Monster (1980 film)
Monstroid | |
---|---|
Directed by | Kenneth Hartford |
Written by | Kenneth Hartford Walter Roeber Schmidt Garland Scott Herbert L. Strock |
Produced by | Kenneth Harftford (producer) Garland Scott (producer) |
Starring | James Mitchum John Carradine Philip Carey Anthony Eisley |
Cinematography | Art Fitzsimmons J. Wilder Mincey |
Edited by | Michael Johnson |
Music by | Gene Kauer |
Production company | Academy International |
Distributed by | M & M |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Languages | English, Spanish |
Monstroid is a 1980 American monster movie produced and directed by Kenneth Herts [1] (as Kenneth Hartford), co-written with Herbert L. Strock, and starring James Mitchum and John Carradine. Strock later claimed he co-directed the film uncredited.[2] It was originally to be titled Monster when the film was first announced in 1975, and again in 1977, and suffered numerous cast changes (Keenan Wynn was still billed on some of the early video releases). The film was eventually released in 1980 as Monstroid, and is also known as Monstroid: It Came from the Lake (American DVD box title) and The Toxic Horror (American alternative title). A novelization written by Peter Crowcroft was released concurrently with the film. Hartford had his own children (Glen and Andrea) play the two teenagers in the film.[3]
The film billed itself as being based on a true story that took place in "Chimayo, Colombia", in 1971.
Plot
One night in the fishing village of Chimayo,
In Chimayo, children Andrea and Glen Anderson observe strange ripples in the lake. Glen claims they belong to an animal he has been sighting in the lake for some time. Their father Pete, administrator of the Durado plant, is introduced to Mayor Montero and his daughter,
Juanita picks up Travis at the airport. When he gets to Chimayo, he is accosted by Clark, and curtly refuses any interviews. Meanwhile, Pete is trying to break up with his secretary Laura to pursue a new affair with Juanita, but cannot bring himself to do it. He visits her again that night when she is
Travis and the plant doctor investigate the killing, and link it to José's death. Glen tells Travis about the animal he saw, convincing Travis that something is in the lake. Soon afterwards, Sánchez meets Travis and threatens violence against Durado. Travis and Montero confront Clark about her reporting, and they negotiate exclusive rights to the pollution story in exchange for her temporary silence. Travis also calls his boss Barnes to request sonar equipment with which to track the monster. Determined to prove the monster's existence, Glen decides to stake out the lake at night. He drags Andrea along, and they manage to take some photographs of the monster before it attacks some drunken fishermen.
They present their evidence to Travis while the village continues celebrating its anniversary. Simultaneously, Sánchez sets some
Travis comes up with a plan to kill the beast; he stuffs some explosives into a goat carcass, which he will hang by the
Some time later, though, the Andersons are down by the lake again, and their German Shepherd finds a large egg. A reptilian creature hatches out of it, and the film ends as the camera pans over a clutch of dozens of similar eggs.
Cast
- James Mitchum as Travis
- John Carradine as The Priest
- Philip Carey as Barnes
- Anthony Eisley as Pete
- Andrea Hartford as Andrea
- Glen Hartford as Glen
- Coral Kassel as Laura
- Aldo Sambrell as Victor
- Connie Moore as Patty
- Maria Rubio as Juanita
Release
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Home media
The film made its debut on
It was later released by Substance under the title Monstroid: It Came from the Lake on January 15, 2008. On May 6, that same year, it was released by Televista as It Came From the Lake.[6] 2 It was released by Mill Creek Entertainment on August 17, 2010 as a part of Pure Terror: 50 Movies pack, and again on their "Tales of Terror" 200 movie DVD set, released December 3, 2013.[7]
Reception
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Monster received mostly negative reviews from critic upon its release.
Joseph A. Ziemba from Bleeding Skull! panned the film, calling it "a mess", criticizing the film as being endlessly talkative. Ziemba also criticized the film's acting, "cut ‘n’ paste exploitation plot", phony monster design, and poor video quality.
References
- ^ "Monster (1978) - Kenneth Herts, Herbert L. Strock | Releases | AllMovie".
- ^ "Monster (1979)". 7 April 2016.
- ^ "Monster (1979)". 7 April 2016.
- ^ video credits
- ^ a b Ramos, Octavio. "Review of 'Monstroid: It Came from the Lake'". Axs.com. Octavio Ramos. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "Monster (1978) - Kenneth Herts, Herbert L. Strock | Releases | AllMovie".
- ^ "Monster (1980) - Kenneth Herts, Herbert L. Strock". Allmovie.com. AllMovie. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Ziemba, Joseph. "Monster (1979)". Bleeding Skull.com. Joseph A. Ziemba. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
External links
- Monster at AllMovie
- Monster at IMDb
- Monster at Rotten Tomatoes
- Monster at the TCM Movie Database