The Killer Shrews

The Killer Shrews
Promotional poster
Directed by	Ray Kellogg
Written by	Jay Simms
Produced by	Ken Curtis Gordon McLendon
Starring	James Best Ingrid Goude Ken Curtis Gordon McLendon Baruch Lumet "Judge" Henry Dupree
Cinematography	Wilfred M. Cline
Edited by	Aaron Stell
Music by	Harry Bluestone Emil Cadkin
Distributed by	McLendon-Radio Pictures Distributing Company
Release date	25 June 1959
Running time	69 min
Country
Language	English
Budget	$123,000 (estimated)

The Killer Shrews is a 1959 science-fiction movie directed by Ray Kellogg. It has been released on DVD and is considered a cult classic. It was featured in the fourth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Plot

Thorne Sherman and his first mate Griswold deliver supplies to a group on a remote island. The group, consisting of a scientist named Marlowe Cragis, his research assistant Radford Baines, the scientist's daughter Ann, her fiancee Jerry Farrel, and a servant named Mario, meet the captain and his first mate and advise them to stay with them in a house because a hurricane is approaching. Thorne goes but Griswold stays with the boat.

On the island, a doctor works to make humans half-size. This, apparently, will reduce world hunger as smaller humans would presumably eat less. Unfortunately, his experiments have also created some giant, venomous shrews. Thorne and Ann begin to fall in love, which angers Jerry. As the shrews run out of smaller animals to eat, they eat Griswold and close in on the people in the house, ultimately breaking in through the basement. It is discovered that the shrews have a poisonous bite, as a small single bite is enough to kill Mario. The poison kills Radford, and the shrews force the group (save for Jerry, who wants to stay) out of the house to escape to Thorne's boat. They do this by making impromptu armor out of oil drums and crawl to the beach lashed inside them. Jerry is killed by the shrews after he changes his mind and chases after the others, but the rest of the crew (Thorne, Ann, and Marlowe) manage a successful escape to the boat.

Cast

• James Best as Thorne Sherman
• Ingrid Goude as Ann Cragis
• Ken Curtis as Jerry Farrel
• Gordon McLendon as Dr. Radford Baines
• Baruch Lumet as Dr. Marlowe Cragis
• Judge Henry Dupree as Griswold
• Alfred DeSoto as Mario

DVD release

• A new colorized version was released alongside The Giant Gila Monster as a double-feature by Legend Films.
• The MST3K version of the film was released by Rhino Home Video as part of the 'Collection, Volume 7' box set.

See also

• List of films in the public domain

External links

• The Killer Shrews review and video clips at Atomic Monsters.com
• The Killer Shrews at IMDb
• The Killer Shrews is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
• Template:Google video
• Edited clip from the end of the movie
• Bad Movies extended plot summary and review