‘A terrifying creation of the nuclear age!’
Island Claws – aka Giant Claws – is a 1980 American horror film directed by Herman Cardenas and starring Robert Lansing (4D Man; Empire of the Ants; The Nest), Steve Hanks, Barry Nelson (The Shining) and Nita Talbot.
The special effects were created by Glen Robinson (he also worked on King Kong, 1976)
A biological experiment in Florida goes awry. The result: eight-foot long land crabs that roar loudly and kill everything in sight…
Reviews:
“The movie’s not scary or exciting or very good at all, but it has a seedy Floridian atmosphere that I kind of liked, and it did work hard at creating characters and a story, which I respect even if it didn’t work very well and ate up a lot of potential crabtime! And the movie’s theme music is a jaunty piece of lounge-jazz that you’ll really enjoy!” Ha Ha its Burl!
“Like a lot of ‘50s B-movies, Island Claws is neither scary nor strongly scripted. The only reason worth watching is for the campiness of the film; otherwise, these crabs won’t really tickle your fancy.” Horror News
“Thrills are minimal until the monster crab attacks. The story (by Jack Cowden and underwater stuntman Ricou Browning) is predictable”. John Stanley, Creature Features
Filming locations:
Florida