A claw fingered, scaly skinned, half human crustacean.
Piedras Blancas is a small town on the California coast. A lighthouse stands on the bluff by the sea. The lighthouse keeper is Sturges (John Harmon). His daughter is Lucy (Jeanne Carmen). Her boyfriend is Fred (Don Sullivan).
On the beach near the lighthouse are found two bodies. The Rinaldi brothers. Their heads are missing. Torn clean off. Dr. Jorgenson’s autopsies show their blood was drained from their bodies. The storekeeper Kochek (Frank Arvidson) keeps talking about a legend in the area. The monster of Piedras Blancas. He rattles on to anyone who comes to his store. Constable George Matson (Forrest Lewis) tells him to stop scaring people.
Little does anyone know but there really is a monster. Sturges has been feeding it. But when there are no meat scraps available to feed him the monster goes looking elsewhere. That night the storekeeper Kochek is working late. The door is open to catch a breeze. The next day a boy goes into the store to buy candy and finds Mr. Kochek dead. His head missing. Dr. Jorgenson (Les Tremayne) calls Fred to come over. He has found what looks like a fish scale. But it’s too big. They need to research the scale and see if it is a clue.
The next day a young child is found dead. The doc and the sheriff go to Kochek’s store. They can’t find Eddie the guy they left to guard the place. They check the ice room and the monster, hiding inside, attacks. Two people are injured and the monster walks out the door carrying the head of Eddie. They find another fish scale. Finally they figure out it is similar to an extinct marine reptile called a Diplovertibron. Not sure if it stands for anything but, there ya go. Now they know who or actually what the killer is, and unless they can stop it, the killing will go on.
“The Monster of Piedras Blancas” was released in 1959 and was directed by Irvin Berwick. It stars Les Tremayne, Forrest Lewis, John Harmon, Jeanne Carmen and Don Sullivan. Jeanne Carmen is the love interest for both Don Sullivan and the monster. What was surprising was the death of a child in the movie. Something not usually done at that time. It wasn’t said if her head was missing, but it’s the monster’s usual MO so…
The movie was produced by and Creature effects were done by Jack Kevan. He worked on the suit for “The Creature from the Black Lagoon”. The monster in “Piedras Blancas” is not the best one I’ve seen. At least the creature from the black lagoon had facial features. But it is by no means bad. The budget for the movie was $29,000 so corners were cut. The monster’s feet are from the Metaluna monster of “This Island Earth”. The oversized hands are from “The Mole People”.
This little lesser known treat is Great Drive-in movie fare. It’s basic camp and a good movie for Saturday afternoon popcorn shows or late night fear fests.
Piedras Blancas means white rocks in Spanish. The light station was established in 1875. Tours are available year round. Donations are welcome. And remember. No selfies with seals. If you get too close…Mother seals abandon their pups.