The Monster of Piedras Blancas [VHS]

Everyone knows lighthouse keepers are a little eccentric, right? That they tend to go kinda stir crazy after being up there for so long? A lighthouse tender has a nice little pet monster that lives in a nearby cave; he puts food out for it and tells his friends about it. Everyone dismisses the thing as a legend until it comes around and starts ripping the heads off people. The monster itself is pretty impressive, with huge claws, a hideous snarl and a hard, scaly body; the scenes where it pops peoples cabezas off of their bodies are also fairly effective for 1959. Unfortunately, we see way too little of the beast itself as the movie relies far too much on character and exposition. Still, the creature made its way onto many a young boy's dresser as a model kit back in the Sixties and ranks as one of the better screen monsters of the time. It's worth sitting through the rest of The Monster of Piedras Blancas' poky pace just to see a grand total of perhaps five minutes of the titular beast. --Jerry Renshaw