UPDATED: 17-01-13
Creature of Destruction is a 1967 American made-for-television film directed by Larry Buchanan. It is an uncredited colour remake of the 1956 film The She Creature directed by Edward L. Cahn.
A hypnotist on a ship in the middle of the ocean begins to predict a series of grisly murders committed by a hideous sea creature. However, in reality, he is the sidekick of a beautiful woman who is a carnivorous, shapeshifting mermaid.
‘It’s not good, but it’s not one of those “so bad it’s good” movies all the kids speak of these days. At it’s best, it’s maybe marginally bad to the point that it becomes mildly amusing. Although the whole hook of old films was to hold off on revealing what the monster looked like so as to drum up anticipation or mask budgetary constraints on the make-up department, Buchanan hits us face first with a wet fish and gives us the monster in the opening shot. In fact, he gives us a goodly portion of his entire finale in the pre-credit sequence. Just as he repeats the quote at the beginning and end of the movie, so too does he, well, repeat the ending for the beginning.’ Teleport City
Whilst Creature of Destruction is an incredibly bad film and a trial to watch, it does have several inadvertently comical moments that raise it above the typical trash cinema moniker, albeit slightly. First and foremost the title creature, which resembles a discarded Sleestak from the “Land of the Lost” television series, is anything but terror inducing … the monster is comprised of a rubber suit with a fish head mask upon which two ping pong balls have been affixed as eyes. Clumsy and bulky, the creature looks ridiculous, yet it is just such faults that give it its charm. DVD Drive-in
Categories: 1960s, creature feature, low budget, monster movie, public domain, worst films ever made
Tags: Creature of Destruction, DVDdrive-in.com review, Larry Buchanan, remake, sea creature
