Schlockmeister Del Tenney shot most of this Grade Z monster romp on a beach in Stamford, Conn., although the story apparently is set in southern California. Sun worshippers of varying ages are being done in by some mysterious creature from the sea (in this case, Long Island Sound). The monster was created by radioactive waste. In short order, there are two monsters and eventually many. A kindly old scientist races against time to figure out how to kill the critters, which are you basic men in rubber suits. The monsters are so slow-moving, it's amazing they manage to catch anybody. In one scene, a woman runs directly into the arms of one of them, and it still has trouble holding her. Badly acted by what appears to be some New York-based actors and lots of extras, and it's not the least bit scary. The fun part is to observe the early '60s hairdos and outfits. Some of the guys sport tiny, tight bathing shorts and wiggle and gyrate like they are participating in a gay parade. The girls' bikinis for the most part appear to be bra tops and diapers. A Beach Boys-type group wails its way through a half-dozen terrible songs throughout. As for the monsters, they have googly eyes and what appears to be a bunch of Hummel hot dogs wedged in their large, perpetually open moths, the better to drink human blood, I guess. Watch it for its camp value.
108 Reviews
Here comes the hot dog monster!
Mister-65 November 2001
In a world of movies where there are followers and there are trend-setters...let me introduce a follower.
No surprise that "The Horror of Party Beach" is the red-headed stepchild of the "Beach Party" flicks Frankie and Annette churned out (albeit with the unique twists of hazardous waste and ambulatory hot dog-eating protozoa) - but how about adding an ineffectual biker gang (been done), some moderately bloody killings (well, that's different) and a stereotypical black maid (bet the NAACP loved that)?
Oh, and let's not forget The Del-Aires! What music! What chops! What talent! Or should I say - WHAT talent? Is anyone still doing "The Zombie Stomp"? Didn't think so, and best they shouldn't. At least they ACT like they're interested in the paycheck.
But there is no real acting in this movie. No one acts here; they just say words, move around, pretend they're doing something that will stand the ravages of time...and fail in the attempt. Unless, of course, you count its success as the world's worst beach party horror musical.
And while we're at it, shouldn't a movie with the word "Beach" physically in the title have more scenes at, say, THE BEACH??? Two. That's it: two (2, 1+1, II) scenes actually at the beach. Better it should be titled "The Horror of the Non-Descript New England Suburb".
Thanks to Mike Nelson and his robo-buds, the true highlights of this film shine through as ripe targets for insidious dissection (why, in fact, ARE there so many shots of young men writhing around in their whitie tighties on the beach - and so few babes?). Gotta agree with them, though, the Romulan girl IS sexy.
Let's face it: Del Tenney wanted to spend a few bucks and make a flick for the beach crowd and the horror crowd. The result: a flick for the bad movie night crowd. You like bad: rent it, gather your friends, make some popcorn and laugh your tuckuses off!
Two stars for THOPB; eight and a half stars for the MST3K version.
Oh, and yay for sodium!
No surprise that "The Horror of Party Beach" is the red-headed stepchild of the "Beach Party" flicks Frankie and Annette churned out (albeit with the unique twists of hazardous waste and ambulatory hot dog-eating protozoa) - but how about adding an ineffectual biker gang (been done), some moderately bloody killings (well, that's different) and a stereotypical black maid (bet the NAACP loved that)?
Oh, and let's not forget The Del-Aires! What music! What chops! What talent! Or should I say - WHAT talent? Is anyone still doing "The Zombie Stomp"? Didn't think so, and best they shouldn't. At least they ACT like they're interested in the paycheck.
But there is no real acting in this movie. No one acts here; they just say words, move around, pretend they're doing something that will stand the ravages of time...and fail in the attempt. Unless, of course, you count its success as the world's worst beach party horror musical.
And while we're at it, shouldn't a movie with the word "Beach" physically in the title have more scenes at, say, THE BEACH??? Two. That's it: two (2, 1+1, II) scenes actually at the beach. Better it should be titled "The Horror of the Non-Descript New England Suburb".
Thanks to Mike Nelson and his robo-buds, the true highlights of this film shine through as ripe targets for insidious dissection (why, in fact, ARE there so many shots of young men writhing around in their whitie tighties on the beach - and so few babes?). Gotta agree with them, though, the Romulan girl IS sexy.
Let's face it: Del Tenney wanted to spend a few bucks and make a flick for the beach crowd and the horror crowd. The result: a flick for the bad movie night crowd. You like bad: rent it, gather your friends, make some popcorn and laugh your tuckuses off!
Two stars for THOPB; eight and a half stars for the MST3K version.
Oh, and yay for sodium!
Bad but really fun movie, with catchy music and cute girls
mlraymond15 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I will join the ranks of the posters who agree that this movie is nowhere near as bad as its reputation suggests. Yes, the script is silly, and the special effects are hilarious, and the acting is wooden, etc. But there's a real charm and innocence about this movie that makes it tremendously appealing.
Number one, the music by the Del Aires is delightful, with the twanging reverb guitar and the campy lyrics. They obviously are having fun and not taking themselves too seriously in their performances at the beach.
Number two, the dance scenes are so playful and sexy, that I find myself wanting to join right in, especially the songs " Wibble Wobble" and "The Zombie Stomp". Those bikini clad young ladies are just irresistible, especially the one with the white headband and the flower print swimsuit, who asks the guy she's making out with if he believes kissing is unhealthy.
Number three, I'm fascinated by the much maligned Alice Lyon as Elaine. There's a sort of wistful quality about her that's strangely appealing, and her Hilary Clinton looks only add to her quiet allure. The fact that she's clearly much older than the character she's playing, and her dubbed in voice, just make her seem all the more likable. I get the impression she was trying hard to play the role with all the conviction she could muster, and deserves credit for tackling an uninspired part in a pretty bad movie.
Finally, I think the actors and director had to have been aware that the film was too silly to be taken seriously, and that there's a certain deliberately goofy quality to the film, unlike the deadpan solemnity of an Ed Wood film. The movie sort of comes across as like a Saturday Night Live parody of an old beach party movie, and I believe that the straight faced acting by all concerned is quite deliberate, because they knew it would make the picture funnier. But the innocence I spoke of earlier comes across in the slow dance scene at the pavilion, where the romantic tune, the cuddling couples, and the dreamy way Hank and Elaine look at each other, along with the hyper-romantic lyrics of "You're Not a Summer Love", almost transcend the corniness of the clichéd moment and the scene becomes actually touching.
This movie deserves its cult following. For all its many flaws and fumbles, it's a strangely endearing picture that viewers can come back to again and again for a good time.
Number one, the music by the Del Aires is delightful, with the twanging reverb guitar and the campy lyrics. They obviously are having fun and not taking themselves too seriously in their performances at the beach.
Number two, the dance scenes are so playful and sexy, that I find myself wanting to join right in, especially the songs " Wibble Wobble" and "The Zombie Stomp". Those bikini clad young ladies are just irresistible, especially the one with the white headband and the flower print swimsuit, who asks the guy she's making out with if he believes kissing is unhealthy.
Number three, I'm fascinated by the much maligned Alice Lyon as Elaine. There's a sort of wistful quality about her that's strangely appealing, and her Hilary Clinton looks only add to her quiet allure. The fact that she's clearly much older than the character she's playing, and her dubbed in voice, just make her seem all the more likable. I get the impression she was trying hard to play the role with all the conviction she could muster, and deserves credit for tackling an uninspired part in a pretty bad movie.
Finally, I think the actors and director had to have been aware that the film was too silly to be taken seriously, and that there's a certain deliberately goofy quality to the film, unlike the deadpan solemnity of an Ed Wood film. The movie sort of comes across as like a Saturday Night Live parody of an old beach party movie, and I believe that the straight faced acting by all concerned is quite deliberate, because they knew it would make the picture funnier. But the innocence I spoke of earlier comes across in the slow dance scene at the pavilion, where the romantic tune, the cuddling couples, and the dreamy way Hank and Elaine look at each other, along with the hyper-romantic lyrics of "You're Not a Summer Love", almost transcend the corniness of the clichéd moment and the scene becomes actually touching.
This movie deserves its cult following. For all its many flaws and fumbles, it's a strangely endearing picture that viewers can come back to again and again for a good time.
Eulabelle Moore's only feature film
robert-temple-11 November 2009
Why on earth would I review a film as worthless and ridiculous as this one? There is only one reason. It is because it was the only feature film in which my old friend Eulabelle Moore appeared, and I want to put on record on the database a few facts about her, and give her a tribute. It is now 45 years since Eulabelle died, and I must be one of the last people left alive who knew her. I was a teenager at the time. Eulabelle and I spent many, many hours talking together, and there was a time long ago when I could have related the entire story of her life. As I seem to recall, she had come up from the South to New York during the Depression, where she tried to start a new life. She never married and had no children, and was pretty much a loner, despite having many fond friends and acquaintances, as she was extremely gregarious when in company, but she was naturally a solitary person. She got into acting late in life, and appeared in her first Broadway play at the age of 33. In those days of segregation, she tended to be type-cast as the black maid, which after all were often the only parts available for black women on the stage. She soon became a favourite character actress on Broadway and was frequently described as the Hattie McDaniel of New York. Everyone who has ever seen 'Gone with the Wind' remembers Hattie McDaniel, who went on to appear in film after film with her wonderful sense of humour, colourful language, and no-nonsense approach to keeping her 'white folks' in order and under control whilst pretending to be their servant. Eulabelle never played things with as broad strokes as Hattie, but was far more subtle and sophisticated. I believe they met a couple of times but were not friends. I suspect that Hattie was no great brain, but Eulabelle was extraordinarily intelligent and sophisticated in her way. In our endless conversations late into the night, she always spoke with such compelling intelligence and insight that it was a joy to learn the lessons of life from her morality tales. She carried her skillet (old iron frying-pan) with her everywhere she went, along with a miniature portable stove and pan to boil her vegetables in. She was an expert at survival by cooking for herself in boarding house rooms. One of the reasons she and I 'bonded' was that I have always been as attached to my skillet as she was to hers, since the one from which I have had my fried bacon and eggs for breakfast all my life goes back to the 17th century and was used by my Leonard ancestors almost daily since they made it in their own iron works, the first in America, at Taunton, Massachusetts. It has been in continuous use in the family for over 300 years, and looks it! (Isn't it strange, the objects which survive?) Eulabelle loved hearing about my skillet, and having skillets in common really meant something to us. It also meant a lot to her that it was my grandmother who started the American craze for black-eyed peas, which Eulabelle loved. Eulabelle was an expert at cooking her soul food, but I did teach her one trick, how to cook barley as rice. She and I had many a feast on it, she raved about it, and she couldn't have been more thrilled at this 'new soul food' which I had recommended to her and which 'even we black folks down South had never heard of nor thought of eating like that, but I wish we had'. On Broadway, Eulabelle had been directed by Elia Kazan twice, Otto Preminger, Robert Rossen, and George Abbott. She had appeared in plays by Thornton Wilder, Moss and Hart, and Tennessee Williams, and a play based on a novel by Eudora Welty, and had acted with Tallulah Bankhead, Frederic March, Montgomery Clift, E. G. Marshall, Uta Hagen, Anthony Quinn (as Stanley Kowalski in 'Streetcar'), Marlon Brando (as Stanley Kowalski; the ibdb database is in error by not recording this one, and Eulabelle used to call him 'that boy' and told me what it was like to work with him, and how he never repaid some money he borrowed from her), David Wayne, Eartha Kitt, Wendell Corey, James Earl Jones, Calvin Lockhart, and Colleen Dewhurst. The stories she had to tell were endless. She had a bad heart when I knew her, and this may have been the reason why she died at the age of only 61 in 1964. I did not know of her death for some time, so missed her funeral. I may well be the last friend of Eulabelle's who is left. No one should think she talked like she does in this film, where she had to play a typical housemaid in an apron who talks folksy, and where she has to say things like: 'It's the voodoo, that's what it is!' How Eulabelle would have laughed to think she would be remembered for such inane conversation and for playing up to the stereotype of the stupid servant. She was one of the liveliest and most interesting people I ever knew, never a dull moment, a mind as sharp as a whip, and a heart of gold. But I can imagine the satisfaction which she would have experienced from pocketing the check for appearing in this rubbishy horror film, as she was always poor, and needed to pay the rent. Good old Eulabelle. Now she is freed from paying rent, and freed from the constraints of having skin with a colour which confined and delimited her life and her work. She may have been 'only a black character actress' to some people, but to me she had more character than any role she ever played.
Let's hear it for radiation pollution!
hipthornton21 September 2002
It's hard to hate a film that creeped me out for years! made me leery of dark forests and deep water forever. I know it is drekk but it's definitely good drekk.What startled me at the time was how fast it got to the point. Beach scenes, spilled radiation barrels,the monster created,and gets its first victim a few minutes later with blood gushing everywhere.Then a few dull minutes of talk,then the classic slumber party scene!20 girls laughing,singing,and having pillow fight not knowing the things from hell are creeping outside!The attack is surprisingly gory,with shots of bloodied bodies all over the room.definitely get the 79 minute version,not the edited tv version.
Horror of Party Beach-A childhood guilty pleasure! This review may contain some spoilers.
michaelasiclari16 March 2013
The Horror of Party Beach has got to be one of the all time great "Z" grade movies. To a 12 year old kid these monsters were so cool. I didn't care about acting or production values back then, this was great cinema! While it featured the very first slumber party massacre on film, (quite bloody and graphic for its time), it also had some of the funniest dialog and scenes ever put on film. Some teenagers recruit the help of the local college professor to kill these radioactive sea creatures. He discovers by accident( the family maid Eullabelle spills some salt onto a severed limb left by one of the beastly denizens) that sodium can destroy them. This sequence with the maid is hilarious! The fact that the professor has to drive from Conn. to N.Y. just to get a large supply of salt is absurdly funny in and of itself. The Del-Aires are on hand for your musical pleasure, singing their smash hits Zombie Stomp and Elllllaaaiiinnneee! Where was Dick Clark when all this was happening? I rate it a Fiiiiiiiive!
All in all, this movie still holds a special place in my heart. But if you want a similar type of film, only better, check out Roger Corman's 1980 cult classic " Humanoids From the Deep".
All in all, this movie still holds a special place in my heart. But if you want a similar type of film, only better, check out Roger Corman's 1980 cult classic " Humanoids From the Deep".
I've grown very fond of these 50's/60's "horror" flicks.
gsh99916 February 2007
I guess I am nostalgic. I have come to enjoy some of the worst movies ever made - - > low-budget drive-in monster movies from the 50's and 60's! This one has not aged well but does fall into the category of so-bad-it's-good. This movie from 1964 has a beach party with a bunch of "teens" (who look like they're in their 30's), a live rock-n-roll band, and a guy in a rubber suit carrying off some of the finest babes! What more can you ask for? Well, for starters, they could have told the lip-synching band to plug in their electric guitars to make the concert a bit more realistic. Plus, there are female voices in the songs but no female singers. What's up with that? I'm not sure what makes this one special but I gave it a five. If it had been worse I might have given it a ten, but it's not quite bad enough. Good for laughs and very entertaining and nostalgic.
beach blanket horrors!
vampi196029 June 2006
horror of party beach is classic b-movie schlock.after repeated viewings on TV in new jersey(censored version)i grown to like this classic stink bomb.so bad its good.recently purchased the uncensored version, which is ultra gory for its day.even if the blood was chocolate syrup. the creatures are corny looking versions of the creature from the black lagoon.it has some creepy moments.the sleepover was the best scene. this would've been good on a double bill with Frankenstein meets the space monster(see my review for that one)radioactive zombie monsters and beach bunnies galore.the comedy relief is lulu belle the maid who believes its all voodoo.the cast is unknown.well I'm giving this 5 out of 10.see the uncensored version,beware the cut version.its lame.the del Aires music is cheesy but good,remember this was 1964.
Make a left, make a right, not a cop in sight...
Hey_Sweden26 January 2013
This hilarious goof ball schlock film possesses just the right ingredients to qualify as good entertainment, if not exactly a good film. You've got parties, babes, a lot of dancing and digging it, the beach, an upbeat rock group, a motorcycle club (who never actually really do anything), and an early "dangers of dumping radioactive waste" creature feature with some of the most ridiculous creatures to be seen in movies of this ilk. It's deliberately campy stuff, with absurd dialogue to spare and priceless, unconvincing performances from everybody involved.
When radioactive sludge is dumped into the ocean, it contaminates a human skeleton and turns it into a great big shambling fishy beast with googly eyes and hot dogs in its mouth. (Somehow a whole lot of other creatures are created as well.) The beasts mostly like to prey on not-too-bright young women, but if dopey drunk GUYS happen to be around, well, they'll make pretty good victims too.
In all honesty, I don't see how people can truly hate something like this. Directed with sincerity, if not a great deal of talent, by '60 schlock purveyor Del Tenney, it never sets out to be that serious, although some of those attack scenes are kind of intense. A highlight in this regard is when two of the monsters descend upon some gals having a slumber party.
One's gotta love the stiff and inane acting from the no-name cast: John Scott as square-jawed hero Hank Green, Alice Lyon as his leading lady (who definitely looks too old for her role), Allan Laurel as our resident scientist with all the answers, Marilyn Clarke as Hanks' shallow ex-girlfriend, and the memorable Eulabelle Moore playing a maid with the same name.
Personally, this viewer feels that "The Horror of Party Beach" can easily take its place alongside other low budget nonsense films from the same period. Yeah, of course this is a bad film, but it still has an irresistible bad movie charm going for it. At the very least, you just can't go wrong with that steady stream of silly, harmless pop songs such as "The Zombie Stomp" and "Wigglin' Wobblin", now can you?
Five out of 10.
When radioactive sludge is dumped into the ocean, it contaminates a human skeleton and turns it into a great big shambling fishy beast with googly eyes and hot dogs in its mouth. (Somehow a whole lot of other creatures are created as well.) The beasts mostly like to prey on not-too-bright young women, but if dopey drunk GUYS happen to be around, well, they'll make pretty good victims too.
In all honesty, I don't see how people can truly hate something like this. Directed with sincerity, if not a great deal of talent, by '60 schlock purveyor Del Tenney, it never sets out to be that serious, although some of those attack scenes are kind of intense. A highlight in this regard is when two of the monsters descend upon some gals having a slumber party.
One's gotta love the stiff and inane acting from the no-name cast: John Scott as square-jawed hero Hank Green, Alice Lyon as his leading lady (who definitely looks too old for her role), Allan Laurel as our resident scientist with all the answers, Marilyn Clarke as Hanks' shallow ex-girlfriend, and the memorable Eulabelle Moore playing a maid with the same name.
Personally, this viewer feels that "The Horror of Party Beach" can easily take its place alongside other low budget nonsense films from the same period. Yeah, of course this is a bad film, but it still has an irresistible bad movie charm going for it. At the very least, you just can't go wrong with that steady stream of silly, harmless pop songs such as "The Zombie Stomp" and "Wigglin' Wobblin", now can you?
Five out of 10.
Not entirely devoid of entertainment value
BruceCorneil22 August 2003
Ultra low budget nasty from Stamford , Connecticut billed as the first "Horror Monster Musical" ! Radioactive waste being dumped from ships turns human skulls on the ocean bed into hideous seaweed creatures which start to attack nubile , scantily clad young "Surfer Chicks" . The big number from the show was "Zombie Stomp" which became an instant flop . Pretty darn bad but not entirely devoid of entertainment value .
You Don't Need MST3K to Laugh at This!
Space_Mafune19 April 2003
This amateurish attempt at mixing the popular Beach Party genre film with a monster on the loose unfortunately never quite manages to pull it off successfully. Stereotypical characters, terrible acting, terrible music and a slow pace bog this down considerably but you know, the ideas here aren't bad. In fact they are surprisingly imaginative and this is one film so bad that it's truly fun to watch. One doesn't need any MST wisecracks to have fun watching this, it's much too easy to make up your own. Still I really feel the director here was just short of brilliance with his idea..it's just the execution that's awful although at times I like the cinematography. HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP certainly owes this film a LOT!..No? You Say. Think about it and you'll realize it does. I love the Monsters here as they never fail to entertain and frequently cause a laugh when on screen...
This is one of the most memorable films from my childhood!
phage73925 February 2002
This is one of the most memorable films from my childhood. As the beach party teens dance and sing (doing "The Zombie Stomp"), offshore a chemical spill re-animates a skeleton at the bottom of the sea into gill man (yes with hot dog looking protrusions from the mouth) and the creatures go on a killing spree! Some of the scenes are so dark it's hard to determine what is happening! See the monsters attack a girls' slumber party, see nice hair hopping chicks with a flat tire fall victims to the atomic beasts, see mother nature strike back at sinful beach teens! Some generally fun dialog, similar to Waters movie that you will surely quote!
'Monsters' Make It Fun, Keep It Lively
ccthemovieman-126 September 2008
At the beginning of this film, you'd think you were watching one of those "beach party" musicals as The Del Aires - a so-so group of the day - provide us with some rock music of the time period. Hey, we even got a folk song later by a couple of girls. It wasn't exactly Joan Baez and company, but they weren't bad.
Alice Lyon as "Elaine Gavin" may be one of the all-time worst actresses I've even seen on film. It is no shock this is her only movie. Some of the other actors ranged from bad to decent.
However, it's the "monsters" - the guys with the "Creature From the Black Lagoon" suits but with better eyeballs and hot dog-like appendages hanging from their cheeks - that mainly make this horrible film a hoot, making not really horrible but good because it was fun to watch.
To its credit, it was fairly fast-moving, too, with enough action to keep one's interest. The "creatures" were an active bunch! It all makes for decent viewing if you are a fan of the 1950s schlock monster and/or sci-fi films.
Recommended!
Alice Lyon as "Elaine Gavin" may be one of the all-time worst actresses I've even seen on film. It is no shock this is her only movie. Some of the other actors ranged from bad to decent.
However, it's the "monsters" - the guys with the "Creature From the Black Lagoon" suits but with better eyeballs and hot dog-like appendages hanging from their cheeks - that mainly make this horrible film a hoot, making not really horrible but good because it was fun to watch.
To its credit, it was fairly fast-moving, too, with enough action to keep one's interest. The "creatures" were an active bunch! It all makes for decent viewing if you are a fan of the 1950s schlock monster and/or sci-fi films.
Recommended!
Instant monster, just add skeleton skull, toxic waste and stir!
mark.waltz15 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The human skull who becomes the monster must have been a regular customer either at Pink's in Hollywood or at Nathan's on Coney Island, because when they turn into a monster, they have a mouth full of hot dogs which the audience is supposed to believe are teeth. In the past few weeks alone, I have seen old science fiction/horror movies with walking trees, giant vegetables and sun-scorched men who turn into demons. But nothing had me in stitches more than the hot dog monster which I first saw over 30 years ago as part of "It Came From Hollywood", the camp documentary on some of the silliest creatures to come out of the cinema. When the movie credits don't include any of the people appearing in the film (I certainly won't insult thespians by referring to these people as actors), you know its going to be rough. The trailer calls this the first "monster musical", and while there are indeed a handful of amusing mid 60's style songs, it will never be in major competition with other monster musicals which have come along since.
The first appearance of the monster underwater, being formulated as the goo from the toxic waste container takes over the oddly placed skull, is very funny, because the actor inside this silly costume doesn't seem to be wearing gloves or boots which match the rest of what they are wearing. This makes it appear that they have human hands and feet, but by the time it erupts out of the rocky waters, it is complete. Hmmm....did it stop at K-Mart on the way to complete its fashionable ensemble? And for what reason does it seem to attack only young girls, although two hilariously drunk guys do get a date with the monster as well. And wait until you see the alleged street gang which invades the beach to make time with the rather loose living teen-aged girls (who look more like the real housewives of New Jersey celebrating their 10 year anniversary) who frequent the sandy shores. They look like chorus boys dressed up as the Sharks and the Jets for a Halloween festival where a Bernardo look-alike fights with a Tony look-alike then looks like he's about to kiss him! There are crotch shots galore of the scantily clad "young people" giving this almost a pornographic feeling to it. To add some massive unrealism, the monster is literally behind two girls waiting on a ride and they don't even feel its presence. The be-speckled driver telling them to get in the car shouldn't be driving, because it's obvious that there is something totally creepy in back of them.
After about half an hour, however, the film starts to become rather tedious and you long to just see the monsters dispatched after several different segments where the monsters do their worst. There's a black housekeeper who practices voodoo (actually, she's the only fairly decent actress in the film), a sequence where the hero races to New York City to pick up a barrel of sodium (giving a nice vintage view of the streets of Manhattan circa 1963), and the obligatory shot of the fragile heroine with her bloody foot caught in between two rocks, trapped as the monsters approach. So while this provided amusement in montage sequences of other similar deliciously bad monster movies, it ends up being pretty boring even with what are supposed to be intentional laughs. All the women but the housekeeper and blonde heroine are presented as sex-crazed females, pretty much domineering of the somewhat effeminate men who populate the beach around them. They should have called this one "Amazon Women of the Beach meet the Hot Dog Toothed Toxic Waste Monster".
The first appearance of the monster underwater, being formulated as the goo from the toxic waste container takes over the oddly placed skull, is very funny, because the actor inside this silly costume doesn't seem to be wearing gloves or boots which match the rest of what they are wearing. This makes it appear that they have human hands and feet, but by the time it erupts out of the rocky waters, it is complete. Hmmm....did it stop at K-Mart on the way to complete its fashionable ensemble? And for what reason does it seem to attack only young girls, although two hilariously drunk guys do get a date with the monster as well. And wait until you see the alleged street gang which invades the beach to make time with the rather loose living teen-aged girls (who look more like the real housewives of New Jersey celebrating their 10 year anniversary) who frequent the sandy shores. They look like chorus boys dressed up as the Sharks and the Jets for a Halloween festival where a Bernardo look-alike fights with a Tony look-alike then looks like he's about to kiss him! There are crotch shots galore of the scantily clad "young people" giving this almost a pornographic feeling to it. To add some massive unrealism, the monster is literally behind two girls waiting on a ride and they don't even feel its presence. The be-speckled driver telling them to get in the car shouldn't be driving, because it's obvious that there is something totally creepy in back of them.
After about half an hour, however, the film starts to become rather tedious and you long to just see the monsters dispatched after several different segments where the monsters do their worst. There's a black housekeeper who practices voodoo (actually, she's the only fairly decent actress in the film), a sequence where the hero races to New York City to pick up a barrel of sodium (giving a nice vintage view of the streets of Manhattan circa 1963), and the obligatory shot of the fragile heroine with her bloody foot caught in between two rocks, trapped as the monsters approach. So while this provided amusement in montage sequences of other similar deliciously bad monster movies, it ends up being pretty boring even with what are supposed to be intentional laughs. All the women but the housekeeper and blonde heroine are presented as sex-crazed females, pretty much domineering of the somewhat effeminate men who populate the beach around them. They should have called this one "Amazon Women of the Beach meet the Hot Dog Toothed Toxic Waste Monster".
Zombie Stomp
Gafke28 January 2004
Believe it or not, this is NOT the worst horror movie ever made. That dishonor would have to go to either "Manos, the Hands of Fate" or perhaps "Demonwarp." At least "Party Beach" is somewhat entertaining.
Radioactive waste dumped into the ocean, just off of a popular beach party site, reanimates human skeletons and turns them into huge salamanders with cookie monster eyes and mouthfuls of hotdogs. They promptly go on a killing spree, the first victim being the obligatory slut in a bikini. After that, the monsters crash a pajama party, make off with three dimwitted broads (whose car conveniently breaks down just mere inches from the monsters hideout) and actually deign to kill a couple of drunken MEN! I mean, fully clothed men who aren't sexy or in bikinis or anything! Wow! Anyway, it's up to the towns brilliant scientist, his expressionless daughter and her hunky slab of whitebread boyfriend to stop the monsters!
Yeah, this is pretty dumb stuff, but the beach scenes are a lot of fun with some GREAT music by the Del Aires. The monsters are ridiculous, the acting is atrocious and the plot barely makes sense, but this film has an odd, innocent charm to it nevertheless.
Radioactive waste dumped into the ocean, just off of a popular beach party site, reanimates human skeletons and turns them into huge salamanders with cookie monster eyes and mouthfuls of hotdogs. They promptly go on a killing spree, the first victim being the obligatory slut in a bikini. After that, the monsters crash a pajama party, make off with three dimwitted broads (whose car conveniently breaks down just mere inches from the monsters hideout) and actually deign to kill a couple of drunken MEN! I mean, fully clothed men who aren't sexy or in bikinis or anything! Wow! Anyway, it's up to the towns brilliant scientist, his expressionless daughter and her hunky slab of whitebread boyfriend to stop the monsters!
Yeah, this is pretty dumb stuff, but the beach scenes are a lot of fun with some GREAT music by the Del Aires. The monsters are ridiculous, the acting is atrocious and the plot barely makes sense, but this film has an odd, innocent charm to it nevertheless.
Monsters from the Sea
richardchatten4 July 2022
The title is probably more familiar than the movie itself, and like most films savoured by connoisseurs of the awful it doesn't really live down to it's reputation.
Incongruously shot in stark black & white with a remarkable amount of gore, all concerned treat an attack of sea zombies with nonchalant matter-of-factness. Since at one point we see five of the things en masse, it's puzzling that for most of the film we follow the activities of just the one.
Incongruously shot in stark black & white with a remarkable amount of gore, all concerned treat an attack of sea zombies with nonchalant matter-of-factness. Since at one point we see five of the things en masse, it's puzzling that for most of the film we follow the activities of just the one.
"Hey, that reminds me, did I bring my hot dog buns?"
classicsoncall15 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
OMG!! This is so laughably bad it's ridiculous! And yet, I wouldn't call it one of the worst movies I've ever seen because it's so downright entertaining. When I read that it was one of Stephen King's favorite flicks, that was endorsement enough for me.
Where to start? The acting is non-existent, the monsters are incredibly cheesy, and the dialog is remarkably insipid. How about this line from one of the eventual victims - "Sounds like somebody big walkin' in mud"! For old timers like myself, a big kick is seeing storefronts of businesses that existed back in the Sixties that are no longer around, names like Rexall Drug, Thom McAn Shoes and Cities Service Gas. Admiral TV and Castro Convertible are still around as different business models, and it was a kick reminiscing over all of them.
But the best has to be those goofy monsters from the deep. Coming to life when radioactive waste reanimates human skeletons, the creatures emerge from the sea to raise havoc with the local beach population, an interesting mix of teenage party seekers, slumber party gals, and biker hoods who get into a scrap with the All-American types, all to the musical accompaniment of The Del-Aires with lyrics so bad you have to listen closely to appreciate. My favorite for no other reason than its title had to be The Zombie Stomp, maintaining a very loose connection to the monsters who were literally raised from the dead.
Quite surprisingly, the gore factor was reasonably well done as the party beach horrors mangled their victims, but that was offset by a wonderfully goofy clip of a monster's severed hand from a broken glass window - dry stuffing fell out of it! The funniest though, might have been when two drunks who felt they were cape-ab-able of driving ran their cars into each other!
All in all, this is a fun flick if you can manage to see your way through it. The 3.3 IMDb rating as I write this is pretty fair given its schlock value, but in my case I have to give it a bonus point for the sheer audacity of having a teenage girl changing her own flat tire! Too bad a monster was right around the corner.
Where to start? The acting is non-existent, the monsters are incredibly cheesy, and the dialog is remarkably insipid. How about this line from one of the eventual victims - "Sounds like somebody big walkin' in mud"! For old timers like myself, a big kick is seeing storefronts of businesses that existed back in the Sixties that are no longer around, names like Rexall Drug, Thom McAn Shoes and Cities Service Gas. Admiral TV and Castro Convertible are still around as different business models, and it was a kick reminiscing over all of them.
But the best has to be those goofy monsters from the deep. Coming to life when radioactive waste reanimates human skeletons, the creatures emerge from the sea to raise havoc with the local beach population, an interesting mix of teenage party seekers, slumber party gals, and biker hoods who get into a scrap with the All-American types, all to the musical accompaniment of The Del-Aires with lyrics so bad you have to listen closely to appreciate. My favorite for no other reason than its title had to be The Zombie Stomp, maintaining a very loose connection to the monsters who were literally raised from the dead.
Quite surprisingly, the gore factor was reasonably well done as the party beach horrors mangled their victims, but that was offset by a wonderfully goofy clip of a monster's severed hand from a broken glass window - dry stuffing fell out of it! The funniest though, might have been when two drunks who felt they were cape-ab-able of driving ran their cars into each other!
All in all, this is a fun flick if you can manage to see your way through it. The 3.3 IMDb rating as I write this is pretty fair given its schlock value, but in my case I have to give it a bonus point for the sheer audacity of having a teenage girl changing her own flat tire! Too bad a monster was right around the corner.
Gets really scary!
sethn17221 March 2006
"The Horror of Party Beach," like many old horror films, is a very cheesy, bad, and scary film! Everything about this movie from start to finish is all of that, plus it's so exciting, you can feel the tingling going on in your body as the movie goes on! I especially liked the trivia fact that you agree that you won't die from seeing this film! That's what makes this movie so different from all others! Now, why one star? Because it's an awful movie! (As seen originally intended; at drive-ins, of course!) But if I was watching this on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" right now, then I would give this five stars! Remember, each MST3K movie must get one star, because from Tom Servo's or Crow T. Robot's point of view, these movies are awful!
I'm beginning to agree with the Taliban militia...people should not be allowed to dance
Oosterhartbabe12 May 2004
Warning: Spoilers
(spoilers) the creepiest and scariest thing about this stupid horror film are the dancing scenes with the gay men in skin tight speedos and the women wearing a collection of peculiar headwear. The second creepiest thing is that the scientist Dr. Gavin strongly resembles my best friend's father. The resemblance is eerie, in fact. The least scary thing in the movie are the monsters, who's mouths appear to be full of cigars and who also appear to be molting. As Tom Servo commented: "So radiation has a sense of humor?" The general 'plot': radiation is dumped from a ship into a harbor near the 'party beach'. IMMEDIATELY, it sinks to the bottom and starts converting a human skeleton into a plankton-based monster so silly looking that you wonder anyone would be afraid of it. The monster dog paddles to the surface, kills the town slut, and begins a reign of terror. It is opposed (sort of) by a pipe smoking scientist who seems incapable of using his own plot point(mainly, that the monster can be killed with sodium)to stop the rampaging monster, and his ultra white bread assistant(Hardware Hank)who lusts after the doctor's forty year old, dubbed daughter Elaine. At the beginning, the frightening dance scenes continue for about five hours, before the movie finally gets off and running (sort of) with the first death. The monsters run amok for several years, until the incompetent scientist finally discovers that the monster arm he acquired is radioactive, so that they can use Geiger counters to track them down and (Finally!) kill them with the aforementioned sodium. The scientists elderly daughter tracks the monsters to a local quarry, then places her foot against a rock so that she can appear to be in danger. Therefore, her white bread boyfriend can ride to the rescue in his gray MJ and toss handfuls of sodium on the guys in the poorly made monster costumes (in places, you can actually see the body parts of the actors sticking out of the costumes). Boyfriend and girlfriend share a tepid kiss to end the movie, thus bringing to a close approximately 17 hours of movie watching pleasure.
The Horrible Movie of Party Beach
Gislef26 January 1999
This is the kind of movie Ed Woods looked down on. Bad acting, bad F/X, and a really, really horrible storyline. Why _does_ sodium chloride cause the creatures to explode, and why does the hero have to take a scenic day-trip to New York to get the stuff? Watching our "heroes" (and I use the term loosely) throw salt at the creatures looks like some kind of weird rice-throwing routine at a wedding. But the sea creatures would make more interesting bridegrooms than the oh-so-stiff "heroes" of the movie. And hats' off to Eulabelle Moore, who plays...Eulabelle, who seems to have wandered into the set from Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Wiggle wiggle wobble wobble
utgard1410 October 2016
Some geniuses dump toxic waste in the ocean and creates monsters that ruin all the fun the kids are having on a Connecticut beach, singing cheesy rock songs and shaking their booties. Z-grade horror meets the Frankie & Annette-style beach party movie. It's absolutely awful if taken remotely seriously, so I recommend you just check your brain at the door and have some laughs. There's not much to hate from a "so bad it's good" perspective. This has cheap special effects, corny musical numbers, actors in their twenties and thirties playing teenagers, hilariously bad action scenes, jokes with bad puns, and lots of gratuitous shots of girls in bikinis. There's a good deal of fun to be had with this but it's one of those movies you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy. If you're looking for something serious or competently produced, look elsewhere. If you want something to watch for shits & giggles, this is for you.
"It's the Voodoo, that's what it is"
Pfoxguitar2 August 2005
Hooray for Eulabell! She's the most intelligent character in this laughable horror movie. A small sea-side town is terrorized by creatures that appear after a toxic spill contaminates an old ship-wreck. There's lots of scenes of teens (and others) dancing on the beach and having a good time. Tina really chews the scenery as she tries to goad her boyfriend into jealousy. Watch the MST3K version of this for some real laughs! I especially like the two drunks who, after getting thrown out of the bar, promptly get into their cars and crash together! The monsters' raid on the girls' slumber party is funny, too. This one is not as bad as others I have seen. I give it a 3.
maybe dumb but scared me as a kid
cpmimm20 November 2006
I loved this movie when I was a kid and remember being especially scared by the music, I mean the music that accompanied the transformation in the water (the skeleton to the monster) and when the monsters were sneaking up on their victims. The other music, by the band on the beach, it was likable enough to a fan of brit pop and the beach boys, which I was. I saw a pretty gory version of it compared to what ended up on Mystery Science Theater years later, I'm happy to see from some fans of this movie, that I didn't imagine all those scenes that were obviously cut. As a kid, I could even recognize the horrible acting, but it still was serious fun to watch and I thought it was pretty suspenseful on the part of the monsters stalking their prey.
Dancing teens, goofy sea monsters, and Eulabelle.
Nightman8517 January 2006
Classic camp drive-in horror of the 60's is a gem for those who love these kind of flicks.
Toxic chemicals dumped into the ocean result in some Sesame Street sea monsters that terrorize a Conneticut community!
As its title implies, Horror of Party Beach is one cheesy piece of horror schlock complete with all those wonderful old drive-in elements! You've got it all - silly looking monsters, lots of dumb teens, lots of old rock songs, plenty of big-haired bimbos, and enough hokey dialog to crush a small city! It's a nostalgic riot for those who love old monster flicks. Despite all of its flaws Horror of Party Beach does have some nicely spooky scenes and some surprising goriness!
The cast is pretty much as good as one would expect for a movie like this. The late Eulabelle Moore is a big stand out though as the paranoid house maid. She thinks the monsters are a result of voodoo and she doesn't mind voicing her opinion! Eulabelle, you are golden.
A totally enjoyable B monster romp that's thankfully coming to DVD soon. Those who love the genre must see it!
*** out of ****
Toxic chemicals dumped into the ocean result in some Sesame Street sea monsters that terrorize a Conneticut community!
As its title implies, Horror of Party Beach is one cheesy piece of horror schlock complete with all those wonderful old drive-in elements! You've got it all - silly looking monsters, lots of dumb teens, lots of old rock songs, plenty of big-haired bimbos, and enough hokey dialog to crush a small city! It's a nostalgic riot for those who love old monster flicks. Despite all of its flaws Horror of Party Beach does have some nicely spooky scenes and some surprising goriness!
The cast is pretty much as good as one would expect for a movie like this. The late Eulabelle Moore is a big stand out though as the paranoid house maid. She thinks the monsters are a result of voodoo and she doesn't mind voicing her opinion! Eulabelle, you are golden.
A totally enjoyable B monster romp that's thankfully coming to DVD soon. Those who love the genre must see it!
*** out of ****
Must have because of "cult" status -- awful movie, though -- still better than Pulp Fiction
rcollins-330 August 2000
When I first saw this movie in 1964, I was 9 years old. I thought it was corny then, I think it's corny now. But...it's a "cult classic;" one of those movies I just have to get a copy of, because it was part of my childhood.
I guess you could say that it's so BAD, that it's GOOD ! I would love to have a copy. Still there are worse movies out there, such as Pulp Fiction, or Sunday Bloody Sunday.
I guess you could say that it's so BAD, that it's GOOD ! I would love to have a copy. Still there are worse movies out there, such as Pulp Fiction, or Sunday Bloody Sunday.
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