“It’s either a 50-foot monster, or my late wife Minnie.”
Milpitas is a quiet little town in California. One morning, the residents woke up to find that all their garbage cans were missing. The residents were up-in-arms and demanded the city council find the culprit and bring him to justice.
In the meantime, the local drunk, George Keester, is attacked by something coming from the local polluted waterway. The monster, a 50-foot behemoth, resembles a gargoyle with giant wings. It was created when pollution from the local landfill ended up in the waters around Milpitas.
Soon the monster is wandering around Milpitas creating havoc. During a dance, at the local high school, the creature grabs a teenager named Priscilla and flies off with her. The townspeople band together, with the help of some plucky teenagers, to try to destroy the creature and save Pricilla.
“The Milpitas Monster” AKA “Mutant Beast” was released in 1976 and was produced and directed by Robert L. Burrill. It is a home-grown low budget science fiction horror film.
The movie is the brainchild of high school teacher, Robert Burrill. The assignment he gave his students was to create a ten-minute short about pollution. One of the students, David Kottas, created the image of the monster in a poster. Other students and family members created the monster suit. The full-length film evolved from that high school art project and incorporated, well, everyone. The best part of the movie is the making of the movie. Apparently, the whole town had nothing to do so they got together and made a monster movie. There’s no Godzilla to fight this trash monster so the students at the Samuel Ayer High School stepped in to handle the situation.
The only actual actor in the film is not even seen. Paul Frees narrates the film. He either acted in or narrated some 377 movies and television shows. You’ve heard his voice in almost every “B” level science fiction film of the fifties and sixties.
The novice filmmakers know the movie is bad. That’s part of the camp and is what makes the movie charming. The sound is rather wobbly and a little tinny. Parts of the movie are a little on the dark side so it’s hard to see the monster clearly. What you can see is actually quite good for a “Z” movie. The forced perspective effects are no worse than anything Bert I. Gordon ever did and perhaps a little better. It is sort of a combination of “The Blob” 1958 and “Godzilla vs Hedorah” 1971 but with people who have no idea what they’re doing.
You can find more information about the movie, and the monster, on the Milpitas Historical Society website. The film made its premier in Milpitas, California on May 21, 1976.
The name of the monster is Noitullop or pollution spelled backward.