|
Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)
And the lord said,
"I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; Both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; For it repenteth me that I have made them." Make that line fast. Everybody ashore. Strange. We can only see a small part of the island from this spot, but yet you can feel lack of welcome, lack of abiding life, eh? Yeah, I felt the same when I came here before to rescue your first team. I not only knew that they were gone, but that they were lost completely and forever, body and soul. Please, lieutenant, some of those men were our friends from the same institute. Sorry, Miss Hunter. I'm not so sure you are right, monsieur Quinlan. Maybe their bodies are gone, but who can tell of their souls, eh? Maybe if I call to them they will answer... Their ghosts will answer. McLane! Hello! McLane! Where is the house, lieutenant? You can't see it from the shore. It's back in the hills, at the head of that gorge, just hidden in the cliff. How fitting. Might as well have a look at it. Well, they're coming in with the second load of supplies from the plane. I'll have it sent right up. Hold your headway! You're gonna broach! Tate, sit down in there! Well, get him up! I see him. He's on the bottom. What's the foul-up there? God help us. Cover him. You know, I wish they'd get back. I don't like being out here all alone with old Tate's rigor mortis. Sam, how did a nervous guy like you ever get involved in demolitions work? Nervous? What do you mean, nervous? I'm not nervous, just a little high-strung, that's all. Come on... help me get these pineapples inside. You know, I don't know what we're gonna use these for out here anyway. Unless it's to practice pitching to those babies out there. Took his head off... his head? I'm afraid so. We're gonna take him back to Enewetak for burial. I hope that man's death is not an omen of things to come. Frankly, doctor, I wouldn't care to stay here with you, but if you run into trouble or you need extra supplies, you can always reach the base by radio. That is, if this rotten weather will let us get back to the base at all. Something in the air is wrong. Can you tell me what it is, lieutenant? Well, I don't know, sir. Maybe it's because there's no sound, no animal noises of any kind. Well, looks like we got the dynamite by mistake. - Looks like it. - I'll cart it back down to the beach. Oh, excuse me, doctor. That's quite all right. Just call me Martie. Okay, Martie. You know, the navy boys really fixed this place up. I'm almost gonna enjoy being here. Yeah, you'd never think it was a complete wreck a few months ago. If you want to see a wreck, take a look at my back. Karl, it'll be dark in a few minutes. Want to come watch the takeoff? - I'd like to. - I'll get the others. Lieutenant, I don't want to annoy you again, but nothing was left? Not a hair, nor a fingernail clipping? Only McLane's journal? Well, that's all, doctor. That they are dead, I can believe possible, but to vanish from the face of the earth? No! The navy thinks they were all at sea in their small boat when the typhoon hit. Lost with all hands is an old story. Yes, but... Everybody okay? - Yeah, it looks that way. - You okay, Mac? Yeah, nothing that getting off this old pile won't cure. See you in a month! - One month, no more, oui? - Oui! - We'll watch you from the cliffs. - Au revoir! Did you hear those sounds just before the quake? What sounds, Mon ami? A deeper booming and rumbling? No, I'm afraid not. Doctor Carson means the explosions. We should get up to the cliffs. Hey, Hank, you're a scientist. How come they need a demo team like us on this hunk of dirt? I'm no scientist. I'm a technician and a handyman. So, you still don't know what's going on? Well, you remember that first big H-bomb test? The one that blew Elugelab Island right out of the ocean? Who forgets that? A tremendous amount of the radioactive fallout came this way. A great seething, burning cloud of it sank into this area, blanketing the island with hot ashes and radioactive seawater. Dr. Weigand's group is here to study fallout effects at their worst. Dr. James Carson is a geologist. He'll try to learn what's happening to the soil. The botanist, Jules Deveroux, will examine all the plant life for radiation poisoning. Martha Hunter and Dale Drewer are biologists. He works on land animalism, while she takes care of the seafood. Dr. Karl Weigand is a nuclear physicist. He'll collect their findings and relate them to the present theories on the effects of too much radiation. We blow up mountains for the geologist Carson. But this is the second bunch of brains to come out here. What happened to the first? They were here, and a storm hit. Then they were gone. That's all anybody knows. Doesn't anybody wonder? Everybody wonders. They just don't like to talk about it. Come on, we'll miss the takeoff. Hank, get to the radio. There's something. It's a commercial station, probably Manila or Samoa. It's all from beyond the area of disturbance. I don't get a thing on the navy bands. Keep trying. All those men killed... We can't even send word through this storm. The navy'll send a search plane, honey. No, the navy will assume that Lieutenant Quinlan decided to remain here, rather than risk the storm. Enewetak's probably getting as much static as we are. Probably, which means we can't do anything until conditions improve. So why don't we let Hank keep trying while we begin our own working? We have to go over McLane's journal sooner or later, so it might as well be now. Then let us go into the living room. "Thursday, March 11. "Today Dr. Ben Diaz' culture failed to produce "any sign of bacteria, "though left for five days in the open." "Friday, March 12. "This afternoon, Professor Carter found "a large piece of flesh having the same composition "as that of the common earthworm, "but measured 24 inches by 8. "With this section as a measure, "the wormlike creature would be more than five feet in length. "Most intriguing is the tissue's consistency. "It proved impossible to cut, "knives passing through the flesh, "leaving no mark. "Fire was applied to the tissue, "and the calorie result..." The journal ends there. Well, it's getting very late Why don't we work out tomorrow's schedule and then get some sleep. What about that 5-foot night crawler? Well, excuse me for being so stupid. Me and that book you're reading. We weren't laughing at you, Hank. It's just that McLane didn't really mean to imply that the flesh was from a big worm. He said, "from a wormlike creature." You know, it might've been a sea worm. They've been known to grow much longer than 5 feet. Well, excuse me for shooting my mouth off, but the journal didn't say anything about the sea... Just talked about worms. Nothing in my experience leads me towards McLane's worm theory. Nothing. You would know better than I. But why, I ask, did the writer stop in the middle of a sentence? Yes, why, Karl? Unless something really unusual happened, I'm sure he would've finished. We shall find out, I think. Well, gentlemen, I will head down to south valley in the morning. You know, I haven't seen any insect life since we arrived. Shh. Quiet. Listen. Just the wind. You nearly frightened me to death. Well, now, I couldn't very well announce myself underwater, could I? Besides, you looked scared down there. I was scared... And lost too. You know, Dale, it's funny, but... I was using a big black rock as a landmark, but when I swam back, the rock was gone. Well, I did see something move near you. You did? I wonder what it could've been? I don't know. Just a big black shape moving through the kelp. Land crabs and seagulls. Everything else is dead. Dale! Martha! What's the matter, Carson?! Come up the path! We'll meet you! They must have found something. Come on, hon. Oh, hold it. - That ridge will drop right off. - Off what? Come. See for yourself. But only this morning I came along this path on my way to the beach. And it wasn't there. You mean this pit wasn't here before? It has only appeared in the last 20 minutes. And it's at least 50 feet deep. - Nothing but land crabs. - I want to go down there. - No. - Why not? You are a geologist. You know that a second disturbance would cause a cave-in that would crush anybody down in the pit. - He seems pretty definite, Jim. - Is he right about a cave-in? He could be, assuming this was caused by a disturbance. Why, it's glazed, as though it had been fired in a kiln. Sommers, you and fellows better put a couple of your lanterns around this pit so as to keep any of us from falling in in the middle of the night. Come on, honey, let's go back to the house. Martha. Awake. Martha Hunter. Awake. Awake, Martha. It is McLane. Awake. McLane? Martha, come to me. Help me. Help me. Martha. Martha Hunter. Help me. Help me. Martha, help me. Help me. Martha. Come to me. Jim, but.. what...? I thought... So you heard it too? Yes, it was awful. McLane's voice. He called me as plain as day. Strange, because I only heard him call my name. How could the navy search this whole island and miss a survivor? If he is a survivor. What does that mean? You heard him as well as I. Someone could've been imitating his voice. Well, who would do that? I don't know, but I do know that McLane's dead. Maybe, maybe not. I'm going to find out for sure. Jim, you're not going down there. - Yes, I am. - But Karl's against it. He's afraid of cave-ins. I'm not. Keep this on me till I'm out of sight. Jim, you don't know what's down there. What could be other than earth, water, and a few land crabs? Jim? Jim. I see her. Martha. Martie. Oh, she has fainted, no more. Wh...? It's all right, honey. It's all right. Where's Jim? He's in the pit. He went into the pit. I saw the rope go slack. He must've fallen during the quake. I warned him. Carson! Can you hear me? - Are you alive? - Dr. Weigand! My knee, it's broken! We are coming for you! Don't try to move! - No, Jules. - But we must go down to him. Not this way. The rope may be too short. Then how? Through the caves. The great caves to the sea. But how do you know the caves connect with the pit? Gentlemen, for reasons I have guessed... Dr. Carson also... These caves must join the pit, because the pit was created from below, not from the surface. Dale, take Martha back to the house. The rest of us will look for Dr. Carson. Dale, I'm all right. They'll need you with them. If we can bring Dr. Carson out, two of us are enough. If we can't, a whole army will do us no good. Are you hiding something from us, doc? A theory perhaps? Maybe. Come. We must hurry. You all right? Just a little shaky. Let's get back to the house and get some coffee. Oh, I thought you were the boogeyman. I thought we heard a girl screaming during the quake. Did part of the cliffs fall away into the sea? Part of them? Well, it was pretty dark where we were, but it looked like the whole island was coming down. The boulders almost crashed us in the tent. The whole island, yes. We must go faster. There is very little time. Little time for what? That is Dr. Weigand's small secret. Let us catch him and find out. Doctor, why did you try to stop me from throwing that rock? I just don't like to kill anything, even such ugly creatures as these. Poor helpless things. Helpless nothing. You ever see a bunch of them start on a wounded marine? They finish him off in five minutes. That's all the more reason to get Jim out of that pit. Yes, all the more reason. Now, what do you want with McLane's journal now, honey? I just thought I'd look through it and see what it was Mac said about those great caves appearing in the sides of the hills. Well, he didn't say much, except that it always happened at night. It was right in here. There it is again. - Another quake. - No, the other sound. I heard it at the pit. You know if we both hadn't heard it, I'd swear it was my own imagination. Dale, what can it be? I don't know, but I'm gonna find out. - Now, stay here, Martie. - Don't go in there. Put out the lights. - There's light ahead. - It's coming from the pit. - Carson, we are near you! - Quiet. Come quickly. He's still alive. So let's get him out of here. We can get him out, but we must move with caution. Why? Do not call to him. Why not, doctor? Blood. Where could he drag himself? We will not find him tonight. We had better return in the morning when there is more light. I don't like the idea of leaving him here all night with a busted leg. Nor do I. Up the rope... quickly. We might as well go back through the caves. No! Up the rope. Dr. Weigand... You are a great nuclear physicist while I am a simple provincial botanist, but there are things I do not understand... There are many things that I do not understand also, Jules. You had better climb. Our tent's just outside the cave. We don't have to go up the rope. Up the rope! That's what I was afraid of. It stopped. Whatever it was must've damaged the wiring. Light one of the kerosene lamps, will you, honey? Here's your motive. Food. But not much, considering the size of the thing that did all of this. I guess there's no point in waiting for the rest to get back. The storm should've let up enough for me to get through to the navy now. Come on. Oh, Dale. Whatever it was that did this deliberately destroyed the radio. It had to be deliberate. Every piece of wiring has been ripped out and chopped to bits. Look. Every tube has been sliced neatly in half. And it had to reach way inside to do it without wrecking these cabinets. Well, all I can say is, why wasn't I invited to the party? Not funny, eh? Well, that's as it should be. Do you think you can fix it? Fix it? I'll need a whole new outfit from the bottom up. You have parts? Enough to build a new one? I don't know. Why do you suppose it didn't come through the door and get us, Karl? I don't know. I can only guess. It would take considerable power to keep the intruder behind this door. There is power in the lighting in the living room. You mean it's afraid of electricity? I think so. Have you any other ideas? Once upon a time, there was a mountain. Hmm? Yesterday, when we came to this island, there was a mountain out there. Today there's no mountain. I am not surprised. You're not surprised at anything, are you, doctor? I suppose you can tell us what tore up this room last night. No, I cannot tell you that. But I can tell you this: Everything that has happened from the death of the first sailor to the destruction of our radio must be somehow related. They are too far from the normal scheme of things to be separate accidents. If there is a single cause, then that cause is outside of nature as we know it. Yes, that is why I insisted on caution entering the caves. We are unquestionably on the brink of a great discovery. It is not likely that that discovery will be of a pleasant nature. That is the sum of my knowledge. If you need more, I suggest you ask Dr. McLane, when next his voice calls in the night. Now, let us again seek Dr. Carson. I don't understand this. We've covered every exit in the base of the pit. Wounded as he was, he couldn't have crawled this far. Yet, still no sign of him. Nor will be, eh, Karl? Deveroux! Get close to the walls! - Something to tie it with. - Top of my pack, Karl. Here, you'll need a tourniquet too. Hello, there. Anybody alive? He all right? How did you know we were in here? We didn't; We were on the other side of the island. Well, what used to be the other side of the island. Most of it's fallen to the drink, already. So we run in here when we heard you call. Call... We didn't call you. Whose voice did you hear? Well, it sounded like the other guy. You know, the fellow who fell into the pit. So he is still alive. If we do not move fast, Jules will not be alive. Come. Give us a hand. This will help you sleep, Jules. Thank you, Martha. I could use some sleep. Merci, madame. Je voudrais presenter UN inspection. Give me two. Here's two. And I'll take... One. Bet you ten. Okay, I bet you ten, and I'll raise you ten. If you're not careful, you'll raise us both 10 feet. What's the matter, nervous? What do you mean, nervous? Okay, what do you got? Three queens. Well, big deal, so you finally won a hand. I'm still 100 sticks of dynamite and one wild explosion ahead of you. What's that? Sounds like a kid dragging a stick across a Pickett fence. We ain't got no Pickett fence out here. Professor Deveroux. Professor Deveroux. Who is there? Seaman Ron Fellows. And Sam Sommers. We found Dr. Carson. Where are you? We're outside. We can take you to Dr. Carson, but you got to be quiet... Very quiet. Will you come? Yes. Come down the path toward the big pit. We'll meet you there and lead you to Carson. I will be there. Fellows? Sommers? We're right here, professor. Sounded like Jules. Deveroux? Yes, what is it? - I am here. - Are you all right? Yes. The pain is less. Keep talking. We thought we heard you cry out. I have been asleep. Perhaps you were talking in your sleep. UN-huh. Yes. Then I hope I did not blemish the reputations of any fair ladies I may have known. You didn't mention any names. I never asked any names. Tell me of this cry you heard. It sounded like you... Like you would've sounded in your death agonies. It could hardly have been me, doctor, when I have been here all the time, dreaming of all the things I might learn to do with only my left hand. And though even it was fixed with a hook, and when I... Congratulations, Dr. Weigand. Where are you? Where all of you soon will be. I shall be back tomorrow night. Bon soir. Deveroux! Deveroux! What does it mean, doctor? - He is dead. - But he spoke, Karl. This supposed to be a ghost story? No... No, I do not believe in ghosts. We are dealing with a man who is dead, but whose voice and memory live. How this can be, I do not know. But its implications are far more terrible than any ghost could ever be. But what happened to their bodies, Karl? They were eaten. Even the bones? The bones are, I think, hidden. Most of the dynamite is gone. Huh, dynamite? But not the grenades. I don't understand it. I don't understand it. Well, we may as well pick up what's left. Yes, we shall need them. We shall have to stay away from the beach hereafter. Come, Hank. We still have the radio to repair. Tonight we will wait for Jules to speak to us. Well, it's long after dark. We should've heard him by now. We will hear. Be patient. Good evening, mes amis. I am glad you are all still with us. Be not shocked that the weapon speaks. I transmit, so I must be received. Hearken to all things metal, for I may be in them. What do you want? First I want to reassure you that I am of sound mind, if not of body. Something remarkable has happened to me. I would like all of you to come and see for yourselves. - Where are you, Jules? - In the caves, at the bottom of Carson's pit. - And what about Carson? - I'm here too. My leg no longer troubles me. It's all most exhilarating. - Will you come? - Yes. - Wait for us. - We'll wait. - Let's go. - Dale! We shall need the equipment. We must go. We have to find out. We are here! Show yourself! Get back here! - I killed it. - Yes! By the sheerest luck. Why didn't the grenades hurt it? Remember what the journal said about the worm? Yeah, that a knife passed through it like water. The stone penetrated its brain or motor area... or whatever keeps the thing alive. I think if we remove the stone, the crab would return to life. Oh, let's just leave it be, huh? We will bury it. If a blade passes through it like a finger through mercury, then like a river of mercury, we should be able to sever a part of it by completely separating it from the rest of the body. Thusly... There. Now we have a specimen. Fetch your dynamite, Hank. Do you have any theories, doctor? Perhaps. All I can tell you now is that this is a male land crab, which you as a biologist will know better than I. Yes, Karl, I... I know the species appears to be that of an ordinary land crab, but... Out! Quickly! Down! You have destroyed McLane and all of his party. You have destroyed them and tried to destroy me. This, mes amis, was one grave mistake. Well, doctor... This is ridiculous. Molecular structure of this crab is entirely disrupted. There's no cohesion between the atoms. - I don't understand. - Nor do I. Apparently we have one of those biological freaks resulting from an overdose of radiation poisoning. The way to explain it is... Look. Electricity. The free electron in the copper atom breaks off to circle the next atom, taking the charge along the wire. Do you follow me, Hank? I think so. The free electrons jump from atom to atom along the copper at the speed of light. I remember that from high school. Yes, atom to atom. Well, something like that has happened to our crab. But instead of free electrons, the crab has free atoms... All disconnected. It's like a mass of liquid... with a permanent shape. Any metal, therefore, that the crab eats will be assimilated in his body of solid energy, becoming part of the crab. Like the bodies of the dead men? Yes. And their brain tissue, which, after all, is nothing more than a storage house for electrical impulses. That means that the crab can eat his victim's brain, absorbing his mind intact and working. It's as good a theory as any other to explain what's happened. But, doctor, that theory doesn't explain why Jules' and Carson's minds have turned against us. Preservation of the species. Once they were men, now they are land crabs. Okay, professor, how are the crabs blowing up the island? I am not sure. But I imagine they are able to send out arcs of heat. They are packed with it. The sides of the pit were glazed as if the rock were melted. They can melt and fuse parts of the caverns, explode the materials contained and bring about the slides. - Why? - To get at us, of course. Looks like we're on the verge of a blessed event. What's that? What's that? Or is this the one you killed? No, it is still alive. We did not kill it. Notice the belt of yellow fat around the base of the shell? It would indicate that she's in a very delicate condition, and pretty close too. I, for one, should not like to be around to hear the patter of so many tiny feet. - Then we've got to kill it. - Kill it? It's easier said than done, Hank. Now wait. This needs some thought. Doctor, you're not going to suggest that we save it for science. That would be suicide. No, thank you, Martha. I have no ambition toward becoming a mad scientist, But I do think we ought to try and capture the thing. Would you not like to examine a live specimen? Certainly, I would. But I had a chance to see how the specimen examined the lab wall last night. Hey, take a look at this. You said something about the crab being afraid of electricity, doctor. Let's find out. Ashes! The electricity destroyed the leg in less than a second. That proves that the crab is negatively charged. Yes. Then, Hank, you must create a trap of positive energy. Ha! It works! Well, sure it does, doctor, easier to build than a model airplane. The charge must be just strong enough to DE-energize the crab, long enough for us to remove the claws and cage it, but not strong enough to kill the thing. That's fine, Karl, but how do we get the crab to step into it? Apparently the creature sleeps by daytime. We must take the arc and place it in one of the well-traveled cave routes. He has eight legs with which to step on the plate. I am sure he will manage. Yes, but you better select a new approach to the cave. The beach entrance is completely under water, and the pit is... He is using the dynamite. We must hurry. You've already lowered the electric eyes into the cave? Yes, you must place them either side of one of the upper caves. The lower caverns will be flooded by now. Use the underwater channels to the ocean as you escape. We'll try to attract his attention from up here. Take care, honey. We might as well get to work. I'll plant this one. You take the other. All right. Lonesome in here. It's lonesome everywhere. You know, I bet you could even be lonesome in a crowd. Yeah. Unless, of course, you found that special someone. Found him yet? Why do you ask? Because I... Behind that wall! This might be the perfect time to collect some of Dr. Weigand's mercury. If I can't make it back, you get out of here as fast as you can. Hank, you... Get in to the water! The water's down that tunnel! Dale, they just ran across the bottom of the pit into another cave. Martha! Let's get down to the sea entrance. It's no good shooting, Dale. The bullets pass through it just like X-rays. So, you have wounded me. I must grow a new claw Well and good, for I can do it in a day. But will you grow new lives when I have taken yours from you? Do you think it'll work now, Hank? It should. Everything's put together. The generator's always worked. All we have to worry about is the strength of our signal. That is, if Dr. Deveroux and Carson will leave us alone long enough to try it out. I'm afraid they won't. Rather than our receiving radio signals, they would prefer to receive us in that great common stomach of theirs. Well, come on, Karl, let's go out and see what's left of this rock. I hope there is still something left upon which to stand. Well, I guess it's about time I fixed us some food. There used to be ridges there for maybe two miles. Now there's less than half a city block. Soon we will have nowhere to run. That's the idea, isn't it? The path is still there. Yes, Karl, but where does it lead? To the pit and to the sea. At least to the sea. We'll soon find out. Aloha, Malihinis. This is your favorite disc jockey, Pineapple Joe. Listen now to Mukakima and his Ola'Kai boys playing Muana Loa Lover. It's working. Only the receiver. Not the transmitter. Well, can you fix it? I don't know. Maybe with this telegraph key and a Morse code setup. Well, we don't have to worry about the pit any longer, Karl. No. Shall we go? Might as well. It's not wasting any time. The sound came from over there. Let's go. Oh Hank, I don't know what we'd have done without you. Where did you ever learn to fix all these things? In the navy during the war. And I knocked around a lot in the radio and the TV repair business. Ended up in the south pacific? Yeah. How'd you get here? Well, after Dale and I graduated, we stayed on at the Institute in research. - You've been together ever since? - UN-huh. And when his promotion comes through, we'll be making it a lifetime partnership. Yeah. Well, let's go find Karl and Dale and tell them this thing works. All right. Is that not oil? Yes, it is, Karl. I've never heard of oil being found on the pacific islands before. The detonations must've opened a source deep in the island. But look, it seems to be coming from two sources. I suggest we trace them. You want to follow this oil underground? I feel we must. But the crab, Karl. The crab is like a rattlesnake. It can be heard long before it can be seen. I believe we can keep out of its way if we only remain alert. He knows this better than we do. That is why he is trying to reduce this island to a small corner, from which we cannot escape. All right. But at the first sound of a rattle, get out of there, eh? All right. Don't worry. Don't worry. You follow this stream, and I shall follow the other one. - Dale, what is it? - Karl's down in the caves! - Why did he go? - Never mind! The crab is heading straight for him. We've got to get him out before it's too late. Then let's go! Stay there, Martie! Martha! Get out of here! - Keep going! - Dale, no! I'm gonna light the oil back there. Come on. He knows what he's doing Come on! Did you kill it? No. He can avoid the main stream. Of all of us, I thought Karl would be the one to... That fire won't hold it very long. I don't think it matters much anymore, Hank. Well, just so it holds it long enough for me to get one message away, - just one more S.O.S. - Hank you've got the radio? That was quick thinking, Dale. The pity is that all fires must one day burn out. You getting through, hank? How should I know? I'm not on the other end of this thing. Oh, Hank, you must get through. I know it. It's gone dead I am afraid that won't help you, Hank. By the time ships and planes can arrive, this island will have vanished beneath the waves of the sea. But you will not drown. You will be a part of me. And as with McLane, there will be no evidence of how you vanished or of my existence. We will rest in the caves and plan our assault upon the world of men! No! Run! Get out of here! Look! The water's rising. Come on! Climb! Hank, you got any fight left? What for? It's only wasted energy. Sure, I got fight left. I don't know what good these will be now, Hank, but I got two grenades left. How about you? I got four. Let's see what's in the toolbox. Transmitter's still working. Here, this looks good. Dale! Go! Let's try and blast him, Hank. Foolish. Very foolish. Watch it, Hank. Hank! - He gave his life. - I know. |
|