The Crawling Hand

The Crawling Hand
The Crawling Hand
	One-sheet
Directed by	Herbert L. Strock
Written by	Joseph Cranston; Bill Idelson; Herbert L. Strock; Robert M. Young
Produced by	Joseph F. Robertson
Starring	Peter Breck; Kent Taylor; Rod Lauren; Alan Hale Jr.; Allison Hayes; Sirry Steffen; Arline Judge
Cinematography	Willard Van der Veer
Edited by	Herbert L. Strock
Music by	Marlin Skiles
Distributed by	Donald J. Hansen Enterprises
Release date	1963;
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$100,000 (estimated)

The Crawling Hand is a 1963 science fiction horror film directed by Herbert L. Strock, and starring Rod Lauren, Peter Breck, Allison Hayes, and Alan Hale, Jr.^[3] It was later featured on the television shows Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) and The Canned Film Festival.^[4]

Plot

The hand of an exploded astronaut takes on a life of its own. Near a spacecraft crash site, a naive young med student discovers a disembodied hand and takes it home as a grisly souvenir. He is not aware that the hand is possessed by a strange, murderous alien who gradually begins to take over the hapless med student. One by one, townsfolk are found mysteriously strangled to death. In the end, a heroic and hungry cat saves the rest of the town.

Cast

Peter Breck as Steve Curan
Sirry Steffen as Marta Farnstrom
Kent Taylor as Dr. Max Weitzberg
Rod Lauren as Paul Lawrence
Alan Hale Jr. as Sheriff Townsend (as Alan Hale)
Allison Hayes as Donna
Arline Judge as Mrs. Hotchkiss
Richard Arlen as Lee Barrenger
Tris Coffin as Security Chief Meidel (as Tristam Coffin)
Ross Elliott as Deputy Earl Harrison
Stan Jones as Funeral Director (as G. Stanley Jones)
Jock Putnam as Ambulance Attendant
Andy Andrews as Ambulance Attendant
Syd Saylor as Soda Shop Owner
Ed Wermer as Prof. Farnstrom
Ashley Cowan as Mel Lockhart

Home video

The Crawling Hand was featured in Episode 6 of Season 1 of the TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000. This episode was released on VHS by Rhino Home Video in October 1999 and on DVD in June 2002, including the uncut film as a bonus feature.

In other media

Rick Moody's novel The Four Fingers of Death, released in July 2010 by Little, Brown and Company, is a metafictional novelization of a 2025 remake of The Crawling Hand (which means that Moody's fictional 'novelization' is set in a future very different from that of the 1963 film).^[5]

References

^ Vandergriff, Rick (September 5, 1990). "Aspiring Mogul Back in Action Film". Los Angeles Times. p. F1. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
^ Internet Movie Database ^{[better source needed]}
^ Robinson, Johnny (November 2, 1963). "Next Week's Films". Lewiston Evening Journal. p. 4-A. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
^ Margulies, Lee (June 10, 1986). "'Canned Film Festival' on TV, Worst of the Big Screen On Its Way". Los Angeles Times. p. 10. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
^ Martin, Clancy (August 6, 2010). "Book Review - The Four Fingers of Death - By Rick Moody". The New York Times.

External links

The Crawling Hand at IMDb

Mystery Science Theater 3000

[lat900904-1] Vandergriff, Rick (September 5, 1990). "Aspiring Mogul Back in Action Film". Los Angeles Times. p. F1. Retrieved December 6, 2010.

[2] Internet Movie Database ^{[better source needed]}

[lej631102-3] Robinson, Johnny (November 2, 1963). "Next Week's Films". Lewiston Evening Journal. p. 4-A. Retrieved December 6, 2010.

[lat860610-4] Margulies, Lee (June 10, 1986). "'Canned Film Festival' on TV, Worst of the Big Screen On Its Way". Los Angeles Times. p. 10. Retrieved December 6, 2010.

[5] Martin, Clancy (August 6, 2010). "Book Review - The Four Fingers of Death - By Rick Moody". The New York Times.

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