Mystery Science Theater 3000: ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, with short UNDERSEA KINGDOM, part one
November 12, 2015 1:05 AM - Season 4, Episode 6 - Subscribe

"Crawling Horror...Rising from the Depths of Hell to Kill and Conquer!" Rednecks are disappearing and the sheriff won't listen that they've been caught giant leeches living in caves beneath the swamp. Oh well, it isn't anything a bunch of dynamite can't handle. With short UNDERSEA KINGDOM, Part 1: In this first episode of a 1936 serial, "Crash" Corrigan and friends (including a Professor, a Kid, and a Woman) dive beneath the sea in their rocket sub to the lost city of Atlantis. Everyday-wear in Atlantis is, shall we say, flamboyant. The short is the oldest thing ever riffed by MST3K. I find the conclusion of the movie particularly hilarious. Although they know that the leeches may be keeping their victims alive in underswamp caverns, the "good guys" still throw in bundles of explosive, killing leeches and victims alike. The movie was remade in 2008! Executive Produced by Roger Corman, and Regular Produced by his brother Gene. YouTube (1h31m) Premiered July 18, 1992.

How old is the short? The Great Depression was still rolling when it hit theaters. H.P. Lovecraft was still alive at the time; he died the following year.

This is one of those movies that it seems everyone who's into badfilm has featured. In addition to our favorite cowtown puppet show, there's Elvira, both Svengoolie and the earlier Son of Svengoolie, something called TJ and the All-Night Theatre, Videobob's Stupid Movie of the Week, and the last episode of Season One of Public Domain Theatre.

Episode 406 ATTACK OF THE LEECHES, with UNDERSEA KINGDOM, Part 1
Satellite News - Mighty Jack's Episode Review - MST3K Wikia

Movie ATTACK OF THE LEECHES
Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt
IMDB (3.4 stars)
"After local-moonshine swilling trapper Lem Sawyer sees a giant creature, people start disappearing. While searching for illegal traps Steve Benton and Nan Greyson, his girl-friend find Lem dying with giant sucker wounds on his body. One couple Liz Walker and Cal Moulton, forced into the water by her enraged husband Dave Walker, gets taken by the leeches. When police refuse to believe Dave's story, he hangs himself. Soon after this, 2 more trappers disappear, the local Game Warden Steve Benton gets involved. He and Nan's father Dr Greyson realize that the people were taken by the leeches and the leeches live in caves under the swamp. Using dynamite, the 4 missing bodies are discovered and the leeches are destroyed."
Directed by Bernard L. Kowalski. Written by Leo Gordon. Starring Ken Clark, Yvette Vickers and Jan Shepard.

Short UNDERSEA KINGDOM
Daddy-O's Drive-In Dirt
IMDB (4.7 stars)
"Crash Corrigan, a recent graduate of Annapolis, and Diana, a go-getting reporter, join Professor Norton for a search for the source of a string of earthquakes, Atlantis. They ride Prof. Norton's rocket submarine searching the sea and little Billy Norton, the professor's son stows away, of course. When they find Atlantis they are caught in a war between peaceful Atlanteans, note their white capes, and war-monging Atlanteans, note their black capes. After many harrowing moments for Crash, Diana, Prof. Norton and Billy, they barely get away with their lives when they escape a tower of Atlantis raised to the surface for the sole purpose of dominating or destroying the Earth (Which one depends on the compliance of the upper world dwellers.)"
Directed by B. Reeves Eason and Joseph Kane. Written by John Rathmell, Maurice Geraghty, Oliver Drake, Tracy Knight and John Rathmell. Starring Ray Corrigan, Lois Wilde and Monte Blue.
posted by JHarris (7 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Once again, our weekly showing will be at http://sync-video.com/tv/rodneylives, at 9 PM Eastern time. Information on our shows can be found in the MST3K Club FAQ.

In anticipation of Turkey Day 2015, Joel Hodgson and Shout Factory's yearly Thanksgiving internet-based MST marathons now done two years running and presumably with another one this year, I'm scheduling a break for the week of November 26.

NEXT WEEK: November 19, 407 THE KILLER SHREWS
FOLLOWING WEEK: On break for Thanksgiving Day, I'll be eating turkey and watching the official marathon!
posted by JHarris at 1:12 AM on November 12, 2015


I always thought Leeches redneck subplot had a Tennessee Williams/Russ Meyer vibe going, and sure enough, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof came out the year before in 1958. I'd bet money Corman saw it and decided to go a little Maggie The Cat with the vixen in the film, Yvette Vickers, who later posed as a Playboy centerfold, photographed by Russ Meyer!

Sadly, she was last seen alive in 2010, and her mummified body was found in her Benedict Canyon home in 2011. Forensics determined she may have been dead for at least a year before the discovery of her body.
posted by valkane at 5:11 AM on November 12, 2015 [2 favorites]


This was the one the writers gave Paul Chaplin a hard time over when he said that, "It's got an intensity about it that I admire."
posted by Chrysostom at 7:02 AM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


To be totally fair, I recall both Elvira and Svengoolie automatically showed every movie with a title that began "Attack of the Giant..." Because both franchises was based upon not just showing bad movies but bad HORROR movies. Which was one thing that made MST3K a breath of fresh air - its mission to show all KINDS of bad movies (and why its brief infatuation with Gamera was considered worrisome).
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:41 AM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


Well, there's only so many Gamera jokes to be made. They were definitely running on empty by the last Gamera ep.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:09 AM on November 12, 2015


MST3K on MetaFilter: We have Gameras.
yes, a VERY OLD Mefi in-joke, but I'm a VERY OLD Mefite.
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:30 AM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


A little late for the movie, but here's a scientifically accurate comic about leeches.
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:46 PM on November 14, 2015 [1 favorite]


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