The Crater Lake Monster (1977) on Netflix
A meteorite plunges into a Northern California lake, and its heat hatches a prehistoric egg. Sheriff Steve Hanson looks into the disappearances while two friends run a boat rental on the lake.
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- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb3.6/101,866 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
A meteorite falls into Crater Lake in Northern California while three scientists, Richard Calkins, Dan Turner and Susan Patterson, are in a cave nearby examining drawings that appear to show people fighting a plesiosaur. The crash brings the cave down, and the three barely escape. Months afterward the lake is far warmer than before, and Sheriff Steve Hanson takes an interest in the water. Arnie Chabot and Mitch Kowalski, short of money, start renting rowboats at the shore. A birdwatcher at the water's edge is attacked, and the sheriff begins looking into what is happening around the lake.
Cast
- Richard Cardellaas Steve Hanson
- Glen Robertsas Arnie Chabot (as Glenn Roberts)
- Mark Siegelas Mitch Kowalski
- Bob Hymanas Richard 'Doc' Calkins
- Richard Garrisonas Dan Turner
- Kacey Cobbas Susan Patterson
- Michael F. Hooveras Ross Conway (as Michael Hoover)
- Suzanne Lewisas Paula Conway
- Marc Eliotas Jack Fuller
- Garry Johnstonas Blackmailer
- Sonny Shepardas Robber
- John Crowderas Mechanic
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Crater Lake Monster (1977)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film's stop-motion effects were created by Phil Tippett, who was at the same time working concurrently on another picture: Star Wars.
- Cardella said Crown International, part of the financing, screwed up everything: they pulled support for key scenes that would have explained a lot and plugged obvious holes, added a canned score, and turned the film over to a hack to edit.
- William R. Stromberg, who had assisted Art Clokey on episodes of Davey and Goliath, made the film with his longtime friend Richard Cardella in the style of 1950s monster movies; the pair first planned a Bigfoot picture, but switched to a dinosaur-inspired monster after a glut of similar movies.
- There was no post work done on the film at all, with the result that its day-for-night scenes are simply daytime.
