The “shitty” horror movie Stephen King adores: “You’ve got to have a love for pure shit”
Everyone has at least one movie they love with their heart that they know is objectively terrible, and there’s only one that came to mind when Stephen King was reflecting on how horror aficionados tend to be more forgiving than most.
As someone who made a living in the genre, it’s no secret that the author was raised on a steady diet of spine-chilling films. Some of them left an indelible mark on his impressionable young psyche, but King’s appreciation of the medium stretches well beyond its greatest terrors.
Like anyone else who enjoys horror, King knows a classic when he sees one. On the other hand, he’s got no shame in admitting that he’s gotten a kick out of some atrocious films, which is part and parcel of being a fan. The good has to be taken with the bad, and in some cases, the bad is so bad that it becomes good.
King’s shining example hailed from one of B-tier cinema’s most legendary figures: Roger Corman. The producer and habitual career-launcher could rub two pennies together and emerge on the other side with at least three features, ranging from action flicks and thrillers to romance and gothic horror.
In 1957, he stumbled upon one of his greatest revelations. As the title should make patently clear, 1957’s black-and-white delight, Attack of the Crab Monsters, does indeed revolve around crab monsters attacking. It never takes itself too seriously, and when it did what most Corman pictures do and turned a profit, he realised that merging humour and horror was a winning combination.
As for King, he explained that in order to be considered a true connoisseur, any self-respecting devotee is obligated to embrace the titles that dwell at the bottom of the barrel. “If you love horror movies, you’ve got to have a love for pure shit,” he said. “This is not an aspersion on anyone, but you turn into the kind of person who would watch Attack of the Crab Monsters four times.”
It’s not the worst thing Corman ever produced, and it delivers exactly what’s promised. Like many of his voluminous credits, it’s also become a firm cult favourite in the half-century since its release, because who doesn’t want to see low-budget crab monsters wreaking havoc on a scientific expedition that encroaches on their turf before using mind control powers to plot a hostile takeover of the food chain?
“You know how shitty it is, but there’s something that appeals to you,” King concluded. “It doesn’t mean you don’t want to do better.” Whether it’s his literary pursuits or any filmmaker with dreams of making a name for themselves in horror, the point he’s making is that just because Attack of the Crab Monsters is undeniably bad, it doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed by someone who wants to create good horror.
Coming from the writer behind many of the art form’s most iconic stories, and with no shortage of top-tier movie adaptations based on his bibliography, his advice is worth taking on board.
