The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1959)

Directed by Irvin Berwick. Starring Les Tremayne, John Harmon, Forrest Lewis, Jeanne Carmen, Frank Arvidson, Don Sullivan.

Stagnant, amateurish monster movie of a humanoid sea beast terrorizing a small coastal town in California, spurred on by that darn lighthouse operator (Harmon) who kept feeding it. Standard independent low-budget stuff from its era, full of wooden performances and dull dialogue and only the occasional attempt at achieving some manner of visual style or suspense. Really only notable for a modestly-diverting climax and its boundary-pushing use of decapitations—an amphibious monstrosity bursting into a room holding a severed head is tame by today’s standards, but for the 1950s… The snarling monster is rarely seen until the final act, which is just as well since it looks like a third-rate knockoff of the one from Creature from the Black Lagoon (and is about as horrifying as Charlie the Tuna).

34/100