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Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

Attack of the Crab Monsters
Once they were men; now they are land crabs.
—Dale Drewer
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In his sequence for Roger Corman’s Attack of the Crab Monsters, designer Paul Julian explores practical camera moves, multi-plane illustrations, and cross-dissolve animation to create a sense of urgency and mystery throughout.

The text from the opening crawl:

You are about to land in a lonely zone of terror... on an uncharted atoll in the Pacific! You are part of The Second Scientific Expedition dispatched to this mysterious bit of Coral reef and volcanic rock. The first group has disappeared without a trace! Your job is to find out why! There have been rumors about this strange atoll... frightening rumors about happenings way out beyond the laws of nature...

Paul Julian (1921-1995) was a Warner Bros. veteran who had worked mainly on Looney Tunes properties and is perhaps best known as the voice of Roadrunner (Meep! Meep!). He migrated into title design in the late ’50s before later joining the ranks of UPA and working exclusively with notorious B-movie producer–director Corman. Julian’s narrative background and unique mixed-media animation style lent his sequences a tonal depth and complexity not previously seen in B title design.

IMAGE: They Came From Within: B-Movie Title Design of the 1940s and 1950s feature contact sheet

Read more about Paul Julian and B-movie title design in our feature article
They Came From Within: B-Movie Title Design of the 1940s & 1950s.

  • Credits

Title Designer: Paul Julian
Music: Ronald Stein

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Title sequence

  • Title Designer

    Paul Julian
  • Category

    Film
  • Styles

    1950s, animation stand, black and white, illustration, main title
Attack of the Crab Monsters
  • Film Director

    Roger Corman
  • Release Date

    February 10, 1957
  • Aspect Ratio

    1.37:1
  • Studio

    Los Altos Productions
  • Country

    USA
  • Language

    English
  • Reviews

    Reviews on Letterboxd
  • IMDb has full details

Article

  • Writer

    Ben Radatz
  • Editor

    Lola Landekic
  • Published

    September 30, 2014

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