Crater Lake Monster, The (1977)

This bargain-basement dinosaur romp finds a backwoods community terrorized by a massive plesiosaur, aroused from its hibernation at the bottom of Crater Lake by a meteorite impact. A dull police manhunt subplot drags things down in the second act, but there’s some cheesy fun to be had as long as David Allen’s lumbering stop-motion beastie is onscreen, munching down on the locals like a lumpy, waterlogged beast from 20,000 Fathoms. This drive-in favorite is notable mainly as an example of the burgeoning stop-motion animation skills of Allen, whose career ranged from TV commercials (remember Mrs. Butterworth?) to steady feature work under the aegis of producer Charles Band, with whom he collaborated on numerous productions.

1977, colour, 85 minutes