Attack of the Giant Leeches
| Attack of the Giant Leeches | |
|---|---|
 A promotional film poster for Attack of the Giant Leeches | |
| Directed by | Bernard L. Kowalski |
| Produced by | |
| Written by | Leo Gordon |
| Screenplay by | Leo Gordon |
| Story by | Leo Gordon |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Alexander Laszlo |
| Cinematography | John M. Nickolaus Jr. |
| Edited by | Carlo Lodato |
Production company |
Balboa Productions |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 62 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70,000 (estimated)[1] |
Attack of the Giant Leeches is a low-budget 1959 science fiction film from American International Pictures, directed by Bernard L. Kowalski and produced by Gene Corman. The screenplay was written by Leo Gordon. It was one of a spate of monster movies produced during the 1950s in response to cold war fears; in the film, a character speculates that the leeches have been mutated to giant size by atomic radiation from nearby Cape Canaveral.
Plot
In the Florida Everglades, a pair of larger-than-human, intelligent leeches are living in an underwater cave. They begin dragging local people down to their cave where they hold them prisoner and slowly drain them of blood.
One of the first victims is the local vixen, Liz Walker, played by Yvette Vickers. After a couple of gratuitous displays of flesh (Vickers appeared as the centerfold in the July 1959 issue of Playboy), and some running around on her husband (Bruno VeSota), Liz finds herself a prisoner of the leeches along with her current paramour.
Game warden Steve Benton (Ken Clark) sets out to investigate their disappearance. Aided by his girlfriend, Nan Grayson (Jan Sheppard), and her father, Doc Grayson, he discovers the cavern.
The monsters are finally destroyed when Steve, Doc and some state troopers blow up the cavern with dynamite.
Cast
- Ken Clark as Steve Benton
- Yvette Vickers as Liz Walker
- Jan Shepard as Nan Greyson
- Michael Emmet as Cal Moulton
- Tyler McVey as Doc Greyson
- Bruno VeSota as Dave Walker
- Gene Roth as Sheriff Kovis
- Dan White as Porky Reed
- George Cisar as Lem Sawyer
- Joseph Hamilton as Old Sam Peters
- Walter Kelley as Mike
- Guy Buccola as Giant Leech
- Ross Sturlin as Giant Leech
Production
The film was shot in eight days, including outdoor sequences at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. During filming, Gene Corman came down with pneumonia and wound up in the hospital.[1] The film is in the public domain, as its copyright was not renewed.[2]
Reception
Critical reception for Attack of the Giant Leeches has been mixed to negative. Film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film a negative 1 1/2 out of 4 stars, calling it a "ludicrous hybrid of white trash and monster genres".[3] Regardless, the film currently holds a positive 70% "fresh" rating on film review website Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 5.1 out of 10, based on 10 reviews.[4]
Home media
- Attack of the Giant Leeches has received numerous "bargain bin" releases.
- The MST3K version of the film was released by Rhino Home Video as part of the Collection, Volume 6 box set.
Legacy
In July 1992, Attack of the Giant Leeches was featured as a fourth-season episode of movie-mocking television show Mystery Science Theater 3000. Attack of the Giant Leeches was also featured on the nationally syndicated horror host television show Cinema Insomnia,[5] and in the second episode of season 5 of Shilling Shockers, a New England-based television show hosted by the witch Penny Dreadful XIII.[6] A remake of the film, directed by Brett Kelly and written by Jeff O'Brien, was released on July 7, 2008.[7]
See also
References
- 1 2 Mark McGee, Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures, McFarland, 1996 p148
- ↑ No record in 1986 or 1987
- ↑ Leonard Maltin; Spencer Green; Rob Edelman (January 2010). Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide. Plume. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-452-29577-3.
- ↑ "Attack of the Giant Leeches (1960) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- ↑ "Cinema Insomnia, with your Horror Host, Mister Lobo! - SHOW INFORMATION". Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ↑ "author=". Archived from the original on 2 February 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ↑ "Attack of the Giant Leeches (2008) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Attack of the Giant Leeches. |
- Attack of the Giant Leeches complete film on YouTube
- Attack of the Giant Leeches at the Internet Movie Database
- Attack of the Giant Leeches is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- Attack of the Giant Leeches at AllMovie
- Attack of the Giant Leeches at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Attack of the Giant Leeches at Rotten Tomatoes
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