to find the killer and stop it, and Lee Tremayne is the doctor/scientist lending his expertise to help identify what it is. Jeanne Carmen is Harmon's daughter, and Don Sullivan is Carmen's beau. Sullivan is studying with Tremayne in a mentor/pupil dynamic. Not enough monster, some rough acting (clear indication some of the actors were struggling with their lines, and the long dialogues seemed to be a chore for some of them to endure), and pacing issues hinder the entertainment value. There is some dead space that just seems to devour the running time. Even at 71 minutes, it feels long. Severed heads (including one scene where the Reptiliman is carrying a bloody head, another where there's a crab crawling on a discarded head in the cavernous home of the monster) add shock value, some description of the monster's handiwork is grisly even if not shown, and there's a haunting scene where the father of a victim carries his child with the locals behind him as he marches up a sidewalk to the constable. I guess I would have boosted my rating had we seen some extra skin from Carmen, but what we do have is rather a slog that kind of drags and energy in the direction is lacking. The face of the monster, when revealed, is disappointing, to say the least. The right move was ending the film using the lighthouse. I think what is definitely missing is a key B-movie actor, like a Denning, Marshall Thompson, or Carlson, to anchor the film as far as a charismatic presence. At their best, the cast is serviceable, if no one is exactly extraordinary. This kind of film was begging for a Universal Studios budget and a helmer like Jack Arnold to move the plot along more effectively. As a creature feature, this is no better or worse than those cheesy Corman/Blaisdel efforts (which had some fun casts and a sense of humor).

Jonathon Dabell The Monster Of Piedras Blancas is a low-budget monster movie from the golden heyday of low-budget monster movies, the 1950s. By this time, the British had begun introducing an element of gore into their horror movies with the likes of The Curse Of Frankenstein and Horrors Of The Black Museum… and here some of that gore makes it into an old-school American creature feature. While the film isn't especially good in the normal sense of the word, it does rise to a number of scenes that must have been very powerful to the unsuspecting audiences of the day, most notably the scene where the monster suddenly emerges from a freezer at the back of a store with a severed head in its hand.In a quiet Californian coastal town, a couple of fishermen turn up dead in a boat, their corpses decapitated with almost surgical precision and barely a drop of blood left in their bodies. Local store-keeper Kochek (Frank Arvidson) warns that the dead are not victims of a tragic accident, hinting that they have been killed by a living creature, perhaps even the Monster of Piedras Blancas which is a well-known but much-ridiculed local legend. Lighthouse keeper Sturgess (John Harmon) seems particularly upset by the killings and makes a point of telling his daughter Lucy (Jeanne Carmen), waitress in a local bar, to make sure she is vigilant on the way home. Meanwhile, the town constable Matson (Forrest Lewis) works tirelessly with the local doctor, Sam Jorgenson (Les Tremayne), to figure out a rational explanation for the recent deaths. Lucy ignores her father's advice and goes for a moonlight swim with her boyfriend Fred (Don Sullivan), but she can't shake the feeling that someone or something is watching them. Later, more decapitated corpses turn up – one of them a child – and people start placing more credence in the idea that a monster is at large. Finally, the monster shows itself and the townsfolk find themselves up against a seemingly indestructible mutant fish-man with a taste for red meat! For me, the thing that makes The Monster Of Piedras Blancas more bearable than many films of this type is that it tries to pay attention to logic. Admittedly, much of the logic in the film is flawed. For example, the "indestructible" monster falls from a lighthouse into the sea and everyone celebrates its destruction - erm, hold on folks, the monster's almost impossible to kill and it's back in its natural habitat… something tells me this thing ain't dead! However, in others aspects the film does try quite hard to provide feasible explanations for the origins of the monster and the actions of the characters. The monster itself is the best thing about the film – a nod towards The Creature From The Black Lagoon, with a more gruesome face and bucketloads of drool. Alas, there's not much else in the film worth mentioning. It's an extremely slow-moving flick for much of the time, and the years have diminished whatever shock value the occasional gore scenes might once have possessed. There's probably some nostalgic charm in revisiting a movie like this – indeed, a whole generation have The Monster of Piedras Blancas to thank for the first time they saw a severed head in a film – but overall it's not a film that has much else to offer for modern audiences.

oscar-35 This film was a fun romp to experience. It also was filmed in a real place on the Californian coastline on the central coast. A little known fact is that it was filmed on location in Cayucos, just north of Morro Bay, and halfway to Cambria/San Simeon, the stopping point for a tour of the Hearst Castle. Piedras Blancas is the name of the point North of there, where the light house is actually located above San Simeon. My relatives retired there in the late fifties, and actually starred as background performers in the film (The older lady wearing a beret, and the man with a brim cap). The "Wings Cafe" and the general store were prominent features of that town for many years, but are long gone now. The actual cemetery was used in the film and is where my relatives are now intered. Interesting trivia... Forgot to mention the old wooden Catholic church that figures prominently in several scenes, long gone too and replaced with a modern structure.

Alan Rowe Kelly One of my favorite 50's monster movies! For some reason this priceless little gem is always overlooked in the lists of B-movie monster faves of the 1950s. You have one of the better amphibious creature costumes designed by Jack Kevan (No zipper!!), a great sea coast location, decapitations and gore, some very decent acting by A-list party girl and pin-up queen Jeanne Carmen, and last but not least, Les Tremayne - He is only in 85% of all classic B-horror/sci-fi films of the 1950s! What's a film without him?! All right guys, I know its formula, but this obscure little tale holds a special place in my heart since I was 9-years old! The film has drama, subtext, coastal atmosphere, sex, and about 5 or 6 headless corpses lying about! John Harmon as Sturges, the crusty lighthouse keeper who feeds the hungry cave-dwelling beast meat scraps from the local deli, does a credible job here as a man who has closed off all emotions to the world, including those of his fetching daughter Lucy (Carmen), in exchange for companionship with the hungry creature. Jeanne Carmen is a natural beauty equal to the Mara Cordays' and Allison Hayes' of her decade. Too bad the studios didn't use her a little more proficiently. Psuedo-teen heartthrob Don Sullivan is thrown in for some romantic interest and all that biology jazz and the musical score (which is never credited) is rich, layered and 'original.' So, sorry guys! The Monster of Piedras Blancas always wins with me!