The Creeping Terror

{{short description|1964 film by Vic Savage}} {{About|the 1964 film|the horror video game|Creeping Terror (video game)}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}} {{Infobox film | name = The Creeping Terror | image = Creepingterror.jpg | caption = Title screen | director = Vic Savage (as A. J. Nelson) | producer = Vic Savage (as A. J. Nelson) | writer = Robert Silliphant | narrator = Larry Burrell | starring = {{Plainlist| * Vic Savage * Shannon O'Neil * William Thourlby * John Caresio }} | music = Frederick Kopp | cinematography = Andrew Janczak | editing = Vic Savage (as A. J. Nelson) | studio = Metropolitan International Pictures | distributor = Crown International Pictures | released = {{Film date|1964|11|20}} | runtime = 77 minutes | country = United States | language = English }}

'''''The Creeping Terror''''' (a.k.a. '''''The Crawling Monster''''')<ref>Stanley 2000, p. 117.</ref> is a 1964 horror–science fiction film directed and produced by, and starring, Vic Savage. The plot is centered upon an extraterrestrial, slug-like creature that attacks and eats people whole in a small American town.

It is considered one of the worst films of all time.<ref name="Schuermann" />

==Plot== While driving along a highway in fictional Angel County in California, sheriff's deputy Martin Gordon and his wife Brett meet Martin's uncle, Sheriff Ben, and together they investigate a reported plane crash site. At the site, the group encounters the abandoned truck of a forest ranger, the ranger's hat and an alien spacecraft that resembles a camping trailer. A large, slow-moving, slug-like creature had earlier emerged from the craft and departed prior to the group's arrival. Believing that the absent ranger might be inside, Ben enters the craft by crawling underneath it. Shortly thereafter loud screams, along with growls like those of a lion, are heard from the craft, after which Martin radios for help.

In response to Martin's request for assistance, a special unit of military troops commanded by Col. James Caldwell and traveling in the back of a light-duty, civilian truck arrives at the site. Two of the troops enter the craft, examine its contents, and report back to Caldwell the presence inside of a large, tethered creature. The next day, "the world's leading authority on space emissions," Dr. Bradford, arrives to direct the ongoing investigation, which includes an examination of the creature and the spacecraft's analog devices. As the investigation proceeds, the departed creature stalks the countryside and, despite its markedly awkward and slow pace, successfully approaches, attacks and eats a bikini-clad girl, a housewife hanging laundry, a man and his grandson, picnickers at a hootenanny, several teenagers and couples in their cars at a lovers' lane.

Following the lover's lane incident, Caldwell orders his troops to attack the creature, telling Bradford that the creature should be captured alive if possible. Troops stand close together, walking slowly toward the creature as a unit, and fire their small caliber firearms. The attack proves ineffective and all but two of the troops are devoured. Caldwell then throws a grenade that kills the creature. After briefly examining the dead creature's tissue, Bradford hurriedly returns to the spacecraft and triggers an explosion there. Although the explosion mortally injures Bradford, it does not damage the craft or its instrumentation, and it allows the tethered creature to exit. As the creature prepares to devour Bradford, it is killed in a collision with Martin's arriving police car. Bradford explains to Martin and Brett that the creatures were "mobile" laboratories designed to consume human beings, analyze the bodies chemically to detect weaknesses and transmit the information from the spacecraft into outer space. Although Martin fails to destroy the spacecraft's transmitter equipment, the dying Bradford says that the creatures' home planet might not even exist anymore, concluding that "only God knows for sure."

==Cast== {{Div col}} * Vic Savage as Martin Gordon * Shannon O'Neil as Brett Gordon * William Thourlby as Dr. Bradford * John Caresio as Col. James Caldwell * Brendon Boone as Barney the Deputy (credited as Norman Boone) * Byrd Holland as Sheriff * Jack King as Grandpa Brown * Pierre Kopp as Bobby * Louise Lawson as Blonde Girl in Gold Pants {{Div col end}}

==Production== ''The Creeping Terror'' was directed, produced and edited by Vic Savage under the alias of A. J. Nelson.{{#tag:ref| Savage was born as Arthur Nelson White, and was sometimes known as Art J. Nelson and Arthur White.<ref>Medved 1986, p. 211.</ref>|group=Note}} Although Robert Silliphant is the credited writer, the original story was written by his younger brother Allan. Silliphant's other brother Stirling was a successful television writer, having written extensively for shows including ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' and ''Perry Mason'', and he cocreated ''Naked City'' and ''Route 66''.{{#tag:ref|Stirling Silliphant would later write ''In the Heat of the Night'', for which he received an Academy Award, ''The Poseidon Adventure'' and ''The Towering Inferno'', among other films.|group=Note}} Savage used this familial association to attract potential investors for the film. Savage reportedly offered these investors small parts in the film.<ref name="Schuermann"/>

When interviewed by director Pete Schuermann for ''The Creep Behind the Camera'' (aka ''Creep!'') (2014), a docudrama film about the making of ''The Creeping Terror'', Allan Silliphant claimed he was paid $1,500 by Savage. Following this payment, Silliphant returned three days later with the original nine-page film treatment that he had written based only on an earlier, vague idea for the story. Later in the production, there was conflict between writer and director, with Silliphant frustrated that Savage did not share his vision that the story was intended to be outrageous. This conflict, and Silliphant's belief that the film would harm, rather than enhance, his family's reputation, especially that of his brother Stirling, ultimately led to his departure from the production.<ref name="Snoonian">Snoonian, Mike. [http://filmthrills.com/an-interview-with-pete-schuermann-director-of-the-creep-behind-the-camera/ "An interview with Pete Schuermann, director of 'The Creep Behind the Camera'."] ''filmthrills.com'', September 17, 2014. Retrieved: May 10, 2016.</ref>

Principal photography began in late 1962, but instead of shooting at scenic Lake Tahoe as Silliphant had expected, a muddy pond at Spahn Ranch in Simi Valley, California was used.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201020090012/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/558238/the-creeping-terror#notes "Notes: 'The Creeping Terror'."] ''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: May 10, 2016.</ref> When the film's special-effects creator was not paid for his work, he allegedly stole the original creature costume on the day before shooting was to commence, forcing Savage and his remaining crew to assemble a poorly constructed replica. In John Stanley's ''Revenge of the Creature Features Movie Guide'' (1988), the resultant creature is described as "...an elongated alien monster resembling a clumsy shag rug..."<ref>[https://thelastdrivein.com/2014/07/12/the-creeping-terrible-aka-known-as-the-creeping-terror-1964/ "The Creeping Terrible! aka known as The Creeping Terror (1964)."] ''thelastdrivein.com'', July 12, 2014. Retrieved: May 11, 2016.</ref> Because of Savage's difficulties in securing financing, filming was episodic and did not conclude until 1963.<ref>Medved 1986, p. 192.</ref>{{#tag:ref| The opening credits were created by Richard Edlund who would later work on visual effects for major films such as ''Star Wars'' (1977), ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981) and ''Ghostbusters'' (1984).|group=Note}}

There is minimal dialogue in the film, with nearly all vocalization provided in expository format by a narrator. The exact cause of the missing dialogue is uncertain. Savage may have filmed scenes without regard to the professional quality of the sound, the sound might have been improperly transferred (or not transferred at all, as a cost-saving measure) to 35mm mag stock or the original soundtracks were lost.<ref name="trivia">[https://web.archive.org/web/20201020090012/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/558238/the-creeping-terror#trivia "Trivia: 'The Creeping Terror'."] ''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: May 10, 2016.</ref><ref>Medved 2004, p. 198.</ref> Unable to fund basic sound transfers or extensive post-production dubbing, Savage hired Larry Burrell, a radio news reader<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barrett |first1=Don |title=Where Are They Now? |url=https://www.laradio.com/whereb.htm |website=laradio.com |publisher=Los Angeles Radio People |accessdate=2020-09-28}}</ref> whose other film credits include ''They Saved Hitler's Brain'' and the nudie cutie ''Not Tonight Henry'', to narrate the entire film. Although a minor amount of poor-quality redubbing was performed, the narrator speaks over most of the dialogue in the film, and long intervals devoid of dialogue have no narration, similar in style to many educational films produced in the 1950s and 1960s.<ref name="Schuermann"/>

Savage quickly edited the film with a silent picture-only Moviola.<ref name="trivia"/> Prior to the film's release, Savage was repeatedly sued, and, facing a possible indictment on charges of fraud, he vanished. He would never again become involved in film production, and he reportedly died of liver failure in 1975 at the age of 41.<ref name="trivia"/> In 2009, Savage's wife Lois wrote a novel based on her life with him.<ref>Wiseman 2009, p. verso.</ref>

== Release/Reception == ''The Creeping Terror'' was completed in 1964 and nominally distributed by Crown International Pictures.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Creeping Terror - The Grindhouse Cinema Database |url=https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/The_Creeping_Terror#:~:text=,Nelson |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=www.grindhousedatabase.com}}</ref> With Savage having disappeared, the main financier William Thourlby (who appears in the film as Dr. Bradford) acquired the remaining film stock and commissioned the creation of an edited version in an attempt to recoup some of his investment.<ref name="Schuermann">Schuermann, Pete. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftETxmMpyzA "The Creep Behind the Camera (Documentary Movie),"] ''YouTube''. Retrieved: May 10, 2016.</ref> As sound reels for a later portion of the film were missing, Thourlby added constant and occasionally intrusive narration.<ref>[https://www.cageyfilms.com/2020/09/creeps-be-creeping/ Creeps be creeping|Cagey Films]</ref>

Because ''The Creeping Terror'' would not be suitable for wide release and would, at best, have been relegated to drive-in theaters and second-run showings, it was sold in 1976 as part of a syndication package of films for local television stations.<ref>Smith and Kasum 2014, p. 124.</ref> In 1994, ''The Creeping Terror'' was featured in Episode #606 of ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'';<ref>{{cite web |title=Episode List |url=https://mst3k.com/episode-list |website=Mystery Science Theater 3000 |publisher=Satellite of Love, LLC |accessdate=2019-06-07 |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607161114/https://mst3k.com/episode-list |url-status=dead }}</ref> the cast, crew and viewers of the program became noted critics of the film.<ref>Beaulieu 1996, p. 120.</ref> ''TV Guide'' described ''The Creeping Terror'' as "pure camp," and claimed that it might be the second-worst horror film ever made, behind only ''Plan 9 from Outer Space''.<ref>{{cite news | title =The Creeping Terror| work =TV Guide | url = https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-creeping-terror/review/111729/ | accessdate = November 3, 2016}}</ref> One review noted the film’s technical incompetence (like the carpet-like monster) and bizarre production history as sources of its morbid charm. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-24 |title=The Creeping Terror (1964) |url=https://eofftvreview.wordpress.com/2023/11/24/the-creeping-terror-1964/ |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=The EOFFTV Review |language=en}}</ref>

==References== === Explanatory notes === {{Reflist|group=Note}}

===Citations=== {{Reflist|30em}}

=== General and cited references === * Beaulieu, Trace. ''The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide''. New York: Bantam Books, 1996. {{ISBN|978-0-5533-7783-5}}. * {{Cite web |last=Godwin |first=Kenneth George |date=30 September 2020 |title=Creeps Be Creeping |url=https://www.cageyfilms.com/2020/09/creeps-be-creeping/ |publisher=Cagey Films}} * Medved, Harry and Michael Medved. ''Son of Golden Turkey Awards''. New York: Random House/Villard Books, 1986. {{ISBN|978-0-3947-4341-7}}. * Smith, Michael and Eric Kasum. ''100 of the Worst Ideas in History: Humanity's Thundering Brainstorms Turned Blundering Brain Farts''. Chicago: Sourcebooks, 2014. {{ISBN|978-1-4022-9391-7}}. * Stanley, John. ''Creature Features: The Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Movie Guide''. New York: Berkley Boulevard Books, 2000. {{ISBN|978-0-4251-7517-0}}. * Wiseman, Lois A. ''Hollywood Con Man''. Bloomington, Indiana: IUniverse, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-4401-8027-9}}.

==External links== {{wikiquote}} * {{IMDb title|id=0057970}} * {{TCMDb title|558238|title=The Creeping Terror}} * {{IMDb name|id=0924479|name=Vic Savage}} * {{Internet Archive film|id=TheCreepingTerror|name=The Creeping Terror}} * [https://www.shoutfactorytv.com/mst3k-the-creeping-terror/5e868808e773260001c43f67 MST3K treatment on ShoutFactoryTV]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Creeping Terror, The}} Category:1964 American films Category:1964 horror films Category:1964 films Category:American black-and-white films Category:1964 English-language films Category:Giant monster films Category:Crown International Pictures films Category:American science fiction horror films Category:American films about extraterrestrial life Category:American exploitation films Category:American monster movies Category:1960s monster movies Category:Films shot in Los Angeles County, California Category:Films about alien invasions Category:American police detective films Category:Films about scientists Category:English-language science fiction horror films