THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS / Vanwick Productions - 1959

It's another Monster Monday with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. What we gots is a redo of an earlier post that features a nastier version of the CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, it invades the California seaside community of Piedras Blancas and hides in a cave. Makeup artist Jack Kevan created the monster after working on such films as THE WIZARD OF OZ, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, THE LAND UNKNOWN, MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES and MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS! Check out that great British double bill poster with THE DEAD ONE!

Eegah!! sent over a soundclip for us to hear, sooooo, you can go ahead and push the big red 'GO' button and get the old marbles rolling, NOW, Ralphie The Tarantula! Here's a sample of... THE MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS!

Here's Sturges, the lighthouse keeper at Piedras Blancas, he notices a funeral procession and stops for a moment to pay his respects. The townspeople think he's a weirdo and don't like him. If you look real hard, you can see Morro Rock on the the horizon near the center, a place that holds lots of great memories for kids who grew up in the Big Valley around that time...

Sturges has a dirty lil' secret, he's feeding a prehistoric creature, hoping to keep it fed enough to not bother the local residents. A few recent mysterious murders are making him wonder if the monster is responsible.

We had the Wings Drive-In in our town, here, it's where the lovely daughter of Sturges works. Jeanne Carmen plays Lucille, girlfriend of Fred, played by Don Sullivan. We remember Don from TEENAGE ZOMBIES, CURSE OF THE UNDEAD and THE GIANT GILA MONSTER. Jeanne was known for her trick golf shots besides all the hot pin-up photos she appeared in. She was also one of Frank Sinatra's girlies on the side.

This shot is so surreal that I had to include it!

The storekeeper is the next victim, later, Sturges falls off a cliff and is nearly killed! The final straw is when a little girl gets killed by the thing. Killing kids off in movies for shock value is almost perverse.

In another run in with the monster, Constable Matson gets thumped by it. It's not being fed by the injured Sturges and has to plan it's own meals! There's Dungeon favorite Les Tremayne as the local doctor.

Fred and the doc come across this weird footprint in the sand and discover the cave the thing has been hiding in!.. And, snacking in!

Wouldn't you know it, Lucille just happens to be stripping off her clothes when dude shows up! Where I come from, that's called.. Good writing!

The thing looks plenty creepy, but, when it drools all that slime, well, check out the look on Lucille's face!

Sturges is pursued up the stairs by the creature, so, he goes up to the top floor where the lamp is and bolts the door. Cool stairwell!

The monster breaks through the door and ends up tossing Sturges off the balcony right in front of Lucille!

Payback's a bitch as Fred uses a pole to knock the thing backwards, over the railing and to it's death!

And, here's the very best way to end this post...

No wonder I used to have such a big crush on this lady!!