The Killer Shrews (1959)

50% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
25% of users liked it
(2,363 ratings)

Ken Curtis, former singing cowboy and Gunsmoke's Festus, joined right-wing radio's Gordon McLendon in producing this hilariously bad monster movie about a horde of outsized rodents run amok on an isolated island. The creation of mad scientist Baruch Lumet (father of acclaimed director Sidney Lumet),… More Ken Curtis, former singing cowboy and Gunsmoke's Festus, joined right-wing radio's Gordon McLendon in producing this hilariously bad monster movie about a horde of outsized rodents run amok on an isolated island. The creation of mad scientist Baruch Lumet (father of acclaimed director Sidney Lumet), the monster shrews (portrayed by collies in goofy rubber masks!) escape the lab during a hurricane and devour nearly every other animal on the island before seeking human prey -- including star James Best and girlfriend Ingrid Goude (1957's Miss Universe), who are stranded on the island by the same storm. The survivors manage to escape to safety thanks to some goofy contraptions constructed from trash cans. This one is best remembered by bad-film buffs for its tail-wagging canine stars and a multitude of famous names on both sides of the camera. Curtis and McLendon's companion film The Giant Gila Monster is slightly less ridiculous. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 10 min.
Directed By: Ray Kellogg
Written By: Jay Simms
Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Horror

In Theaters: Jun 25, 1959 Limited
On DVD: Aug 30, 2005

Critic Reviews

Rob Humanick, Suite101.com
Not particularly watchable until the climax.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
If you get a few laughs from the bizarre acting and dumb story, that's the most you can expect from this bad film.
Staci Layne Wilson, StaciWilson.com
Shrew'd & Spoofy!
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Carpet remnants attack! Very funny "MST3K" version, unwatchable on its own.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Too campily amusing not to like.
Shane Burridge, rec.arts.movies.reviews
The film's pre-credit voiceover is laughable, and the opening lines of dialogue not much better, but I don't think it deserves its much-maligned reputation

Read all 6 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

Why are the actors standing around talking and drinking for almost all of this movie? The ending has some exciting moments, but they're kinda crazy too. This is a pretty bad excuse for a film.
Derek D

Boring, horrible acting and a highly implausible storyline make this truly a bottom-of-the-barrel piece of trash. Nothing at all good about this film except that it's not much more than an hour so the pain doesn't last too terribly long.
Michael G

Horrible dialogue, the most pathetic of acting and a weak story have framed Plan 9 From Outer Space as the worst movie ever made when the culprit is right here. You've got the classic "small band of survivors fighting allegedly frightening antagonists" plotline here. I… More
Horrible dialogue, the most pathetic of acting and a weak story have framed Plan 9 From Outer Space as the worst movie ever made when the culprit is right here. You've got the classic "small band of survivors fighting allegedly frightening antagonists" plotline here. I was reminded of Night of the Living Dead a few times throughout the mind-numbing 75 minutes and I'm pretty sure they've got the same score. You might enjoy it if you expect a comedy (which I kind of did) but beyond that it's going to be downright painful. Bite the pillow because this one's going in dry...
Patrick D

You probably need to put your cheezy sci-fi goggles on for this one, because within the time and genre this sucker holds up. It's only 70 minutes that's a buck, ten that actually delivers. The monsters are quite laughable, the dialogue is silly, but at that it's still a… More
You probably need to put your cheezy sci-fi goggles on for this one, because within the time and genre this sucker holds up. It's only 70 minutes that's a buck, ten that actually delivers. The monsters are quite laughable, the dialogue is silly, but at that it's still a pretty exciting flick, and it almost all action in the last half of the film. Although the shrews, when in a long shot, aren't too hard to see are just dogs with yucky fur and tails tacked on, the close ups are kinda creepy, even if fake looking. Also this film is NOT boring at all, as certain films of the ilk tend to be, this one will definitely keep you entertained throughout, and that's really all you can ask from a movie. As for intellectual stimulation: you can look at it as a period of the time and study the local, monsters, and overall aesthetic, as I did (fucking nerd).