Wikipedia

Track of the Moon Beast

Track of the Moon Beast is a 1976 horror film directed by Richard Ashe and written by Bill Finger and Charles Sinclair. It tells the story of a mineralogist who is hit in the head by a meteor, which subsequently turns him in to a vicious, reptilian creature during a full moon.[3][4]

Track of the Moon Beast
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Ashe
Written by
Produced byRalph T. Desiderio
Starring
  • Chase Cordell
  • Leigh Drake
  • Gregorio Sala
CinematographyR. Kent Evans
Music byRobert G. Orpin
Production
company
Lizard Productions Inc.
Release date
  • June 1, 1976 (1976-06-01) (US)
[1]
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$300,000[2]

Plot

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Track of the Moon Beast

The film takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where mineralogist Paul Carlson (Chase Cordell) is struck by a lunar meteorite while observing a meteor shower. Lodged in his brain, a fragment from the meteorite causes him to transform into a strong and vicious lizard (the titular "Moon Beast") whenever the Moon comes out. In his lizard form, Paul loses all traces of his human self and goes about killing people at random. While human, Paul is subject to spells of dizziness and nausea, causing his girlfriend Kathy Nolan (Donna Leigh Drake) and friend and former anthropology professor, Johnny "Longbow" Salinas (Gregorio Sala), to become concerned.

Eventually it is shown that Paul is the monster; later, it is deduced that the meteorite fragment in his brain is the cause of his transformation. Plans are made to remove it from his skull, but the NASA brain surgeons realize — after another X-ray and Johnny's recollection of some Native American legends documenting similar phenomena — that the meteorite fragment has disintegrated and will eventually cause Paul to self-combust. When Paul learns of this, he escapes into the desert on a stolen motorcycle, presumably to kill himself so that he will not cause any more harm. When Johnny recalls that Paul's favorite place was always Sandia Crest, Kathy, Johnny, and local law enforcement officers follow him there. Johnny shoots him with an arrow made of the original meteorite, which causes him to explode.

Cast

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  • Chase Cordell as Paul G. Carlson
  • Leigh Drake as Kathy Nolan (as Donna Leigh Drake)
  • Gregorio Sala as Prof. John 'Johnny Longbow' Salinas
  • Patrick Wright as Police Captain McCabe
  • Francine Kessler as Janet Price
  • Timothy Wayne Brown as Dr. Sutton
  • Crawford MacCallum as Dr. Lawrence
  • Jeanne Swain as Caroline Harris
  • Alan Swain as Sid Harris
  • Fred McCaffrey as Dr. Rizzo
  • Tim Butler as Budd Keeler
  • Gary Kanin as The Newscaster
  • Frank Larrabee as Lead Singer
  • Joe Blasco as the Moon Beast

Production

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Track of the Moon Beast was produced by Ralph T. Desiderio and written by Bill Finger.[5] Its setting and location was in Albuquerque, New Mexico as Finger had written the story in the city despite never visiting and basing it on brochures.[2][6] Frank Larrabee and his band, who were staying at the same Ramada Inn as the movie crew, performed the song "California Lady" in the movie.[citation needed] The performance was shot at the hotel.[citation needed]

The budget to the film was $300,000.[2] It was produced by Lizard Productions and received help from New Mexico's chamber of commerce. The production company kept the film under wraps during filming. Local Albuquerqueans were used for small speaking parts or as extras. Filming was from July 3 to the 27th of 1972, finishing two days ahead of schedule. The first was expected to be released in the spring of 1973.[6] It ended up being shown on television in 1976.

Release

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Track of the Moon Beast was made in 1972 (and a copyright notice with that date appears onscreen) with the expectation that it would be released theatrically.[1][failed verification] It was never picked up by a distributor, however, and finally premiered on television on June 1, 1976.[1][failed verification] It was first released on DVD in 2001 by American Home Treasures, along with Creature and Snowbeast, in the set Classic Creature Movies II.[7] It has since been packaged with other public domain movies in several DVD releases, including Chilling Classics (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2005),[8] 50 Fright Classics (Emson, 2006),[9] and Drive-In Classics (St. Clair Entertainment Group, 2007).[10]

Reception and legacy

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Critical response has been predominantly negative. John Kenneth Muir considered the film to be "a failure in every way", criticizing its special effects, acting, and story. Muir did note that despite its numerous negative aspects, the movie had a quirky charm to it, similar to that of other low-budget 1970s films such as The Crater Lake Monster and The Giant Spider Invasion.[11] TV Guide panned the film, saying, "Although this premise is ripe with comedic opportunities, the production is hampered by classically inept film-making, and the story unfolds so slowly one begins to think the film is running in reverse. The acting is even worse. Still, horror fanatics might find some interest in Joe Blasko's lizard makeup".[12] Oh the Horror! gave it a negative review, panning the film's execution, dialogue, and script, and deeming the movie "embarrassing" and its ending "ridiculous".[13]

Mystery Science Theater 3000

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The film is featured in a tenth season episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Fodder for mockery includes, but is not limited to, the "brain-dead" expression of the lead actress (Donna Leigh Drake), the "horrible" dialogue, and the suggestive name and unctuous nature of the character Johnny Longbow—whom the MST3K characters repeatedly refer to as "Johnny Longbone". An entire host segment with Mike Nelson, in the style of VH1's Behind the Music, is devoted to "The Band That Played California Lady". The scene in which Johnny names ingredients in his stew quickly becomes a running gag, and is one of the writers' favorite moments from the series. Writer Kevin Murphy said that Johnny's world-weary sigh of "onions ..." made him one of the "best" characters they had ever encountered.[citation needed] In 2017, The Track of the Moon Beast episode was included in the 38th MST3K DVD set, alongside Invasion, U.S.A, Colossus and the Headhunters, and High School Big Shot.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Track of the Moon Beast". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Woolston, Katy (August 3, 1972). "City gets rave notice from film producers". The Albuquerque Tribune. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Fandor". Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "AllMovie". Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  5. ^ Miller, Steve (October 6, 2010). 150 Movies You Should Die Before You See. Avon, Massachusetts, US: Adams Media. p. 272. ISBN 9781440509032. OCLC 707351246. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Woolston, Katy (August 3, 1972). "City gets rave notice from film producers". The Albuquerque Tribune. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ WorldCat staff (2013). Classic creature movies: Creature; Track of the moon beast; Snowbeast. Dublin, Ohio, US: Online Computer Library Center. ISBN 9780779252336. OCLC 49899791. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2013 – via WorldCat.
  8. ^ WorldCat staff (2013). Chilling classics: 50 movie pack. Dublin, Ohio, US: Online Computer Library Center. OCLC 68651302. Retrieved March 7, 2013 – via WorldCat.
  9. ^ WorldCat staff (2013). 50 fright classics. Dublin, Ohio, US: Online Computer Library Center. OCLC 755091585. Retrieved March 7, 2013 – via WorldCat.
  10. ^ WorldCat staff (2013). Drive-in classics. Dublin, Ohio, US: Online Computer Library Center. OCLC 273060485. Retrieved March 7, 2013 – via WorldCat.
  11. ^ Muir 2002, pp. 441–442.
  12. ^ "Track Of The Moonbeast Review". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  13. ^ G., Josh. "Horror Reviews - Track of the Moon Beast (1976)". Oh the Horror.com. Josh G. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  14. ^ Hicks, Chris (April 8, 2017). "'Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXXVIII' on DVD". Deseret News – via ProQuest.

Bibliography

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