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The Killer Shrews

Play trailer Poster for The Killer Shrews Released Jun 25, 1959 1h 9m Sci-Fi Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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40% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 24% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Capt. Thorne Sherman lands his ship on an isolated island to make a delivery, only to find that mad doctor Marlowe Craigis is experimenting on shrews in an attempt to shrink them. The opposite happens, and the shrews become enormous and hungry for human flesh, leaving everyone on the island in peril, including the doctor's pretty daughter, Ann, and her unappealing fiancé, Jerry. Then, Thorne tries to organize an escape plan.
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The Killer Shrews

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Every time a “shrew” is shown, one expects it to sit, roll over, or extend its paw. Rated: 2/4 Oct 4, 2023 Full Review Rob Humanick Suite101.com Not particularly watchable until the climax. Rated: 2/5 Oct 26, 2011 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz 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. Rated: C- Dec 15, 2007 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Nov 2, 2005 Full Review Linda Cook Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) Rated: 3/5 May 8, 2005 Full Review Rob Thomas Capital Times (Madison, WI) Carpet remnants attack! Very funny "MST3K" version, unwatchable on its own. Rated: 0/5 Jul 17, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dallas H Wow, the visual design of the shrews is horrendously cheesy. The constant switch back and forth between hand puppets and dogs wearing costumes is laughable. I cannot believe someone thought investing money in producing a sequel and reboot decades later would be worthwhile. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 08/19/24 Full Review Audience Member Love it actually! 4/5. I enjoyed it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/08/24 Full Review Liam D Even by B 50s/60s movie standards. This is an lazy bordering on unwatchable with effects that are laughable, an terrible story and cheesy acting Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/02/24 Full Review CodyZamboni Z Cheap looking, amatuerish, un scary, and poorly acted, Worst of all, it's boring, A silly tale of giant poisonous hungry shrews, snacking on their human creators, Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 07/28/24 Full Review Ted B 1.5 stars. I know this was a low-budget drive-in-style movie from the late 1950s, but the film's special effects and acting were so bad that I can't help but wonder if it's not a spoof in the vein of "Plan 9 from Outer Space." Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 07/28/24 Full Review Audience Member "The Killer Shrews" is quite an interesting movie to say the least. Flat, one note performances and special effects so terrible even Ed Wood would think they sucked. The title creatures look nothing short of ridiculous. Just a small group of dogs with prosthetic teeth and long fur coats. The puppets used for closeups look even more ridiculous! The performances are as flat as a board. Ken Curtis was overacting to no end. Gordon McLendon (Who only had a part in this movie because he co-produced it.) had no personality and was clearly phoning it in. The only saving grace of this movie is the late James Best. He gives as decent a performance as you can with a movie like this. He is the reason why I gave this movie more than a one star rating. If you are a fan of "The Dukes of Hazard" you may get a kick out of seeing this movie just to see James Best before he was Sherriff Roscoe (I personally recommend the episode of "The Twilight Zone" titled "The Last Rights of Jeff Myrtelbank" if you wish to see some of Best's early acting work.), I would give "The Killer Shrews" a look. Otherwise I would not recommend it. it is too cornball to work as a serious horror movie. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Killer Shrews

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Capt. Thorne Sherman lands his ship on an isolated island to make a delivery, only to find that mad doctor Marlowe Craigis is experimenting on shrews in an attempt to shrink them. The opposite happens, and the shrews become enormous and hungry for human flesh, leaving everyone on the island in peril, including the doctor's pretty daughter, Ann, and her unappealing fiancé, Jerry. Then, Thorne tries to organize an escape plan.
Director
Ray Kellogg
Producer
Ken Curtis
Screenwriter
Jay Simms
Production Co
Hollywood Pictures
Genre
Sci-Fi, Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 25, 1959, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2012
Runtime
1h 9m
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