Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) User Reviews

Surprisingly good for a bad film

[zauis_at_mp · 5/10 · 17 May 2005]

Regardless of the rabid fans of MST3K (myself included), attack of The Giant Leeches isn't the horrid film they make it out to be. Certainly it is low budget, but trying to shine through the lackluster production is a film that has some good writing, few plot holes, and exhibits an actual knowledge of the subject (swamps, critters, rednecks who are a danger to themselves and others...).

As far as Corman flicks go, this one has a good feel to it. Some drama, tragedy, comedy (well, some that was intentional), and an attempt at a real story. The screenwriter, Leo Gordon, has created a good feel for the south, and is an accomplished (although not great) practitioner of his trade. So, laughs aside, watch this movie again and focus on the plot when you can. There is no hocus pocus, minimal pseudo-science, and some likable characters.

Oh yeah, and please don't be a danger to yourself or others...

Dialogue-Driven Film That Sets the Tone for the Era

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 17 July 2006]

A village near a swamp faces giant leeches who capture people that wander into their waters. Since the waters usually have alligators, this seems like a fair trade. But the local game warden (Ken Clark), the very archetype of maleness, will not leave those pesky leeches alone.

This film is ranked under 3 out of 10 on the Internet Movie Database, with many people having voted a "1" (the most popular vote). Believe me, this film is far from a one -- it is actually rather interesting and well put together. Much better than other films with "giant" animals and the explanation revolving around "radiation" -- and I can especially say this after seeing the rubbish that is "Beast of Yucca Flats".

It is amusing to see the dynamic between the shop owner (Bruno VeSota) and his wife (Playboy centerfold Yvette Vickers). She seems upset because he calls her "baby" every sentence. But the man she is seeing on the side shows up and calls her "baby" every sentence, too... so I guess she just does not like fat, balding men.

The dialog is actual one of the better parts of this movie. The conversations give the characters more depth than most horror or science fiction films and all the villagers interact quite a bit. Everything is explained and the background is rich.

The leeches? Okay, the leeches are cheesy and obviously men in squid suits. But this does not take away from the overall film. In fact,it adds a special flavor that seems appropriate.

The reason this film is ranked so low, in my opinion, is the quality of the film. Public domain copies (which look terrible) are easily available, and it is easy to dismiss the film on picture quality alone. Also, it apparently appeared on "Mystery Science Theater", and people have a tendency to instantly rank MST3K films as 1 or 2 (for reasons unknown to me). If someone took the time to digitally remaster the movie, I think it would have much better reviews... but who would invest time and money into a public film?

The Weirdest Christmas Gift Ever

[nixons_smelly_vagina · 5/10 · 30 December 2005]

I can't believe my aunt actually bought this movie, let alone felt it was just what I needed for Christmas one year but she did. Of course it wasn't until early March that I was bored enough to actually watch it. I have to say for a B-movie blast from the past, it really wasn't bad at all. The plot was coherent, the acting wasn't bad but typical for the era, and the leech costume actually had some value to it. There were some good, slightly extended underwater shots that made me feel bad for the guy in the leech costume. (The thing had to weigh a ton!) So for a few good laughs gather your pimpled-faced friends and rent this movie!

Leeches take no prisoners

[Nightman85 · 3/10 · 25 October 2004]

Another of the many giant creature movies from the '50's, this one being somewhere in the middle of the bunch. This time, it's swamp hicks who are being menaced by leeches. Not just leeches, but big, mean leeches! I tell you, it's a load of cheese from beginning to end, but this is what one would expect from a genre movie of this era. It's a movie that leaves you asking, "why don't the fools just get a pound of salt and waste 'em?" Anyway, it's an OK effort with some decent acting. But those leeches, oh boy! The monsters are strictly tongue-in-cheek! So, B-movie fans should love this one, it's a wonder it took four years for this movie to make it to Mystery Science Theater 3000. In any event, proceed with caution into the boggy swamps of schlock.

** out of ****

"Well, we might as well get outta here."

[classicsoncall · 4/10 · 18 June 2005]

There's just enough of a story and an almost sensible scientific rationale to the proceedings to make "Attack of the Giant Leeches" an entertaining hour, though it IS offset by cheesy monster costumes reminiscent of DC Comics' Starro the Conqueror. When the philandering wife (Yvette Vickers) of a saloon owner disappears with her lover Cal (Michael Emmett), the distressed husband (Bruno VeSota) is arrested for their murder, incoherently babbling about some beasts that apparently took them home for lunch. Two backwoods hicks capitalize on the sheriff's reward to locate the bodies and also wind up missing, prompting local game warden Steve Benton (Ken Clark) to get involved in the investigation.

Warden Benton staunchly disapproves of setting off a dynamite charge in the swamp, but as is pointed out a number of times by the locals, there is no life left in the swamp to be harmed. Against Benton's advice and warning, Doc Greyson (Tyler McVey) detonates the explosive, which brings the bodies of three of the victims to the surface of the lake, their bodies having been sucked dry of their blood. With Liz Walker still missing, it's theorized that she may still be alive in an underwater cave, held captive by the monsters.

To check the theory, Benton tests the waters in diving gear, and in no time at all is engaging one of the creatures in hand to tentacle combat, while the voluptuous Liz Walker seductively slithers into the waters of the swamp to be recovered by the search party. With no doubt as to the threat imposed by the leeches, Benton does the honors of pushing the plunger on the explosive charge that finally defeats (and deflates) the creatures.

If you're into grade Z horror of the 50's, "Attack of the Giant Leeches" simply begs for just one screening, and it wouldn't be an entirely wasted hour of your time. Then watch it again with a bunch of friends and a slight buzz on to make it even better.

This isn't a movie about public officials

[evilskip · 4/10 · 31 August 1999]

Okay this movie sucks...literally.In some backwoods bayou a couple of poachers disappear. the locals think they're drunk but we know better don't we!There's some sort of varmints in the swamp!

A hot little tramp(Yvette Vickers in a stand out role)is running around on her lovesick/foolish husband. While fooling around with her wimpy boyfriend the hubby comes upon them with a shotgun. To scare them he herds them into the swamp.Well the swamp varmints come up and snatch the couple off in front of him.

Well the locals don't believe the story(especially the hero who has the personality of a deck chair).He's jailed where he promptly hangs himself.Before too long others start vanishing in the swamp.

There is a creepy scene of the leech's victims stacked up in a cave like human groceries.When the leeches start draining the blood of the tramp and others it is very effective too.

Problems with this fun piece of trash are numerous.The leading man is a real stiff.He has the acting range of a watermelon. The leeches while creepy also elicit some big laughs.You can see how the costume designer didn't take into consideration the actors would need oxygen tanks.Nice tanks.There also seems to be only two leeches due to a very limited budget.The townsfolk are pretty stupid and you can only wish more of them had fallen prey to the leeches.

This movie isn't a classic nor is it as bad as you've heard.A fun way to waste an hour!

No Gone With The Wind, But it shows a side of the south...

[neutrodyne · 7 February 2000]

This film is often trashed because of superficial details. I feel the film itself is an artifact of the times and the location. Despite the silly sci-fi subplot, the real story is in the southerners who made and star in the film. The outdated boogie woogie instrumentals that blare constantly in the -background, the steamy heat that leaves the average people sweaty and the fat shopkeeper swimming, work together to show the oppressive effects of heat and isolation on the people who live and make their living from the swamp. When viewed in light of it's intended audience (who could be expected to identify with the cast and expect the "everyday" details of the story to appear normal...) I find it not only enjoyable, but an interesting view of a time and place that no longer exists.

Fun and educational too!

[stevebob99 · 2/10 · 12 May 2005]

Attack of the Giant Leeches is a very fun movie if you like watching B-horror movies to laugh at how poorly they are made and scripted. A few things I learned from this movie:

1) Alligators aren't scared of men or animals but they may be afraid of minerals

2) Game wardens take their wives out on dates while they look for poachers

3) Atomic testing can cause giant mutations of just about anything (OK, OK, I already knew that. Most of these movies are about that.)

4) Women like being called "baby"

5) If you're in a boat for 2 days looking for something in the water, then you hear it sloshing around, it's OK to just go home without checking it out.

6) It's OK to have a picnic in a boat while looking for dangerous monsters.

7)Sleezy people always die in the end (I already knew that)

8) Good guys don't need a good reason to take their shirts off (Ok, I knew that, too)

The monster costume was so bad I couldn't make out the shape of the leech at all- it looked like what it was- a man in a cheesy suit.

I gave the movie a 2 because it really was bad, but don't let that stop you from watching it. It was 64 fun minutes of foolish pleasure from the king of B-horror, Roger Corman

Early creature-feature. Cheap and harmless

[Coventry · 3/10 · 16 March 2005]

Something's wrong at a remote hillbilly swamp, where all the alligators seem to have disappeared and been replaced by giant ugly monsters that are impossible to kill, even with heavy shotguns. The local sheriff initially doesn't accept the presence of man-eating monsters but he quickly has to acknowledge their existence when more and more villagers go missing in the swamp. This is a typical example of Z-grade monster movies from the 50's. Mostly, these films are from the hands of Samuel Z. Arkoff and Roger Corman and they feature lousy acting, bad editing, unclear cinematography and immeasurable amounts of cheese. Yet, I don't see the point in carefully pointing out all the elements that went wrong in this production. This "Attack of the Giant Leeches" is worth one viewing, definitely not more than that and even then you need to have a lot of tolerance and a wide attention span. The "best" sequence in this film unquestionably involves a chubby townie who chases his adulterous wife (a yummy blonde) and her lover into the swamp, where a hideous bloodsucker eventually does the nasty work for him.

A movie you can enjoy with a good cup of coffee.

[bensonmum2 · 4/10 · 27 February 2005]

• A local trapper claims he saw something odd in the swamp. Of course no one puts much stock in his claims, so nothing is done. But as the bodies start piling up, the local officials realize that something strange is going on. They can no longer deny the fact that monsters live in the local waters. One of the locals wants to bomb the swamp and force the creatures to the surface. But the game warden is sworn to protect all life in the swamp and must be convinced (he's gotta see the monsters for himself) before he will allow such a dramatic step to be taken.

• After you've seen as many of these quick, cheap, sci-fi/horror movies from the 50s and 60s as I have, you start to run out of adjectives to describe the abysmal acting, dialogue, and production values. I have now reached that point. The lack of what most people consider qualities of a good movie are as readily apparent here as any other movies of this type. So, I'm not going to even try to discuss these things.

• I haven't rated this movie as low as similar movies. This one has a quality about it that I found enjoyable. It could be that the characters in Attack of the Giant Leeches are somewhat likable. It could be that the story is presented in a more clever manner. Or, it could be that the movie is so bad that I reveled in the dreg. Whatever, unlike some of its brethren, Attack of the Giant Leeches is a movie I could see myself watching again in the future.

For a terrible low-budget title, this one is surprisingly watchable

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 19 February 2007]

I sometimes like to sit down and watch a bad film--and I DON'T mean one that is dull but rather one that is so ridiculous and silly that it is kooky and entertaining. ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES is one of these fun but dreadful films. Much of the problem is that the monsters in this film look really silly and remind me of the title character from the old computer game "Day of the Tentacle". At the same time, despite the special effects being horrid, the acting is amazingly competent. Sure, it's obviously NOT Shakespeare, but considering what the movie is about, it is handled pretty well. Now the average person out there probably won't be very impressed by this flick, but for bad movie fans this is an excellent film--and a good one to share with your friends.

Chilling Thriller

[twanurit · 8/10 · 9 March 2001]

This unusual blend of Southern white trash and blood-curdling terror features a good narrative, capable performances by most, excellent musical score, and a misty, shadowy, eerie atmosphere. Despite other negative reviews, this and many other small-budget 1950s are continually being released on DVD and video, to the delight (and distributors' profits) of horror fans. Ken Clark is adequate playing the stalwart hero, as a surprising (for its time) ecologically-minded ranger overseeing a Southern bayou swampland. Third-billed Jan Shepard is really the leading lady here, getting more scenes and close-ups than Yvette Vickers, who appears in early scenes, than basically disappears. Shepard is earnest and very pretty, lending semi-feminism to the proceedings, by joining boyfriend Clark in the swamp, seeking murderous radiation-produced mutations. Shepard appears, 1950s style, in her first and last scenes (probably filmed simultaneously), with her hair down, in an off-the shoulder white dress, well made-up, walking near a sticky, humid swamp! At least she's not in high heels! Vickers is slinky perfection as the adulterous wife of Bruno Ve Soto, another fine actor. Tyler McVey as Shepard's doctor father is also convincing; great character portrayal by Gene Roth as the dis-believing sheriff. All these are "finished" actors, professionals who have amassed many credits through the years. While the leech costumes may disappoint, the unnerving cave scene won't. This film does in 65 minutes what other "blockbuster", star-cast thrillers can't.

Fun B-Horror

[Space_Mafune · 6/10 · 24 August 2002]

Them folks down on the swamp there darn gone and got themselves killed or worsen. Yes giant inflatable swamp critters attack and suck the blood out of their victims. Just joking around there folks. Honestly this was much better than I was expecting although it really doesn't hold any surprises(but may cause you to laugh a time or two). Still for a low budget film, I felt it was well-done and benefits from being only 62 minutes in length. I really enjoyed this one.

Interesting

[Thorsten-Krings · 5/10 · 22 September 2008]

I quite liked this film. Once you get over the fact that the giant leech is a guy dressed in rubber (somethinmg for the fetish fans) I gets good. The horror story itself is mildly interesting (it's difficult to be scared of rubber) but the story in itself is actually quite well written. As a sub plot we have a drama the dimension of a Greek tragedy, well written dialogue and really good stories in the sub plot. The acting is actually not all all bad. Think early Russ Meyer without boobs and with better acting. Plus rubber leeches. I find most z-grade movies are actually just downright boring because they are so awfully written but this one is really quite entertaining.

Not A Bad Corman Flick

[dougdoepke · 15 August 2019]

Plot-- people go disappearing mysteriously in a backwoods swamp leading the authorities to a guessing game while the missing continue to pile up.

So how did I miss this drive-in special back in '59; maybe I had a back-seat 12-pack that made me forget. Anyhow, I'm glad to catch up with this Corman special. Okay, I'm in a minority, but the flick's on the whole competently made. The monster is the only really cheesy part (surprise, surprise). Still, it's wisely kept in shadow so we never get a really good look. Otherwise, the script, acting, and staging are all credibly done. For a cheap budget, the Cormans got their money's worth, especially with the LA Arboretum. Then too, was there ever a better screen vixen than the great Yvette Vickers. Here she grabs us guys in the first part with her seductive specialty and a lot of leg. No wonder the leeches were saving her for their vampire dinners. And catch the hillbillies. Their backwoods lingo and grimy looks are really colorful and well acted.

Anyway, I can't say the cheapo's a campy laugher like most Corman monster flicks. On the whole, however, it is a quality cut above and held my interest all the way through, Vickers or no.

I Love Bad Vintage Sci Fi, but...

[rubytombsday · 1/10 · 29 May 2019]

This movie falls short of being as good as Plan Nine from Outer Space, because at least you could see the movie. The sets are so poorly lit in this stinker that even if the movie had something to offer, you'd never see it.

The hero game warden has the warmth of a freeze dried rice cake. The plot is really just a steady diet of "wait... what? " contradictions.

At just over an hour, these Leeches won't suck you dry

[Chase_Witherspoon · 5/10 · 29 April 2011]

When a moonshine-swilling local returns from a trip to the local nature preserve with a tale of having narrowly escaped a lethal encounter with a giant, octopus-like creature, he finds little support among his friends. Attitudes soon change however, when his mangled body is discovered by local ranger (Clark) and sultry sex-pot Vickers. As more locals disappear, it becomes apparent that something ferocious is dwelling in the vicinity of the swamp, and as two of the supporting characters postulate for about four lines of dialogue, it may have its genesis in the radioactive emissions from the nearby rocket base.

Mild shocker made on a meagre budget, attempts, and succeeds, in establishing all the basics – some engaging characterisations, effective narrative (even if plodding at times), okay special effects (save for the ridiculous looking title creatures that defy capable description – something more akin to the "Creature from the Black Lagoon", than a leech) and competent script. Nothing to chirp about, but doesn't 'suck' quite as badly as the title and attached personnel might suggest; the Corman brothers stick to backstage roles, and director Kowalski is allowed to establish some semblance of a storyline, albeit with limited dollars in support.

At just a few blinks over an hour, there's little opportunity to define characters, or build much intrigue, instead Kowalski manages an occasional moment of suspense, a dash of horror and VeSota's depiction of the browbeaten, cuckold husband to vixen Vickers, is a likable character with whom to sympathise. Vickers is visually striking, but ultimately spends most of her time being sucked dry in the lair of the leeches, after she and her randy lover (Emmett) are discovered by VeSota and forced to wade into the swamp under threat of a bulleting. The idea here is okay – that the creatures store their food for the purposes of gradually draining them of the blood – but the execution is irreparably marred by the facile costume design and tacky looking sets. It's 50's sci-fi on the cheap, so you know what to expect.

The plot summary is the entire movie.

[13Funbags · 2/10 · 26 April 2017]

Here we go with another movie that doesn't make any sense.The only thing they don't fail at is letting us know who's going to die next.People are disappearing and the town people never believe those who actually see the "giant leeches".After most of the people are gone, they decide to believe the leeches exist and then quickly make up a bunch of "facts" about them.The hero threatens to arrest the elderly man who wants to use dynamite in the swamp to find the bodies but then ends up using it himself.Of course the elderly man is the hero's girlfriends dad, that's because the scientists don't have guns.Most importantly this movie has the obligatory scuba diving.What's a movie without scuba diving?Good?

Schlocky Enviro-Horror.

[meddlecore · 3/10 · 16 October 2019]

A grop of backwoods poachers, operating on a game reserve in the Florida everglades, are caught in a love triangle; when one of them spots a couple of lecherously deformed swamp monsters.

Meanwhile, the local game warden (and his girlfriend, who always seems to be with him on the job) is trying to catch the poachers...that is...if something else doesn't catch them first...

One by one people in the community start to go missing- beginning with the seductress and her suitor- initially leading the warden to suspect the woman's husband.

However, when more people begin to disappear...he realizes something more nefarious is afoot...and thus continues to investigate.

Turns out the local paper mill has been dumping chemicals into the hydrological system...and it has caused the leeches to grow massively huge and hideously deformed.

And they're hungry...for blood!!!

Now the warden must decide if he's willing to sacrifice his principles, and use the very tactics he was trying to stop, in order to kill the beasts.

So, the moral of the story is that one must act in accordance with justice for the greater good...even if that means sacrificing ones own otherwise just principles, when called for in this regards.

Cheesy schlockiness aside, it's pretty educational for a b-rated horror flick.

You learn about the Seminoles holding up, in what's now the preserve, against the s army; how gators build their nests in underwater caves; and about a slew of environmental issues.

But the monsters are ridiculously bad. And the special effects suck (pun intended).

Luckily, its only an hour long.

3 out of 10.

Fight the puppet

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 12 December 2020]

No this movie was not made by Ed Wood, which was sort of my first thought seeing the ... well monster I guess you'd call it? But as gavin has put it, there are far worse movies out there. You can feel they really had more than good intentions in making this. With some social commentary thrown in for good measure (dialog wise and it is quite dialog heavy).

While the monster suit is quite ridiculous if you think about it (I do wonder if Godzilla played a role in the making of this and very likely a lot of other similar themed movies). But that should not be the deciding factor on how much fun or entertained you should be by this. Try to give it a bit of slack, if not do not bother at all.

A Corman brothers collaboration

[kevinolzak · 5/10 · 4 April 2019]

1958's "Attack of the Giant Leeches" was a Roger Corman production, younger brother Gene taking the actual on screen credit (as was the case with "Night of the Blood Beast" and "Beast from Haunted Cave"). In the director's chair was relative newcomer Bernard L. Kowalski, who also did "Hot Car Girl," "Night of the Blood Beast" and "Blood and Steel" for the Cormans before confining himself exclusively to television (one major theatrical comeback, 1973's Strother Martin snake entry "Sssssss"). The screenplay was among the first from actor Leo V. Gordon, very prolific in front of the camera with over 200 credits, but pretty much doing most of his movie scripts for Corman - "The Cry Baby Killer" (Jack Nicholson's screen debut), "Hot Car Girl," "The Wasp Woman," "Valley of the Redwoods," "The Cat Burglar," "Tower of London," "The Terror," "Tobruk." "Giant Leeches" was filmed after "Blood Beast" and "Hot Car Girl," utilizing several cast members from both, a rather small scale menace threatening the denizens of a swamp community near Cape Canaveral (filling the bottom half of a double bill with "A Bucket of Blood"). It's really an hour long split between two storylines, the first depicting a love triangle between sultry Yvette Vickers ("Attack of the 50 Foot Woman," and July 1959 Playboy Playmate), her storekeeper husband played by Bruno Ve Sota, and local lothario Michael Emmet (retained from "Blood Beast"), intersecting midway with the titular creatures, who claim the two lovers as victims for their blood as poor Bruno takes his own life after being falsely accused of murder. The emotional center thus eliminated, what remains focuses on handsome yet stolid Ken Clark ("12 to the Moon"), whose job preserving wildlife as game warden is complicated by the fact that the giant leeches have scared away all the larger predators such as alligators. This sluggish second half is enlivened by scenes of the leeches feasting on their captives, the only explanation for their size being radiation from the proximity of the rocket base. With as mean looking a countenance as Leo Gordon, Bruno Ve Sota turned in some of his best screen work for Corman, even more affecting here than he was in "The Undead." Gene Roth ("Zombies of Mora Tau," "She Demons") was almost as familiar to 50s sci-fi enthusiasts as Morris Ankrum, here repeating his skeptical sheriff role from "Earth vs the Spider." The monsters pretty much look exactly like what they were, extras in elaborate trash bags with octopus-like suckers attached, but the underwater photography does hold up on such a low budget, and the cave scenes (even the eerie music) were replicated for another blood sucking terror in "Beast from Haunted Cave." The backwoods drama reminded me of the 1964 ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR "The Jar," a classic Ray Bradbury story of hidden passions that culminates in a surprising finale.

The pits.

[gridoon · 2/10 · 3 November 2001]

I actually have some tolerance for low-budget 50's sci-fi flicks, but this one really goes over the line. It's so extraordinarily cheap that it deserves some kind of honorary award for having been made. But that's the only award it can claim. And don't trust the title, either; the "leeches" are barely seen, and when they DO appear, the director uses murky photography and quick cuts to distract us from noticing that they are actually men in scuba gears (or something, we can't be sure). Even at 62 minutes, this film is unbearable. (*)

Fun, creepy and underrated

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 10 April 2007]

Grotesque gigantic mutant leeches attack and feed on the various local yokels in a seedy Florida stick swamp hamlet. Bernard L. Kowalski directs the admittedly ludicrous premise with admirable seriousness, coaxing solid acting from a sturdy cast, maintaining a steady pace throughout, and ably creating a brooding, spooky and pungently sordid Southern-fried backwoods atmosphere. Leo Gordon's deliciously lurid and melodramatic script plays like a blithely low-rent redneck version of "Peyton Place" with ghastly beasts tossed into the mix to spice things up. The colorful hillbilly characters are a real hoot (Gene Roth is especially amusing as a huffy bonehead sheriff). Ken Clark contributes an engaging performance as the stalwart ranger hero. Jan Shepard is equally appealing as Clark's sweet girlfriend. The delectable Yvette Vickers brings an irresistibly naughty "Babydoll"ish allure to her juicy role of a brazen hick hussy. 50's B-picture regular Bruno VeSota truly shines as Vickers' angry and obese cuckolded general store manager husband. The monsters are really hokey, but that only adds to the film's considerable schlocky charm. The scenes in an underwater cave with the hideous leeches sucking blood from their luckless shrieking victims are genuinely gross, chilling and even downright disturbing. John A. Nicholaus' stark, gritty cinematography and Alexander Laszlo's shuddery ooga-booga bombastic score are likewise on the money. Good, trashy low-budget 50's creature feature fun that's tons better and more enjoyable than its undeservedly lousy reputation would suggest.

An Above Par B Horror Movie from the 1950s

[rak-27003 · 6/10 · 13 August 2022]

Another b&w sci fi horror B-movie, This time its giant killer leeches in a Florida nature reserve swamp. This time around, the mutation is caused by radiation from the Cape Canaveral rocket-launching site.

To keep track, so far we've had giant crabs 🦀, giant grasshoppers, a giant Gila monster 🦎, a giant bat 🦇, a giant amoeba, and now giant leeches.

The lead actors portrays a young peace officer who is responsible for the nature reserve's preservation, and his sweetheart. When bodies show up drained of blood, and with suction marks on their necks, our hero and his girlfriend feel that something is out of the ordinary. Naturally, the sheriff and other townsfolk are skeptical. The narrative includes a neat subplot revolving around the flirting wife of the local grocer.

This is an above par horror for period B-movies. What first caught my attention was the convincing performance of all the actors. When that happens, it usually reflects good directing.

The sets, including the swamp, are great for a B-movie; as well as the costumes and props.

A couple of cringe scenes are where the leeches store their live human victims in an underwater cave, where they periodically return to visit them to suck out more blood.

The giant leech costume was quite good. It was made of raincoat-type material. The man-sized creatures has several appendages including two that seemed to act like arms. The appendages were lined with octopi-type suckers. The thickest appendage had a large round mouth, or sucker, near its end, with concentric circles of sharp teeth.

The movie was filmed in 8 days on a $70,000 budget.

This movie is currently rated 3.7 on IMDb. I give it a solid 6. It is on YouTube.

Attack of the guys in garbage bags.

[Aaron1375 · 2/10 · 10 July 2005]

Roger Cormon strikes again in this film that most people have probably seen on the comedy riff show, Mystery Science Theater 3000 or perhaps packaged in one of those horror movie collections that you can get for like five bucks. Either way, what you are going to get with this film is pretty standard Cormon of the 1950's era. I do enjoy a good deal of his films, but most of the ones I enjoyed were in the late 70's to early 90's portion of his career when he made lots of cool horror films. This one is pretty standard of his films from this time where you just know he made movie after movie. And why not? During this time the drive in theater was reigning supreme and there were not blockbuster films being released on a weekly basis so a movie theater could show some lower budget horror films. The internet was nowhere to be found either, meaning if one just designed a really nifty movie poster and gave their movie something catchy or that stood out, someone would shell out money to see it. Thankfully, I saw this movie done by Mystery Science Theater 3000, because it was not very good and way too short. I always say you need at least an hour and twenty minutes worth of movie before you even start filming.

The story has a community that seems to revolve around hanging out at the local grocery store being terrorized by something lurking in the swamp. One man, who claims to have seen something horrific is killed and soon people are disappearing. The sheriff is skeptical as there were even those skeptical people in the 50's films too, but a man in charge of the local wildlife seems to think there is something going on. Of course, then you have a doctor who is really eager to use dynamite to try and bring everything up to the surface, never mind that it probably killed a number of the people stuck in the cave with the giant leeches! So, as usual with a Cormon film from this era, you get a rather decent episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. I enjoyed their dissection of this film, but the film did move kind of slow for a film about giant leeches. Seriously, there was more scenes of people drinking coffee or offering to make coffee than there was scenes of giant leeches. The characters in this film were as obsessed with coffee as the one gentleman in the film Skydivers! It was overall a good episode though I found some of the best riffs to be in the Undersea Kingdom short that preceded the film.

In the end, we have a rather typical Cormon film with lots of coffee and a hot wife that is sort of bad and a fat husband he is jealous and giant leeches for some spice. The husband would also appear in the Mystery Science Theater riffed movie Daddy-O playing the bad guy of the piece. He does a pretty good job as the two characters are nothing alike, my guess is that he did not get much work due to his appearance. I cannot really recommend the film without the gang of the satellite of love, but apparently there are people that enjoyed the film. More power to them, I just thought it moved a bit too slowly with too little leech action.