... and how they bore you right out of your mind! The Crater Lake Monster is one of the classic BAD films from the 70's made with no actors of any note, an embarrassing script, woeful direction, and a tireless desire to fuse "horror" with light comedy. This movie introduces a paleontologist who finds drawings of an aquatic dinosaur underneath Crater Lake...a meteor falls from the sky, and an aquatic dinosaur of the claymation variety begins to terrorize and eat the inhabitants surrounding Crater Lake. The whole matter is taken care of by Steve our local sheriff. Much of the film - when not showing pools of blood left behind from what we imagine must have been the beast dining - is spent following the bumbling antic of two guys named Arnie and Mitch who run a boat rental place. They try so bad to be funny, that we get lines like, looking at a business sign, Mitch saying to Arnie "You spelled bait wrong, it's spelled B-A-T-E." The laughs were rather scarce here. We then see them get drunk together and imagine a tree trunk to be the dinosaur. Laurel and Hardy watch out! The dinosaur looks fake, but the movie is fun in a bad way. And at the very least, the lake is beautiful.
68 Reviews
Terrible and Lame Dinosaur Film
claudio_carvalho21 October 2015
In Oregon, a meteor crashes into Crater Lake and heats the water, hatching a dinosaur egg. Months later, fishes have vanished from the lake and a huge dinosaur hunts cattle and human to feed. The local Sheriff Steve Hanson (Richard Cardella) investigates the mysterious disappearance of tourists and even a criminal. He also tells to the rednecks Arnie Chabot (Glenn Roberts) and Mitch Kowalski (Mark Siegel) that they shall not rent their boats to the tourists. When he discovers the dinosaur, his friend Richard 'Doc' Calkins (Bob Hyman) and two scientists asks him to leave the animal alive for the scientific community. Will Steve let the dinosaur live?
"The Crater Lake Monster" is a terrible and lame dinosaur film with awful story, screenplay, performances and special effects. The characters Arnie and Mitch are annoying and unfunny. There is a thief and murderer that appears in the middle of the story only to be eaten by the dinosaur in one of the most ridiculous scenes. When the sheriff discovers the existence of the dinosaur, he does not summon the army or the National Guard and prefers to confront the animal with a revolver and a bulldozer. The DVD from Rhino is very poor, without subtitles or extras; therefore adequate for this shameful flick. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): Not Available on Blu-Ray or DVD (fortunately)
"The Crater Lake Monster" is a terrible and lame dinosaur film with awful story, screenplay, performances and special effects. The characters Arnie and Mitch are annoying and unfunny. There is a thief and murderer that appears in the middle of the story only to be eaten by the dinosaur in one of the most ridiculous scenes. When the sheriff discovers the existence of the dinosaur, he does not summon the army or the National Guard and prefers to confront the animal with a revolver and a bulldozer. The DVD from Rhino is very poor, without subtitles or extras; therefore adequate for this shameful flick. My vote is three.
Title (Brazil): Not Available on Blu-Ray or DVD (fortunately)
Good Badness #8: What's this film about, really?
Vomitron_G3 December 2009
We have a lake. We have an animated meteor crashing. We have a killer stop-motion dinosaur with flippers. Okay, so let's call this movie THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER. What else can we add? Hmm, two idiots called Arnie & Mitch to define the ultimate definition of "comic relief". We also got to have a sheriff who doesn't really do a damn thing in this film and whom nobody listens to. Aw crap, we're over halfway through the movie and we forgot to insert a bad guy! No worries, let's introduce some guy with a moustache, have him rob a store to indicate he's a bad guy, then have him pop up somewhere near the lake, have him chased through the woods and all this for the sole purpose of him ending up as dinosaur snack food. That should work.
A complete, clumsy mess, this film. Its logic will twist your mind to force laughter out of you. The first film to feature Dave Allen as a "stop motion supervisor". After this one, he joined forces with Charles Band for several years until the the mid-nineties, when Band ran out of money to pay him, I guess. The dinosaur effects are charming and the whole film is pretty damn unintentionally funny. Unfortunately, that's about the only good thing that can be said for it.
Good Badness? Yes. The mind-bending logic in the narrative should be enough reason for that. If not, Arnie & Mitch will do the trick. 3/10 and 8/10
A complete, clumsy mess, this film. Its logic will twist your mind to force laughter out of you. The first film to feature Dave Allen as a "stop motion supervisor". After this one, he joined forces with Charles Band for several years until the the mid-nineties, when Band ran out of money to pay him, I guess. The dinosaur effects are charming and the whole film is pretty damn unintentionally funny. Unfortunately, that's about the only good thing that can be said for it.
Good Badness? Yes. The mind-bending logic in the narrative should be enough reason for that. If not, Arnie & Mitch will do the trick. 3/10 and 8/10
A shoestring budget monster film that blew my expectation away.
willywants18 December 2003
The heat of a meteor crashing into the lake incubates a prehistoric egg, which grows into a plesiosaur-like monster that terrifies the community and eats those daring enough to go into the lake, like a couple on a honey moon, a felon, and a mild-mannered fisher-man. Granted, the acting is bad (even though actor Mark Siegel went on to have a great effects career at Industrial Light and Magic)and the poor sound and picture quality of the crown international VHS (I just bought my copy of this film on DVD, much better video quality!), and the irritating flaws (How can that chick see "stars" in the middle of the day? How come a cop is driving over a course of 6 MONTHS to get to a dinner?), but despite the poor continuity and plot holes, I must admit that I did enjoy this film. The stop-motion special effects for the dinosaur are excellent, the suspense is adequate, the characters are quit funny, (unintentionally, most of the time) and it was pretty fun to watch and poke at the flaws.......enjoy!
The Life Aquatic with Arnie & Mitch!
Coventry13 August 2009
Well, what are the odds! At the exact right moment that a few redneck amateur-scientists discover cave paintings indicating that some type of dinosaur monster might have inhabited the area thousands of years ago, a burning meteor crashes into the lake and spontaneously hatches a monster's egg that has been lying there
for over a thousand years, I suppose! "The Crater Lake Monster" is a movie that literally must be seen to be believed, but you better do so in the company of many friends and a pile of ganja in order to make the wholesome a little bit easier to digest. Yes, this is a terrible film with the utmost ramshackle screenplay imaginable and numerous irrelevant padding interludes that are downright embarrassing, but it's also irresistibly charming and so clumsily put together that you simply have to cherish some kind of fondness for it. Half of the film – at least – revolves on the wacky adventures of Arnie and Mitch. These two local yokels own and run a boat renting shop near the lake, but spend most of their days picking their noses and quarreling over fascinating stuff like to spell the word "bait". It is mostly during their prototypic Laurel & Hardy situations that new puddles of blood or decapitated heads are discovered in the lake. Steve Hanson, the heroic but not exactly sharp Sheriff is on the case, but only if he's not too busy chasing big city thugs traveling through the area. Halfway through the film, there suddenly is an abrupt scene about a thug robbing a liquor store and killing two people in the process. This textbook "WTF" moment appears to take on the complete other side of the country, like in New York City or something, and has absolutely nothing to do with the events going on at Crater Lake. Only like twenty minutes later the robber pops up again in Hicksville and there's an "exhilarating" chase through the woods, ending in the Dino's hungry muzzle. The absurd little details in "The Crater Lake Monster" are too numerous to mention! For example, this is probably the only creature-feature in which the players discover the obligatory gigantic footprint AFTER they already spotted the actual monster. The goofs in continuity should be legendary as far as I'm concerned. It's like everybody forgot to pay attention to it. Night turns into twilight into day and back into twilight
all during one and the same diurnal course! The monster is undeniably the best aspect about the film, especially since it's accomplished through good old fashioned and adorable stop- motion effects. The cute critter is a Plesiosaur; meaning an aquatic dinosaur looking like a crossbreed between Denver the Last Dinosaur and an alligator. "Crater Lake Monster" is a unique and unforgettable movie- experience that I can only encourage to track down! The miserable 1 out of 10 rating is just out of principle (and because basically, this IS a very bad film) should be put into perspective, because I might as well could have given it 10 out of 10 for sheer entertainment value.
Oh, the horror
bensonmum211 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
- The movie opens with a meteor crashing into a lake. Unbeknownst to the locals, a dinosaur egg is also at the bottom of the lake. The meteor heats the lake, turning it into a giant incubator. You guessed it, the egg hatches releasing a dinosaur that proceeds to terrorize the community.
- What utter garbage. It's not that I mind the stop-motion clay dinosaur, it's everything else about the movie that bothers me. The acting is atrocious. The dialogue is utterly ridiculous. The comic relief is anything but comic. Logic is non-existent. Any similarity between the "scientists" in this movie and an actual scientist is purely coincidental. I could go on for an eternity on the bad aspects of this movie, but you get the idea. I feel it's fairly safe to call this disaster "MST3K Worthy".
Watchable - But Not Great
Rainey-Dawn14 November 2016
The film starts out with the finding of cave paintings that depict dinosaurs with humans - an extraordinary discovery. On that exact same day, a meteorite lands in the lake in the same park as the cave painting findings. Then *poof* we end up with a dinosaur coming out of the lake! Of course it kills some people but for most of the film no one knows about the dinosaur and the deaths are just mysterious deaths.
There is a little bit of comedy sprinkled throughout the film this is somewhat laughable. The dinosaur is pretty neat looking for the time era (NOT a CGI generated creature like today's creatures and monsters). The story is kinda interesting but it does hit a few lulls off and on.
Overall it's an alright film - watchable but not great.
4/10
There is a little bit of comedy sprinkled throughout the film this is somewhat laughable. The dinosaur is pretty neat looking for the time era (NOT a CGI generated creature like today's creatures and monsters). The story is kinda interesting but it does hit a few lulls off and on.
Overall it's an alright film - watchable but not great.
4/10
I didn't think it was that bad, I'm obviously in the minority...
poolandrews16 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The Crater Lake Monster starts late one night in Oregon as local County Sheriff Steve Hanson (co-writer Richard Cardella) stops his patrol car by the side of Crater Lake & witnesses a meteorite hurtle from the sky & crash into the lake. As it happens a couple of university scientists named Dan Turner (Richard Garrison) & Susan Patterson (Kacey Cobb) are on hand to investigate the next day along with local County Dr. Richard Calkins (Bob Hyman) who all think little of it beyond the fact that it heated the lake up considerably, unfortunately unknown to them the warmed up water has acted as an incubator to a fertile Dinosaur egg at the bottom of the lake which hatches in no time at all & before he knows it Sheriff Hanson is trying to work out why there are so many missing persons reports & where old farmer Ferguson's (Joe Sasway) bulls have disappeared to...
Co-written, produced & directed by William R. Stromberg I personally thought The Crater Lake Monster was OK considering I was expecting something awful. The script by star Cardella & director Stromberg takes itself very seriously apart from a couple of dumb comedy relief rednecks & is a bit uneven as is the case in a lot of these types of films, there are whole stretches of the film when the monster isn't seen or even referred to, there's some subplot about a robber that goes absolutely nowhere & the film isn't sure who the main character is. Most of the character's just come & go without much thought for continuity or narrative, the Sheriff, the County Doctor, the scientists, a couple from Vegas, the two local redneck idiots & the Crater lake monster itself all take it in turns to star for five minutes before they disappear for ten. The character's let the film down somewhat, they're either bumbling idiots or dull officials who spout stupid badly written dialogue although some of it is quite funny. I suppose The Crater lake Monster is a late 70's attempt to recreate any number of cheap 50's & 60's monster films & to be honest apart from being in colour doesn't exactly distinguish itself or have any new ideas of it's own. Having said that I thought the pace wasn't too bad, at least I stayed awake & it tried to include a fair few attack scenes although they are a bit dull & unimaginative. I thought it passed 80 odd minutes harmlessly enough & while it certainly isn't any sort of masterpiece I've seen a lot worse.
Director Stromberg was obviously working on a low budget, the location photography is murky & he doesn't use the lake or surrounding forest's that well. The film has a cheap & unappealing look to it but it also has that 70's horror atmosphere to it. It's not scary or gory so don't worry about that. The monster itself is by far the most impressive thing about The Crater Lake Monster, the stop-motion animation on it is actually quite impressive. Sure, there are people who will say they're the worst special effects they've ever seen but I'm positive those type of people have only seen films like Jurassic Park (1993) which The Crater lake Monster obviously can't compare or compete with.
Technically The Crater Lake Monster isn't especially great with bland music, photography & production design but the locations help a bit as do the decent special effects. The annoying 'day-for-night' process is used throughout which irritates. The acting is uniformly poor by everyone, period.
The Crater Lake Monster is a pretty bad film by most peoples standards which I'm not trying to deny but I thought it had some merit with some decent special effects & a nice feel to it. I can't really recommend it as there's little here to recommend but I quite liked it in a crap sort of way, I doubt I'll be in any hurry to ever see it again though.
Co-written, produced & directed by William R. Stromberg I personally thought The Crater Lake Monster was OK considering I was expecting something awful. The script by star Cardella & director Stromberg takes itself very seriously apart from a couple of dumb comedy relief rednecks & is a bit uneven as is the case in a lot of these types of films, there are whole stretches of the film when the monster isn't seen or even referred to, there's some subplot about a robber that goes absolutely nowhere & the film isn't sure who the main character is. Most of the character's just come & go without much thought for continuity or narrative, the Sheriff, the County Doctor, the scientists, a couple from Vegas, the two local redneck idiots & the Crater lake monster itself all take it in turns to star for five minutes before they disappear for ten. The character's let the film down somewhat, they're either bumbling idiots or dull officials who spout stupid badly written dialogue although some of it is quite funny. I suppose The Crater lake Monster is a late 70's attempt to recreate any number of cheap 50's & 60's monster films & to be honest apart from being in colour doesn't exactly distinguish itself or have any new ideas of it's own. Having said that I thought the pace wasn't too bad, at least I stayed awake & it tried to include a fair few attack scenes although they are a bit dull & unimaginative. I thought it passed 80 odd minutes harmlessly enough & while it certainly isn't any sort of masterpiece I've seen a lot worse.
Director Stromberg was obviously working on a low budget, the location photography is murky & he doesn't use the lake or surrounding forest's that well. The film has a cheap & unappealing look to it but it also has that 70's horror atmosphere to it. It's not scary or gory so don't worry about that. The monster itself is by far the most impressive thing about The Crater Lake Monster, the stop-motion animation on it is actually quite impressive. Sure, there are people who will say they're the worst special effects they've ever seen but I'm positive those type of people have only seen films like Jurassic Park (1993) which The Crater lake Monster obviously can't compare or compete with.
Technically The Crater Lake Monster isn't especially great with bland music, photography & production design but the locations help a bit as do the decent special effects. The annoying 'day-for-night' process is used throughout which irritates. The acting is uniformly poor by everyone, period.
The Crater Lake Monster is a pretty bad film by most peoples standards which I'm not trying to deny but I thought it had some merit with some decent special effects & a nice feel to it. I can't really recommend it as there's little here to recommend but I quite liked it in a crap sort of way, I doubt I'll be in any hurry to ever see it again though.
One of the worst movies i have ever seen *Possible Spoilers*
callanvass18 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the worst movies i have ever seen it's EXTREMELY boring with lots of boring dialog and has some VERY annoying characters and a laughable looking creature. The only reason i watched this piece of garbage is because it was on that 8 disc horror set i got. The plot is preposterous and totally stupid as is the finale. No blood what so ever except a few bloody marks on the creature, and a couple of bloody gunshot wounds. The acting is TERRIBLE!!. Richard Cardella is terrible as the sheriff and was quite laughable plus his character is annoying. Glen Roberts is the comic relief and was not funny at all!. Mark Siegel is extremely annoying and was also NOT FUNNY!. Bob Hyman is decent but not much more then that. Richard Garrison is annoying and had no chemistry with Kacey Cobb what so ever. Kacey Cobb is so so here and had no chemistry with Richard. Overall Avoid this piece of garbage at all costs! BOMB out of 5.
The Crater Lake Monster: Cheesy
Platypuschow27 February 2018
The Crater Lake Monster is a 1970's monster themed b-movie but alas not one of the better ones.
It tells the story of a meteor that awakens something ancient beneath a lake which proceeds to chomp on the locals.
I was drawn to the movie because of the cover art but shortly into the film you'll realise that it's not being entirely honest with you.
The movie itself looks and sounds great, in fact I was stunned to discover that it's as old as 77 so for that it gets a remarkable thumbs up. The SFX however leave a lot to be desired even for it's time. The "Monster" looks like it's straight out of Jason & The Argonauts movie (The original ones) and for that reason it's very hard to take seriously.
One stand out part of this film is a couple of comedy characters who actually make the film somewhat watchable to a degree. I actually laughed but was frustrated that even the dreadful finale had to screw that up.
With more plot holes than you can shake a stick at this should have been better but poor writing and laughable sfx ruined it.
The Good:
Some oddly good comedy
Looks ahead of its time
The Bad:
SFX are unintentionally funny
Cover is deceptive
Weak finale
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Bray Wyatt has come a long way
Stars are easier to see during the day
Dying underwater will cause your blood to teleport onto your boat
It tells the story of a meteor that awakens something ancient beneath a lake which proceeds to chomp on the locals.
I was drawn to the movie because of the cover art but shortly into the film you'll realise that it's not being entirely honest with you.
The movie itself looks and sounds great, in fact I was stunned to discover that it's as old as 77 so for that it gets a remarkable thumbs up. The SFX however leave a lot to be desired even for it's time. The "Monster" looks like it's straight out of Jason & The Argonauts movie (The original ones) and for that reason it's very hard to take seriously.
One stand out part of this film is a couple of comedy characters who actually make the film somewhat watchable to a degree. I actually laughed but was frustrated that even the dreadful finale had to screw that up.
With more plot holes than you can shake a stick at this should have been better but poor writing and laughable sfx ruined it.
The Good:
Some oddly good comedy
Looks ahead of its time
The Bad:
SFX are unintentionally funny
Cover is deceptive
Weak finale
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Bray Wyatt has come a long way
Stars are easier to see during the day
Dying underwater will cause your blood to teleport onto your boat
I have seen hell...
jcaraway329 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
...and it is this film. I imagine that if indeed there is a negative afterlife, damned souls are tied to a rather uncomfortable couch and forced to watch this movie on a continuous loop for all eternity.
Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but it is probably the worst film I have ever seen next to "Manos, the Hands of Fate"... and I have seen a lot of bad movies, believe you me.
This is just a crummy B movie, bad film-making at it's finest(or is it worst?) The thing I really didn't like about this movie is the moronic duo they threw in for comedy relief. Now, a little comedy relief is a good thing, but most of the movie is focused on the adventures of these two morons, rather than on the "heroes" of this film, who are actually in it for less time than them!
To be fair, Crown International really destroyed the movie by adding bad music and doing a poor job editing. But honestly, this was probably a bad film to begin with, so Crown really couldn't have done that much to hurt it.
This really needs to be in the bottom 100 list. I wouldn't wish this one on my worst enemy.
Actually, it's my kind of campy B movie. It was bad, but I still liked it, despite my one star rating.
Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but it is probably the worst film I have ever seen next to "Manos, the Hands of Fate"... and I have seen a lot of bad movies, believe you me.
This is just a crummy B movie, bad film-making at it's finest(or is it worst?) The thing I really didn't like about this movie is the moronic duo they threw in for comedy relief. Now, a little comedy relief is a good thing, but most of the movie is focused on the adventures of these two morons, rather than on the "heroes" of this film, who are actually in it for less time than them!
To be fair, Crown International really destroyed the movie by adding bad music and doing a poor job editing. But honestly, this was probably a bad film to begin with, so Crown really couldn't have done that much to hurt it.
This really needs to be in the bottom 100 list. I wouldn't wish this one on my worst enemy.
Actually, it's my kind of campy B movie. It was bad, but I still liked it, despite my one star rating.
The sort of film like Alien Tresspass and Lost Skeleton of Cadavra spoofed only for real. On its own terms its enjoyable
dbborroughs1 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
A meteor drops from the sky and reawakens a plesiosaur that long ago used to terrorize the area around Crater Lake . As the monster eats the locals they try and find away of killing the monster.
Recent attempts at sending up old horror and science fiction films like Lost Skeleton of Cadavra and Alien Trespass are kind of rendered moot when you have films like Crater Lake Monster available for screening. It's the sort of film that those films spoof and send up only this is the real deal. Its everything those films try to be only with out the tongue in cheek and its so much more fun because of it. This is a real drive-in sort of film that had the unfortunate luck of coming just as Star Wars changed the way we look at special effects. The monster, a mix of stop motion and a life size head, is a charmingly quaint little beast. The filmmakers spoil the audience with frequent shots of the monster and its mayhem. Sure its clear that its all fake, but isn't movies about suspension of disbelief? Actually I think its about really cool monsters, which this has.
I like this movie in a low budget drive in sort of a way. If you want a real authentic drive in monster movie look no farther. This would be perfect for a double or triple feature with similar lake monster films (Boggy Creek etc.)
Recent attempts at sending up old horror and science fiction films like Lost Skeleton of Cadavra and Alien Trespass are kind of rendered moot when you have films like Crater Lake Monster available for screening. It's the sort of film that those films spoof and send up only this is the real deal. Its everything those films try to be only with out the tongue in cheek and its so much more fun because of it. This is a real drive-in sort of film that had the unfortunate luck of coming just as Star Wars changed the way we look at special effects. The monster, a mix of stop motion and a life size head, is a charmingly quaint little beast. The filmmakers spoil the audience with frequent shots of the monster and its mayhem. Sure its clear that its all fake, but isn't movies about suspension of disbelief? Actually I think its about really cool monsters, which this has.
I like this movie in a low budget drive in sort of a way. If you want a real authentic drive in monster movie look no farther. This would be perfect for a double or triple feature with similar lake monster films (Boggy Creek etc.)
Crater Lake a Wonderful Throwback to Saturday Night Creature Features
sauronswrath23 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
C'mon people, look at the title! LOL! I remember seeing this movie on Saturday Late Night Creature Features years ago. It's a great, cheesy monster flick with hilariously bad acting and two wonderfully moronic hillbillies that add to the schlock factor. The 2 redneck boat rental guys are the movie! LOL, and you'll love the boat scene where the English guy and his wife are talking about all the stars and it's midday and sunny. Bloody hilarious!!! You can tell they just didn't care about plot, they just wanted to blow through the filming of the movie as fast as possible. Bottom line, you'll love it if you love 70's schlock.
Terrible but funny.
BA_Harrison4 April 2013
A meteor lands in Crater Lake, Oregon, where the incredible heat incubates a dormant, fertile Plesiosaur egg; once hatched, the dinosaur rapidly grows to 50ft in length and begins to feed on unfortunate visitors and locals. Sheriff Steve Hanson (Richard Cardella) investigates with the help of paleontologists Dan (Richard Garrison) and Susan (Kacey Cobb).
Filmed in Fantamation (whetever the heck that is), The Crater Lake Monster is a typical 50s-style creature feature, only it's from the late-70s, meaning that along with the hokey premise, dreadful acting and jerky stop-motion monster, we also get Jaws-inspired attack scenes with a fair amount of bright red blood splashed all over the place, and characters sporting either big sideburns or Farrah flicks. Helping to pad out the film to feature length are light relief hick duo Arnie and Mitch, a pair of drunken dolts who hire out fishing boats on the lake, plus a pointless sub-plot about an armed robber on the run from the law having shot two people during a liquor store hold-up (maybe he was upset because they didn't stock one of their stylish 'Booze' T-shirts in his size).
Fans of quality film-making will no doubt quickly move right along, but those who dig shonky monster movies for their sheer naffness should find enough to enjoy here: in addition to the not-in-the-least-bit-scary animated aquatic creature, we get some hilarious close-ups of a crap monster model in the water, some of the worst day-for-night photography ever ('Look at the stars' coos a woman to her husband as the sun beats down on them from a clear blue sky), true professional Bob Hyman as the town's doctor fluffing his lines but carrying on regardless, a guy crashing a boat gently on a sandbank and then taking a nap, a very slow car chase, and a police photo-lab adorned with 10 x 8s of cute kittens and puppies (suspects in an illegal bone and catnip smuggling operation perhaps?).
Filmed in Fantamation (whetever the heck that is), The Crater Lake Monster is a typical 50s-style creature feature, only it's from the late-70s, meaning that along with the hokey premise, dreadful acting and jerky stop-motion monster, we also get Jaws-inspired attack scenes with a fair amount of bright red blood splashed all over the place, and characters sporting either big sideburns or Farrah flicks. Helping to pad out the film to feature length are light relief hick duo Arnie and Mitch, a pair of drunken dolts who hire out fishing boats on the lake, plus a pointless sub-plot about an armed robber on the run from the law having shot two people during a liquor store hold-up (maybe he was upset because they didn't stock one of their stylish 'Booze' T-shirts in his size).
Fans of quality film-making will no doubt quickly move right along, but those who dig shonky monster movies for their sheer naffness should find enough to enjoy here: in addition to the not-in-the-least-bit-scary animated aquatic creature, we get some hilarious close-ups of a crap monster model in the water, some of the worst day-for-night photography ever ('Look at the stars' coos a woman to her husband as the sun beats down on them from a clear blue sky), true professional Bob Hyman as the town's doctor fluffing his lines but carrying on regardless, a guy crashing a boat gently on a sandbank and then taking a nap, a very slow car chase, and a police photo-lab adorned with 10 x 8s of cute kittens and puppies (suspects in an illegal bone and catnip smuggling operation perhaps?).
Too Good to be Really Bad
dougdoepke9 October 2014
No need to recap the plot. Okay, the film's no classic. In fact, someone in production borrowed the bulldozer vs. monster from 1960's schlock comedy Dinosaurus. But, in my book, the 80-some minutes isn't bad enough to rate among the truly bad, e.g. Manos: The Hands of Fate {1966}. Catch the photography, which is pretty good (of course, post- production bungled day-for-night, but that's not photographer Gentry's fault). Then there're the lush colors, about as vivid as any I've seen. Add Cardella's sturdy performance as the take-charge sheriff, along with some pretty good stop-motion, and you've got genuine compensations that lift results from the truly bad.
Of course, the intended comic relief is pretty lame, along with a script that appears almost thrown together. But perhaps most disappointing is the utter lack of tension. Monsters should generate tension. However, director Stromberg fails to build suspense, which requires a better sense of structure than what's provided here. Instead, the production goes for quick shock, which itself doesn't work very well. All in all, the movie's too good to be truly bad, and too bad to be good. I like what another reviewer observed, namely the results look like they were made by erratically skilled amateurs.
Of course, the intended comic relief is pretty lame, along with a script that appears almost thrown together. But perhaps most disappointing is the utter lack of tension. Monsters should generate tension. However, director Stromberg fails to build suspense, which requires a better sense of structure than what's provided here. Instead, the production goes for quick shock, which itself doesn't work very well. All in all, the movie's too good to be truly bad, and too bad to be good. I like what another reviewer observed, namely the results look like they were made by erratically skilled amateurs.
Pre-Historic Claymation Dinosaur Eats Lakeside Hicks!
MooCowMo22 April 1999
The Crater Lake Monster is easily one of the most awful, amateurish film I've ever seen - ranking right up there with Manos, the Hands of Fate in terms of poor acting, useless direction, and kindergarten-level production values. In this movie a silly-looking claymation/stop-motion animated dinosaur wakes up after a meteor hits a lake in Bumblebum, CA, and begins dining on the local hayseeds. In the thrilling climax, the creature, described by one local as "a giant alligator with flippers", drags it's ponderous bulk over the ground to chase its would-be lunch, before a bulldozer bumps it a couple of times & it dies from boredom. Every character in this moovie is a complete moron. One pointless subplot shows a hick go into a liquor store to purchase a $4.75 pint of Ripple; instead of simply buying the bottle, the idiot shoots the cashier and another bystander, shoots at a cop, gets chased towards the lake, all so that he can eaten by the monster. Unfortunate close-ups of the monster reveal it to be nothing more than a piece of styrofoam. There's a fake magician struggling with a phony British accent (to make him seem more legit), two overly-bumbling redneck boat renters, some cheesy "pre-historic cave art" done in crayon, and annoying banjo-pickin' background moosic. In one painful scene, the fake magician and his dopey wife/girlfriend/accomplice manage to pad the movie an extra 4 minutes by cowmenting on how may stars they can see in the night sky, even though it is clearly day time still. Even on constant fast-forward, this moovie hurts, and hurts bad. MooCow says call the fumigators, 'cause this cow pie really stinks! :=8P
Shark Still Looks Fake
saint_brett27 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
With over 50 channels on cable and nothing of value to watch to the mindnumbing banality of commercial TV I'm forced to watching The Crater Lake Monster on DVD tonight. Even though it was released in '77 you'd think it would be something from the fifties.
The crater lake monster or It came from the Lake - is it the same monster?
I take it that's Robert Forster smoking a pipe here at Crystal Lake? Benny from Abba is bursting with breaking news about some discovery of his.
There goes your typical 50's comet crashing to Earth. I've only seen that a billion times already in other movies. The Spawning springs to mind, among a thousand others.
Three miners get chased from 40'000 leagues under the sea by Mrs Voorhees.
Burt Reynolds is now on a 2-way radio ordering KFC pizza back at base. If he grew his sideburns down a bit longer he'd have muttonchops which sadly no one sports any longer.
Is that John Grizzly and Bobcat Goldwaith at the diner here hawking the leggy waitress? What's with the hillbilly banjo score? Is this Duke's of Hazzard?
Are we trying to establish that we're in the deep South or up North West Oregon?
So, Hugh Grant joins the Love Boat with some airy shopping music in the background as we go in search of the dinosaur meteorite that hit the ground earlier. This dreary score doesn't match the monster theme of the movie. Talk about chalk and cheese!
This music could be from any Doris Day movie.
The stupid score is not conveying the emotional nuances of the cast. (Would you play mall music if you were about to meet King Kong for the first time?)
Oh God, this is a fifties monster movie set 20 years late! That's ya dinosaur? A clay lookalike from that other disasterpiece Nymphoid barbarians in dinosaur Hell? This movie monster is farcical, it looks green screened.
Doc Brown decides to go fishing and it won't surprise me if Jaws shows up. He turns into Roger Moore and some alligator makes a cameo at the all-you-can-eat-buffet. It helps itself to a big serving of Moore.
There's no suspense or terror. I think you'd be better off watching Humanoids from the Deep or Memorial Day Massacre.
Is that Beverly D Angelo and Dewie from Scream?
Love the funeral music as they drive.
Now it sounds like Looney Tunes music playing!
Make up your mind, now they're playing the Pink Panther theme, I kid you not.
The attempts at humor fall flat and miss the mark by a mile.
Isn't that the car Michael Myers stole from the state hospital? Where's the dinosaur gone?
There's a floating head in the water as John Wayne Western music plays in the background now. Severed heads don't float. Is that a grimace or a smile?
Jake the snake Rodriguez is brooding in his humble aboad and has authentic lino flooring. He cruises down Van Nuys Blvd. With a loaded .38 and proceeds to rob a liquor store. He shoots two innocent people for a bottle of booze and doesn't take the money. What has that got to do with the movie and how did he get from Oregon to Van Nuys and back so quickly? This music playing now could be from out of the movie Shane.
Again with the department store music?
OMG - they are seriously playing the Baby Elephant Walk music now as this guy picks his nose!
And somewhere in all this there is supposed to be a dinosaur roaming around? (Everybody kill the dinosaur.) It goes missing in long intervals in its own movie. Now there's lift music playing in the background. What is this?
Toy model dinosaurs. Toy model car explosions. It's just a Komodo Dragon anyway.
I think this movie has a split personality? It's like a three-way story with the dinosaur thrown in on late notice like a boxer accepting the fight 2 days out and no preparation. First, they were gonna make it about the three miners running around Camp Blood. Then decided to add John Grizzly and Bobcat Goldwaith in some Dukes of Hazzard story to spice things up. But then the director was like, "We'll make this a better movie and throw a monster into the mix and see what the outcome is. How could you go wrong?"
What a recipe for disaster.
The crater lake monster or It came from the Lake - is it the same monster?
I take it that's Robert Forster smoking a pipe here at Crystal Lake? Benny from Abba is bursting with breaking news about some discovery of his.
There goes your typical 50's comet crashing to Earth. I've only seen that a billion times already in other movies. The Spawning springs to mind, among a thousand others.
Three miners get chased from 40'000 leagues under the sea by Mrs Voorhees.
Burt Reynolds is now on a 2-way radio ordering KFC pizza back at base. If he grew his sideburns down a bit longer he'd have muttonchops which sadly no one sports any longer.
Is that John Grizzly and Bobcat Goldwaith at the diner here hawking the leggy waitress? What's with the hillbilly banjo score? Is this Duke's of Hazzard?
Are we trying to establish that we're in the deep South or up North West Oregon?
So, Hugh Grant joins the Love Boat with some airy shopping music in the background as we go in search of the dinosaur meteorite that hit the ground earlier. This dreary score doesn't match the monster theme of the movie. Talk about chalk and cheese!
This music could be from any Doris Day movie.
The stupid score is not conveying the emotional nuances of the cast. (Would you play mall music if you were about to meet King Kong for the first time?)
Oh God, this is a fifties monster movie set 20 years late! That's ya dinosaur? A clay lookalike from that other disasterpiece Nymphoid barbarians in dinosaur Hell? This movie monster is farcical, it looks green screened.
Doc Brown decides to go fishing and it won't surprise me if Jaws shows up. He turns into Roger Moore and some alligator makes a cameo at the all-you-can-eat-buffet. It helps itself to a big serving of Moore.
There's no suspense or terror. I think you'd be better off watching Humanoids from the Deep or Memorial Day Massacre.
Is that Beverly D Angelo and Dewie from Scream?
Love the funeral music as they drive.
Now it sounds like Looney Tunes music playing!
Make up your mind, now they're playing the Pink Panther theme, I kid you not.
The attempts at humor fall flat and miss the mark by a mile.
Isn't that the car Michael Myers stole from the state hospital? Where's the dinosaur gone?
There's a floating head in the water as John Wayne Western music plays in the background now. Severed heads don't float. Is that a grimace or a smile?
Jake the snake Rodriguez is brooding in his humble aboad and has authentic lino flooring. He cruises down Van Nuys Blvd. With a loaded .38 and proceeds to rob a liquor store. He shoots two innocent people for a bottle of booze and doesn't take the money. What has that got to do with the movie and how did he get from Oregon to Van Nuys and back so quickly? This music playing now could be from out of the movie Shane.
Again with the department store music?
OMG - they are seriously playing the Baby Elephant Walk music now as this guy picks his nose!
And somewhere in all this there is supposed to be a dinosaur roaming around? (Everybody kill the dinosaur.) It goes missing in long intervals in its own movie. Now there's lift music playing in the background. What is this?
Toy model dinosaurs. Toy model car explosions. It's just a Komodo Dragon anyway.
I think this movie has a split personality? It's like a three-way story with the dinosaur thrown in on late notice like a boxer accepting the fight 2 days out and no preparation. First, they were gonna make it about the three miners running around Camp Blood. Then decided to add John Grizzly and Bobcat Goldwaith in some Dukes of Hazzard story to spice things up. But then the director was like, "We'll make this a better movie and throw a monster into the mix and see what the outcome is. How could you go wrong?"
What a recipe for disaster.
This film made me Dino sore
movieman_kev24 August 2012
A meteor crashes into a lake which causes a dinosaur egg to hatch and before you can say Lock Ness, the baby Dino is chowing down on the local townspeople in this low-budget b-movie.
This movie has almost everything that one wants from a dinosaur flick. Well except for a good storyline, believable characters, a credible or even passable dino, good special effects, and/or anything that'll keep you from falling asleep, but other than those things the movie is tops, What it does have is two knuckleheads that are painfully groan-inducingly unfunny, so there's that. Seriously though, don't waste your time.
This movie has almost everything that one wants from a dinosaur flick. Well except for a good storyline, believable characters, a credible or even passable dino, good special effects, and/or anything that'll keep you from falling asleep, but other than those things the movie is tops, What it does have is two knuckleheads that are painfully groan-inducingly unfunny, so there's that. Seriously though, don't waste your time.
Worst monster effects in cinegraphic history
eegah19628 February 2012
What a mess this movie is! "Night" shots are bright as midday, the acting is amateurish, and the monster effects are probably the worst I've ever seen. Basically the story is about a prehistoric dinosaur brought to life by the crash of a meteor in a lake, and the monster begins munching on the locals after it eats all the fish in the lake. The local sheriff investigates of course. For comedy effect, there are two moonshine-swilling idiots who unintentionally cause chaos as well. I've seen a lot of low budget movies that have trouble separating night scenes from day ones, but this one takes the cake. Supposed "night" scenes are bright as midday, with shadows showing on the ground and bright blue sky overhead. We are supposed to "know" that the scene is supposedly at "night" by the use of car headlights, lanterns, and dialogue. At one point a woman looks up at the bright blue sky and remarks "Look at all the stars! I've never seen so many"! I gave this film a 2 out of 10. Truly awful!
There's bad, then there's this
lovecraft23130 December 2007
A meteor hit's Crater Lake (hence our title), awakening a Plesiosaur, who proceed's to snack on the hick population (in California, that hick capital of the world.)
There's bad movies, and then there's "The Crater Lake Monster", which somehow managed to escape MST3K. Featuring grating acting, a decent stop-motion beast, and more, this is a dreadful piece of 1970's low budget exploitation/monster movie dreck.
While the movie is guilty of many crimes, the biggest one is Arnie and Mitch, two obnoxious rednecks who serve as our comic relief. They bumble around, fight to stock "banjo music",ogle women, and act like pathetic excuses of humanity. The characters are so bad, they should count as a crime against humanity.
There's bad movies, and then there's "The Crater Lake Monster", which somehow managed to escape MST3K. Featuring grating acting, a decent stop-motion beast, and more, this is a dreadful piece of 1970's low budget exploitation/monster movie dreck.
While the movie is guilty of many crimes, the biggest one is Arnie and Mitch, two obnoxious rednecks who serve as our comic relief. They bumble around, fight to stock "banjo music",ogle women, and act like pathetic excuses of humanity. The characters are so bad, they should count as a crime against humanity.
THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER (William R. Stromberg, 1977) BOMB
Bunuel197623 February 2008
Man, what a scam this turned out to be! Not because it wasn't any good (as I wasn't really expecting anything from it) but because I was misled by the DVD sleeve which ignorantly paraded its "stars" as being Stuart Whitman, Stella Stevens and Tony Bill. Sure enough, their names did not appear in the film's opening credits, much less themselves in the rest of it!! As it turned out, the only movie which connects those three actors together is the equally obscure LAS VEGAS LADY (1975) but what that one has to do with THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER is anybody's guess
Even so, since I paid $1.50 for its rental and I was in a monster-movie mood anyhow, I elected to watch the movie regardless and, yup, it stunk! Apart from the fact that it had a no-name cast and an anonymous crew, an unmistakably amateurish air was visible from miles away and the most I could do with it is laugh at the JAWS-like pretensions and, intentionally so, at the resistible antics of two moronic layabouts-cum-boat owners who frequently squabble among themselves with the bemused local sheriff looking on. The creature itself a plesiosaur i.e. half-dinosaur/half-fish is imperfectly realized (naturally) but, as had been the case with THE GIANT CLAW (1957) which I've also just seen, this didn't seem to bother the film-makers none as they flaunt it as much as they can, especially during the movie's second half!
Even so, since I paid $1.50 for its rental and I was in a monster-movie mood anyhow, I elected to watch the movie regardless and, yup, it stunk! Apart from the fact that it had a no-name cast and an anonymous crew, an unmistakably amateurish air was visible from miles away and the most I could do with it is laugh at the JAWS-like pretensions and, intentionally so, at the resistible antics of two moronic layabouts-cum-boat owners who frequently squabble among themselves with the bemused local sheriff looking on. The creature itself a plesiosaur i.e. half-dinosaur/half-fish is imperfectly realized (naturally) but, as had been the case with THE GIANT CLAW (1957) which I've also just seen, this didn't seem to bother the film-makers none as they flaunt it as much as they can, especially during the movie's second half!
A dinosaur film that focuses way too much on the comic relief.
Aaron137512 September 2012
First off, this movie bears a striking resemblance to the Japanese film "Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds". I would suggest one of them ripped off the other, but both came out in 1977. They have nearly identical setups as a dinosaur is released thanks to strange disasters and it begins to feed on the locals. That one though did have a huge volcanic eruption at the end and a monster bird thrown in for fun, while this one has two guys that are in the film way too much. So the winner of who was the better film goes to the Japanese film. It took itself a bit too seriously, but this one spent a bit too much time on two characters that I suppose the filmmakers thought were a riot. I have read how bad this film is and when it started I was thinking, "this is not to bad." Two people were killed in quick succession in between the monster attacking a herd of cows so I did not think it was going to be a super great film, but at least it looked as if there would be plenty of action. Then the film focuses on this two losers with a boat renting place and it will show you scenes that seem to have no reason for being in the film.
The story has a meteor crashing into a lake and this will warm the lake up enough to incubate a dinosaur egg. Time passes, though there was nothing to indicate this, and it gets big and begins chomping on the locals and the tourists. Sheriff knows somethings is wrong, but it is not until later that it all comes together for him. The plot was okay, had they done a better job of crafting the film and had more bloody kills this one could of been a classic. Unfortunately, there are huge stretches of nothing happening and a strange moment where a man robs a liquor store and shoots two people that almost seems to come from another movie.
The thing that really drags this film down though is Arnie and his buddy as they chew up more scenery than the dinosaur chews up people. You will have to watch them have discussions, fight, and sit around drinking and then walking and not having any encounters with the dinosaur until the end where I gave the film one more point than I was when the dinosaur at least got a hold of one of these bozos. If they had focused on the dinosaur and had some more action this film would have been still bad, but more watchable. Watching two guys being portrayed as funny, but they are not...boring.
So this film pretty much is your standard Jaws ripoff. The only thing that makes it stand out is the two buds and the strange inclusion of a robbery and chase. The film was pretty boring for the most part, but I will say it was rather bloody for a PG rated film as we even have a severed head thrown into it. Could have been good, if the makers of this film did not think those two idiots were super funny.
The story has a meteor crashing into a lake and this will warm the lake up enough to incubate a dinosaur egg. Time passes, though there was nothing to indicate this, and it gets big and begins chomping on the locals and the tourists. Sheriff knows somethings is wrong, but it is not until later that it all comes together for him. The plot was okay, had they done a better job of crafting the film and had more bloody kills this one could of been a classic. Unfortunately, there are huge stretches of nothing happening and a strange moment where a man robs a liquor store and shoots two people that almost seems to come from another movie.
The thing that really drags this film down though is Arnie and his buddy as they chew up more scenery than the dinosaur chews up people. You will have to watch them have discussions, fight, and sit around drinking and then walking and not having any encounters with the dinosaur until the end where I gave the film one more point than I was when the dinosaur at least got a hold of one of these bozos. If they had focused on the dinosaur and had some more action this film would have been still bad, but more watchable. Watching two guys being portrayed as funny, but they are not...boring.
So this film pretty much is your standard Jaws ripoff. The only thing that makes it stand out is the two buds and the strange inclusion of a robbery and chase. The film was pretty boring for the most part, but I will say it was rather bloody for a PG rated film as we even have a severed head thrown into it. Could have been good, if the makers of this film did not think those two idiots were super funny.
Proof of what can be done with little money.
StormSworder18 March 2005
Despite its budget limitations, this is a great film, proof that effort and imagination can overcome lack of cash. The opening, in which cave-paintings seem to show how some dinosaurs at least survived into the age of human beings, is a nice red herring. After that, a meteor comes down into a lake and causes heat which, in turn, causes the hatching of a frozen dinosaur egg (maybe the cave-paintings suggest instead that this isn't the first time such a thing has happened). When the prehistoric beast appears, it's a well-animated Plesiosaur which is soon causing disappearances in the local area. Alright, so it's not Jurassic Park, but it's still genuine entertainment for fans of monster movies.
Best lake monster movie with top notch Stop-Motion Effects by David Allen!
retromaster200023 August 2006
This movie is a great Drive-Inn 70's Sci-Fi / Thriller I know most people give it bad comments though. Since it was supposed to take place at Crater Lake instead because of the low budget limitation it was filmed in California at some land formed lake up there. Anyway the lake is dark, murky & a good bit of it leaves behind that creepiness image & feel that Loch Ness gives you. Not the greatest acting but I guess good enough for this type of B-Drive Inn Sci-Fi Film. What makes this movie so great u ask? Any fan of Stop-Motion Animation knows of the great David Allen who followed in the footsteps of the stop-motion legends Willis O'Brien & Ray Harryhausen. He was inspired by them in the early 1950's as a young boy he saw some of their films on television. The Plesiosaurus which is a prehistoric water reptile from the Dinosaur ages that has a long neck razor sharp teeth & four flippers with a tail. It can walk on land as well. The attack scenes depicted in this film handled by Dave Allen using Stop-Motion Animation. Then some scenes in the water had like a fabricated head made for some of the close up water attack shots & a few other shots in the film. The Loch Ness Horror (1982) also has a Plesiosaurus in it which is supposed to be what Nessie is the nickname of The Legendary Loch Ness Monster of Scotland. Same with the lake monster that's in Lake Champlain in Upstate New York. Champ is the nickname & that is America's Loch Ness Monster. Back to Crater The Stop-Motion Animation in this film is some of the best Animation I have ever seen. This is one of his early efforts not to mention also. Equinox from 1970 was his first big break & that film earned a huge Cult following by Sci-Fi, Horror & Fantasy Film Buffs like myself. I also just got that 2 Disc DVD Special Edition Set from Criterion Collection I have checked some of it out awesome stuff. I can't wait to watch both versions of the films this weekend with the extras on Disc 2. Anyway back to Crater Lake Dave was assisted by Jim Danforth & Randall William Cook two other great Stop-Motion Animators Danforth that was focusing on more matte painting on Films at that time since Stop-Motion was becoming obsolete. His last film he did in which he did all the animation on was When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth (1970). Which he earned an Oscar for Best Visual Effects in America & that is a British made film. He started Matte Painting on that film as well while still doing Stop-Motion also. But Equinox he only does Matte Painting & most of the films after Equinox too. He does some assistant animation occasionally & other animation though. Jim Danforth he loves animation he thinks it gives that feel & look that CGI doesn't give cause it is too real the same was said by Ray Harryhausen. I agree with them both I prefer Stop-Motion Animation over CGI myself. Dave Allen's Animation in Crater like steals the show it is what makes the film worth watching. Otherwise if there was no great Stop-Motion either done by Willis O'Brien, Ray Harryhausen, Pete Peterson, Jim Danforth, David Allen, Randall William Cook, Phil Tippet, Jim Aupperle, Doug Beswick, or Dennis Muren which is an exceptional animator the others are the best animators out there. My point is without Dave Allen's Animation or one of the other greats I mentioned which Willis O'Brien passed away in the early 60's so he couldn't do the animation obviously. If u are a huge Stop-Motion Fan like me then u will really enjoy this movie. Other then that stay away I guess unless u are a fan of Drive-Inn B Sci-Fi Films with great special effects & low grade everything else. It is one of my favorite 70's Sci-Fi Flicks anyway.
Terrible
SanteeFats27 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This could have been a much better movie than it turned out to be. First of all a plesiosaur, while not an herbivore, survived on fish, snails, and clams. So one awakened or hatched after millions of years would not have targeted humans. I suppose if it got hungry enough it might eat whatever it could find, but??? Again this is another movie that I ask why was it even made? I also wonder why the actors accepted the roles but I guess they figured that any screen presence was better than none. I don't know about that since a bad role can be a death knell for actors with out an established reputation. I realize that the lower grade actors must accept lesser roles but surely there must be a line. The graphics are poor, the acting is almost decent but still sub par and the overall quality is bad, bad, bad.
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